This one really has me scratching my head...

[Mick Bailey]

I've had (and get) terrific deals on Ebay, and really bad ones. Ebay is just the platform. We say 'bought off Ebay', but it's the seller we bought it off. I have thousands of genuine transistors bought from genuine sellers from around the world, but mainly Ukraine, Bulgaria and the US. I do sometimes get bitten, but usually because I didn't do my research into the seller.

A recent purchase from China was quite a surprise; I was looking for some chassis-mount US mains sockets and ordered three from China for less than $3US, including postage. They arrived in quite a large box. Opened it up an there was a load of bubble wrap. Inside the bubble wrap was a polystyrene foam block with a lid taped on. Each socket was located in a little hand-cut chamber that perfectly matched the socket, and they were much better quality than I'd expected. There was a little note to say if I wasn't happy they'd refund the price without question and I didn't need to return them. It made me think of the pride taken in packing those, and how little they cost. Someone wanted to make sure I got them undamaged.

[Azvaquero]

Good point. I guess what I was trying to say is that there are some regions that have more than their fare share of scam artists. It seems like China is one of those. But yes, in fairness to the Chinese in general, I have to say that I have dealt with some honest people over there. Point well taken.

[J M Fahey]

Well, part of the problem is that *anything* made in China is *easy* to sell in USA, there is such a huge cost/salaries difference (around 10:1 or more) so what is unthinkable to you may be an interesting business to some of them.
Best Chinese salaries are around 260U$ a month, and that at the factories making IPhones and such, for long 12/16 hour workdays, 6 or 7 days a week (2 free days per month) , so I bet for the masses making between U$60 to U$120 , earning (scamming) , say, U$ 60 or 100 (in a few sales) by wiping surplus/junk parts labels and silkscreening new "desirable" ones may be worth it .... although that might be hamburger money to you.

One recent example: about 1 year ago the very popular TDA2050 chipamp (25/30W) stopped being made, last thousand stock remaining at Mouser disappeared in 2 days
I bought the last 50 from a local supplier.

Within a week thousands of TDA2050 started to pop up on EBay .

Mixed results: surprisingly many worked (above 50 or 60%), but also many popped open, blowing the plastic away.

Some guys studied them: they were perfectly good (although second source) relabelled TDA2030, a fine 15W chip.

So when tested (for less than a minute), or in less critical use (say a TV audio section) they worked well, but when in a Guitar or Bass amp, which is a heavier job, they exploded.

TDA2030 chip (left) is less than half the size of the 2050 one (right).


as of the Chinese relabeller, he deserves to die and reincarnate like the guy on the right:

[Mick Bailey]

I think economics have a bearing on counterfeit goods. They mostly seem to come from countries where there's a disparity between the local economy and (usually) Western economies. Anyone could sit at a table and rub the marking off a TL072 or whatever on a sheet of wet-and-dry paper. Then silk-screen a higher-spec part number and mark the part up by a few cents. Do a few hundred a day and make a few dollars a week. The incentive to do that can only exist if the local labour rate is low enough.

I wonder if there's enough control over rejected goods that fail a factory's QA processes. Could they find their way onto the black market? For decades electronic components have been made where labour rates are low and the current fashion is to manufacture in China or Malaysia. Maybe Africa will be the next venue due to increasing prosperity and wage demands in China.

Edit: JMF beat me to it wile I was dawdling over a cuppa!

[Leo_Gnardo]

Africa will be the next venue due to increasing prosperity and wage demands in China.

Ten - fifteen years ago friends & I discussed this "where's next?" question. Africa? No way: no infrastructure. Fogeddaboudit!

Now some time's gone by, China has been establishing a presence in Africa, and it looks like manufacturing centers will be built & operated there. Meanwhile USA in Africa, not so much. Hey I got some excellent long underwear/ lightweight sweats made in Lesotho. And they're well made too, they know what they're doing, it's up in the mountains, gets cold there.

Sometimes things don't go so well. Couple of years ago Nigeria contracted with a Chinese road builder for a new north-south highway 500 miles long. They hauled in equipment plus generators & lights so they could go at it hammer-and-tongs 24 hours a day. Didn't go as planned, because local labor would not work at night, lighting or not. "Afraid of ghosts & spirits" was the excuse. Hm... compare to Chinese labor building western US railroads in the late 1800's & early 1900's. They just went at it full tilt, otoh I guess they had to break at sunset, no Hollywood lighting for the work area like we can do now.

[rjb]

Don't forget the fake transistors....
2SC5200 on the left, copper base. Pretend version from China on the right (steel base) ... just enough silicon to test like a transistor!

Relabeling parts is one thing- but going through the trouble of manufacturing fake transistors to fool a tester seems crazy. They must sell HUGE quantities to make it worth the effort.

[Azvaquero]

Hola Juan,

Vivi en San Isidro mas o menos hace 30 anos. Amo su pais, y la gente. La comida tambien! And not a single day goes by that I don't have my mate!

Very interesting comments, which I appreciate your taking the time to make.

What you say makes sense -- If there is a buck in something, there is always somebody out there ready to take it.

Thank you for the photos.

I hope all is well for you in BS AS!

Davis