This is kind of long. Some might find it interesting about Chinese ebay sellers. Others...please ignore.
As someone who knows China really well (per Mrs), people might find interesting to know ...in many cases parts from China like you buy off ebay might not necessarily be 'counterfit'. And probably, even, most likely aren't. They sell Chrysler, GM & Ford, VW, Tesla, Toyota, Huyndai, Kia, etc vehicles in China too, in many cases they sell more vehicles there than here. Parts these days are usually made for global use, meaning they're identical to what we use. Many vehicles in China which are also sold here, are nearly the same. Parts are usually made in China b/c most manufcturers MUST have a factory in china to sell in china (some contries have that too). Parts (and just about anything) is considerably cheaper in China b/c people earn a lot less, have socialized health care (lot cheaper costs), new factories using the latest equipment, etc ...and ultimately the per-part total cost to mfgr is so insanely cheaper (in most cases), we'll almost never be able to compete with it. And truth be told (and I know nobody wants to hear this) they work harder too.
And China has cracked down so much on counterfit goods. You go into these big wholesale places which once were rife with counterfit goods, name-brand items, aren't anymore. In fact they all have a big sign at the entrance in multiple languages indicating that any counterfit goods will be immediately shut down (and people in China are afraid of the cops-because they don't screw around). At first it was lip service but it's been vigorously enforced the last 6-10 yrs. I haven't seen any counterfit goods in a while. A few yrs ago you could still find some renegade sellers who didn't care and would sell some pirated software, DVD's or other goods literally "under the counter" or walk "Behind the Curtain" and make a back-room deal ...they don't anymore. To get a counterfit luxury fashion item, 5 yrs ago was a matter of going to a person's hide-away basement store. Those things have almost vanished (you can never say ENTIRELY). We made an effort and went around asking several sellers (different cities too) about buying counterfit goods this past summer just to see what the landscape is, and they all gave up on counterfit goods b/c too many of their fellow sellers were cracked down & shut down and fined. We heard the same story over and over. My Mrs speaks perfect manderrin and is a wheeler dealer and even SHE couldn't get anything out of scores of sellers. So everybody talks about counterfit goods, but that was 10-12 yrs ago. At least in terms of availability in China. That's not to say something couldn't slip through, but not like the old days when there were whole stores selling counterfit stuff openly. However, there might be Chinese sellers (probably working out of other countries) which make counterfit goods (mostly luxury items) in other nearby countries for worldwide distribution. But making sophistocated car parts which involve multiple injection molds and assembly, isn't like making handbags. It costs money to make plastic molds, etc. Of course one can never say never.
The other thing is, culturally speaking, it's considered bad taste or even unethical for a seller to take advantage of the buyer. In general, people don't ty to scam ya there, like they do in the West (at least not locals). Replacement automotive parts in China would be considered eyebrow-raising cheap compared to here, where a taillight assembly for a new truck is hundreds (if not thousands) ...for a simple plastic assembly ...for no other reason than "they gotcha". That wouldn't necessarily be the case there. Sure you have western travelers who say they've been scammed. When you're in the Chinese element that's not the case.
Most likely ebay sellers are enterprising people who understand the price delta and basically flip parts and take advantage of their goods being real cheap. In most cases this is just a guy working a side-hustle, from home, or he has a real small store ...selling things on ebay. I've met several people who sell items on ebay (in China), and they've showed me their operation. It ain't much in most cases. In all the cases I've seen, these are one-guy operations, or sometimes a couple buddies selling things. A guy trying to make a little extra for his family. Prices for basic goods in China has risen a lot over the yrs so many people have to almost have a side-hustle of some sort. They're buying parts or whatever and reselling. Sometimes it's the wife making handicraft items on the side (if that's what they're selling). They usually have a very narrow focus, a few items. Some can be larger. They buy from a dealer or supplier and sell them. It's not a get-rich scheme for most sellers. I don't know about the Amazon sellers...it could be the same set-up, different venue. But as far as the ebay sellers, that's what I've personally seen.
So if it actually "comes from China" like an engine part or something, I'm less concerned about something being counterfit than other places. But for me, I stick to trusted US sellers like the dealer, Rock Auto and others. I personally haven't been scammed on Amazon with bad products. But I suppose maybe my time is coming...
