FAKE KMC and Shimano Chains

[goixiz]

The chains situation is getting worst - availability is low and now the fake chains are rampant.
I have always used KMC SL and the the std (11.93) for all my bikes and i have a hard time purchasing them and now i can get only fake ones
I purchased 3 batches all from different sellers on ebay and all 3 were fake KMC (got 2 refunded). I dont even bother trying shimano.
How can you tell on the actual chain if they are fake or genuine ?
This is my comparison pkg picture.
https://imgur.com/gallery/A4g9AS4

Thanks for any help you can provide

[tonytourist]

Lots of fake Shimano chains on eBay:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/144383311611
https://www.ebay.com/itm/353864391881

[goixiz]

Lots of fake Shimano chains on eBay:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/144383311611
https://www.ebay.com/itm/353864391881

Shimano can easily be identified but KMC a tad harder

[LouisN]

Lots of fake Shimano chains on eBay:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/144383311611
https://www.ebay.com/itm/353864391881

It's not advertised as a Shimano product. So not fakes.
Otherwise Ebay would kick them out. BUyers make sure your read everything before buying.

Louis

[goixiz]

Lots of fake Shimano chains on eBay:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/144383311611
https://www.ebay.com/itm/353864391881

It's not advertised as a Shimano product. So not fakes.
Otherwise Ebay would kick them out. BUyers make sure your read everything before buying.

Louis

"NEW CN-HG901-11 Dura Ace, XTR 11-speed chain 116 links + Quick Link" If that does not describe Shimano then what does ? DURA ACE is TM

[spud]

^ unfortunately, if you want to take a pretty generous interpretation,the above verbiage only confirms compatability with DA and XTR, not that it is DA or XTR.

Bottom line, you'll have to do business with a legitimate, trusted seller. Anything on Ebay or Amazon is suspect. I just learned this the hard way after mistakenly purchasing counterfeit parts for my car which failed in 40K miles, whereas the genuine article lasted 165K miles.

[Karvalo]

Lots of fake Shimano chains on eBay:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/144383311611
https://www.ebay.com/itm/353864391881

It's not advertised as a Shimano product. So not fakes.
Otherwise Ebay would kick them out. BUyers make sure your read everything before buying.

Nonsense. They are advertised using the Shimano product code HG901, using other Shimano product names and technologies which are doubtless trademarked - and one of them has a picture of a box that says 'Shimano' on it and they both have pictures of chains which say 'Shimano' on them. They absolutely are fakes, and they're still for sale because eBay likes money too much to spend the amount it would take to stamp out all counterfeiting on its platform.

[kode54]

i bought one last year...not from the same seller...but clearly a fake. I did get a refund but maybe most folks use it for what it is?

I also measured the chain to see...and it was already out of spec. I think .6 IIRC. Even my used chains were in better shape! LOL.

[LouisN]

Lots of fake Shimano chains on eBay:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/144383311611
https://www.ebay.com/itm/353864391881

It's not advertised as a Shimano product. So not fakes.
Otherwise Ebay would kick them out. BUyers make sure your read everything before buying.

Nonsense. They are advertised using the Shimano product code HG901, using other Shimano product names and technologies which are doubtless trademarked - and one of them has a picture of a box that says 'Shimano' on it and they both have pictures of chains which say 'Shimano' on them. They absolutely are fakes, and they're still for sale because eBay likes money too much to spend the amount it would take to stamp out all counterfeiting on its platform.

Like I said. Check the details. Many, many items sold on Ebay are copies of well known brands, Easton (with all the EC90 stuff from China), Bontrager (with all the XXX lite parts), and now those copies. Some of them push the envelope as to use the logo on their pictures, but don't use the name in the title description, to respect Ebay's rules. That's my understanding of how it works on Ebay.
IMO Ebay do what they can, but probably the same sellers open many different accounts, and as soon as one closes, they open other ones, etc... It's not Ebay that's to blame here. Aliexpress and other sites sell those items by the zillions, like written earlier people are willing to save a few dollars are lured by those kind of advertisments.

Louis

[goixiz]

Lets refocus back to KMC per OP

[Karvalo]

Like I said. Check the details.

Because, like I said, they're fakes.

Some of them push the envelope as to use the logo on their pictures, but don't use the name in the title description, to respect Ebay's rules. That's my understanding of how it works on Ebay.

That's not respecting the rules, it's just making it a little bit harder for them to be foud and shut down.

@Goixiz, your thread title is "FAKE KMC and Shimano Chains"

[TobinHatesYou]

I no longer buy chains from Amazon via Prime either. Even if you buy from a reputable affiliate, the fulfillment centers / warehouses might combine stock into the same bins. You're better off buying from known-good shops with their own shipping.

[pdlpsher1]

On the KMC chain....Taiwan doesn't use simplified Chinese characters. On the Chinese copy I see simplified Chinese being used.

I have bought 12-speed XTR chains on eBay from Asian sellers due. No issues. But the main key thing is that I paid almost full retail price. Price is a good indicator of whether the item is fake or real. It's not always reliable but I would never look for the cheapest deal.

Were the fake KMC chains on eBay offered at a discount?

[TobinHatesYou]

Selling counterfeit items at high prices is a pretty common tactic. eBay policies have become increasingly seller friendly over time. The money lost on expired listings is negligible.

People don’t sort. They don’t filter. They check the first page of results…sometimes. Many don’t even check to see if the listings are in ascending/descending order by price.

[OnTheRivet]

Chains are not an easy thing to copy, that's a lot of effort for what seems to be not much ROI, who would be making these? Off topic but I have tried KMC chains a few times over the last 15 years and always been disappointed. The YBN chains I use now are easily the best non-brand chains I've ever used and are easy to find and relatively inexpensive. EDIT, also who cares about the packaging why don't they show the actual chains in comparison?