Yes - It’s reinforcing what quite a few of us have been saying for years. Unless a buyer looks “under the hood”, many of the electronic or electrical items purchased online can look like the genuine thing, but inside - it’s rubbish.
The method described in that article is one example; others include Chinese factories simply churning out the items at the manufacturing level with cheapest possible components whose raw materials are nowhere near spec, where stated functions and capacities were never there, etc.
Caveat emptor is very much applicable to Facebook Marketplace purchases and people need to be aware of the risks that are NOT COVERED when buying from a private individual online.
As you say, k1ooo, it’s just not worth the risk, and I include purchasing through eBay as having a significant risk as well (because unwary buyers often receive what looks like the genuine thing and - tada - buyer gives glowing positive feedback - and doesn’t realise he has a dud within the 30-day MBG period. If buyer does realise, and opens claim under MBG, too many of this sort of transaction will make a buyer a risk - and potentially no longer be covered by MBG in future.
I agree with you; buy Australian, from an Australian business, for this sort of thing.
