Fake DO-35 hitches appear on the market

[Darcy7]

Important news from GO RV.

https://www.gorv.com.au/knock-off-d035-couplings-spotted/

Apparently these fakes were identified on an imported camper trailer at a recent show.  Also some discussions about these fake hitches being offered for sale seperately.

cheers

[discoteddy]

Not good news at all, mine arrived today straight from VC HQ, replacing an Hyland which has been driving me nuts.

Cheers

Disco teddy

[The punter]

This sort of thing should be illegal and the importers prosecuted

[grc]

 

   x2   CHEERS GRC 

[BBull]

This sort of thing should be illegal and the importers prosecuted

A bit hard when everything is copied and imported these days. Only got to look at places like 4WD superstore.

[McTavish]

But this is not just copied and imported.   This is selling counterfeit items.   

It's copied, imported and sold by an Australian business who MUST have known the hitch is a fake given the obvious rip off of the brand and most importantly using DO35 as the brand.   Go them I reckon...

Similar situation to Anderson plugs.   Jamie's Touring Solutions at the Sunny Coast have put a note out about counterfeit plugs.   Of course there are plenty who use their own brand and advertise as Anderson Style plugs... this is different.  But there are these lowlifes importing counterfeit plugs - greed!!   

https://jts12volt.com.au/counterfeit-anderson-plugs/

[The punter]

A bit hard when everything is copied and imported these days. Only got to look at places like 4WD superstore.

This is blatant profiteering from an Australian company’s R and D
I really hope the karma bus pulls up for the people importing these, it is just completely uncool.

[Nomad]

Yeah but I think the patent runs out so anyone can produce it.

McTavish have a think about FCS fins . The only reason there is FCS2 is because the patent ran out and now anyone can produce them.

I reckon thats why there is a DO35 V3. Patent times are apparently getting shorter.

[McTavish]

Low act yes but - if done outside of a patent then that's a business risk - but have the guts to put your own brand name on it.   

Don't 'copy and sell' and use the originators brand name.

Do what these ebay guys have done - so using FSC as an example
"CARBON BASE performance core surfboard THRUSTER FINS blue (set x 3) FCS compat"
"You are purchasing a set of 3 fins that are FCS compatible." 

[Nomad]

Yeah fair call. I didn't look at the photo very well. To rip off the name is low

[Bird]

Why are people shocked this Shit happens these days? FFS look around!

[The punter]

Why are people shocked this Shit happens these days? FFS look around!

Doesn't make it right

[Bird]

Doesn't make it right

Correct..
... but with it being so easy to copy Shit these days, you aren't going to stop it either...

one of the worst offenders are sellers on ebay where like it or not where nearly everyone looks for items first. then they see item $20.00 or item that looks the same $200...

[BBull]

And it’s not like people on here won’t be buying them.

[Bird]

Some members bought the cheap nylon block ones few years back only to have them fail on them

I guess are somethings you don't skimp on in life and others you can get away with... anything for me to do with brakes, or towing would be just cough up.

[Pottsy]

The quality remains and the price is long forgotten.

You generally can't beat the genuine item, cheap imitations are a false economy.

[tryagain]

Some members bought the cheap nylon block ones few years back only to have them fail on them

The lesson here is definitely don't be an early adopter, there were certainly some issues with the early knockoffs but  MDC alone would have sold 10's thousands since then and I haven't read of any issues with them for a long time, can't say the same thing about all Aus designed & made hitches unfortunately.
The Japanese car brands that a lot of us drive and swear by  were once considered similarly. It's been happening for a long time and will keep on being the case in the future.

[Darcy7]

The interesting aspect of this is that these counterfiets were identified already installed on imported camper trailers.  So its not like someone has decided to replace their hitch and bought a cheap knockoff from ebay.  They are part of an manufactured product.  Regardless of the source, it you were purchasing a full trailer from an Australian company, you would be forgiven for expecting it would contain original components that conform to Australian standards.

Not surprising but quite concerning.  Not the first time this has happened (as Bruce mentioned).  Similar issue with fake Treg hitches a few years ago on imported trailers.

There's a reason why some things are too cheap....!

[corndog]

I'll throw fuel on the fire.  What if the original product is that overpriced for what it takes to manufacture, ship and sell with a good profit. I'm not saying these are overpriced, I have no idea of the cost, but today just about everything can/will be copied from somewhere like China, will be sold cheaper, and people will buy them. As for the difference in quality, who knows. I always wonder now just how much stuff today is actually made overseas and sold in Australia, by Australian businesses, be it original or fake. Lets just say snorkels. Well known brand here sells for $450-500, Chinese made copy, $30 plus $100 shipping for single item. Is there that big a difference in them? Are both made in China? Is the plastics used the same? Yes locally manufactured goods should be better than a copied one from China but it's hard to compete with price. Can we stop what's going on, I don't think so. Only thing to stop this is prove the thing does not comply to our standards, if it has standard to comply to. Does it come back to having patents. They take a lot of time and money and good luck chasing China for a breach in them.

[The punter]

I'll throw fuel on the fire.  What if the original product is that overpriced for what it takes to manufacture, ship and sell with a good profit. I'm not saying these are overpriced, I have no idea of the cost, but today just about everything can/will be copied from somewhere like China, will be sold cheaper, and people will buy them. As for the difference in quality, who knows. I always wonder now just how much stuff today is actually made overseas and sold in Australia, by Australian businesses, be it original or fake. Lets just say snorkels. Well known brand here sells for $450-500, Chinese made copy, $30 plus $100 shipping for single item. Is there that big a difference in them? Are both made in China? Is the plastics used the same? Yes locally manufactured goods should be better than a copied one from China but it's hard to compete with price. Can we stop what's going on, I don't think so. Only thing to stop this is prove the thing does not comply to our standards, if it has standard to comply to. Does it come back to having patents. They take a lot of time and money and good luck chasing China for a breach in them.

Long bow comparing a snorkel to a hitch.

Agreed you can't chase copyright infringement to China, but the grubs in Australia that are blatantly stealing IP by engaging the Chinese to copy things should be able to be held to account. It is outright theft.

[rags]

Long bow comparing a snorkel to a hitch.

Agreed you can't chase copyright infringement to China, but the grubs in Australia that are blatantly stealing IP by engaging the Chinese to copy things should be able to be held to account. It is outright theft.

Particully when a snorkel does not need to meet a safety standard.
We hope that the trailer being towed in front of us does in fact have a "compliance approval" for things like the tow hitch.
It is one thing to knock off another's product design but selling it purperting it meets a certain standard is fraudulent, this in fact what these companies are doing. They don't subject their product to testing to meet any required standard.
An important change to the Chinese campers befiore gaining Australian compliance is that items like the hitch meet a standard and so hitches are changed to a compliant one

[Pete79]

Long bow comparing a snorkel to a hitch.

Agreed you can't chase copyright infringement to China, but the grubs in Australia that are blatantly stealing IP by engaging the Chinese to copy things should be able to be held to account. It is outright theft.

I don’t think it’s a long bow at all.

I do agree that what this particular manufacturer is doing with these fake hitches is wrong.
If they want to copy the design and rebrand it, that’s just the world we live in today, it’s up to the consumer to decide how they spend their money. But to copy it and try to badge it as the real thing, that’s crossing the line in my view.

Back to the snorkel comparison, I say it’s a perfectly valid point.
All of those products are wholly made in China and there is no way in hell the massive price difference is justified.

But if you want to compare hitches you can look at the Orac hitch.
A bit of tube welded to a plate, attached to a bit of bent flat bar welded to a rod. Hardly rocket science and the amount of R & D to make the original would’ve been bigger all.
Yet today the non branded one is half the price of the branded one.

Right about now someone is going “it’s all about the Aussie steel and Aussie quality manufacturing mate!” Well I would challenge that too.

Is there such a thing as Aussie steel anymore? Well yes, but as much as everyone carries on about it, the vast majority of steel stocked at you local steel merchant ain’t from around here.
If fact the amount of Australian minerals used to make that steel would even be debatable.

And the Aussie quality manufacturing? Well I seriously doubt the guy knocking out these hitches is a coded welder getting paid $100 an hour....

The kid getting paid the minimum wage using a welder made in China, with filler wire also from China is more like the truth in my opinion.

Yes there absolutely should be a price difference between Australian made and Chinese made.
But for whatever reason companies still want to rip the Australian consumer with prices 2, 3, 5, 10 times that of a comparable product. The snorkel is a perfect example of that.

[3rd time lucky]

The content of thr previous reply is starting to head more towards a debate about Australian commercial economics. The concluding sentences pretty much sum things up.
I cant vouch for the manufacturing industry, but what I see every day in the construction industry doesnt say much for "Aussie Made". The simple fact is that our wages are generally too high for the tasks performed and, more relevant to this thread, the quality of product generated. And that applies to business owners as well as employees. Everybody seems to think they have a birthright to every toy and holiday imaginable.
I agree, our home grown products are way overpriced.  Look at the car manufacturing sector: both Holden & Ford would have ceased local production years earlier if the Federal Govt hadn't subsidised them heavily. Not all Aussie stuff is rubbish, but there's a bit of a consensus on this forum and elsewhere that constantly drones about "buy used Aus, it will be superior" which may be true in some cases but as a general blanket statement i think would be hard to back up with fact. Ive lost count of the sh#t that i have bought that is Aus made (or badged as such) that has either been faulty from new or just plain useless.
Rant over.

[corndog]

I think it has a lot to do with economics. This dude has seen a good product and in his wisdom has decided to get it overseas, copied and manufactured, ship it back here and sell it. I'll say I haven't checked the prices of these two items. For sure the costs involved are more expensive in Australia, we don't work for a bowl of rice a day, our living standards are far greater etc. etc.
Is it right it's a blatant copy, no it's not, but it's not the first thing and it won't be the last. The point with the snorkel was they could have been made in the same factory. For the price difference I would expect the branded dearer one to be Australian made but is it? In the end people will buy what they buy. Those will buy the dearer one knowing/thinking it is better quality made in Australia and those buying the cheaper one knowing that it is the cheaper one.

[duggie]

I agree that it is wrong and that is not ethical to manufacture and market a copy of another persons hard work .

But as a manufacturer and designer it must, in a way pump up their tyres a little seeing their designs been copied .

After all the Chinese manufactures would only be making something that is selling in the market place and works as it was designed to do .