
What are the odds that "OEM" ebay items are real?
I was looking at this https://www.ebay.com/itm/358459095132 and a dozen other similar listings that were priced at the same range, and I became suspicious based on what I had expected OEM parts like this to be priced at.
Update - Learnings and Conclusion:
It does seem that there are a few "tells" that indicate counterfeit/misrepresented items, and some search filters that drop many suspicious listings:
Adding a filter of Brand: Honda seems to quickly trim many of the low-priced, suspicious listings. It's not proof of authenticity, but it's a useful filter.
The term "Genuine Honda" appears to be something suspicious listings avoid. It's a much stronger claim about the actual manufacturer than simply saying "OEM."
If the Honda logo is blurred/pixelated/erased in the product images, I'd consider that a significant red flag, especially when everything else looks like genuine Honda packaging. My original assumption was that showing the Honda logo on a fake product was more legally damning, but it's probably more about trademark enforcement/detection and reducing ambiguity. Explicitly claiming a counterfeit is "Genuine Honda" would be problematic too.
Terms like "OEM" appear to be nebulous enough that they're used pretty freely. It can mean original manufacturer, OEM replacement, OEM-spec, OE-equivalent, etc. I wouldn't take "OEM" to mean Genuine Honda by itself.
None of these are guarantees, so YMMV. This also assumes that a seller of legitimate parts knows to lean into the not-fake indicators when creating their listing.
The biggest tell to me is the combination of a much lower price, avoiding "Genuine Honda," and deliberately removing the Honda logo from otherwise Honda-looking packaging.