Walmart Selling Fake Goods, A CNBC Investigation 12/22/25

Summary

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Episode Overview

Podcast: Your Money Minute (CNBC)
Host: Jessica Ettinger
Episode: Walmart Selling Fake Goods – A CNBC Investigation
Date: October 22, 2025

Main Theme:
This episode focuses on CNBC’s investigation into counterfeit goods being sold by third-party sellers on Walmart’s online marketplace. With the growth of Walmart's e-commerce platform and its effort to compete with Amazon, the vetting process for third-party sellers weakened, leading to a surge in fake and potentially dangerous products, especially in the health and beauty categories. The episode provides tips for consumers to avoid falling for counterfeit goods.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Risk of Counterfeit Goods on Major Marketplaces

• Online shopping on Amazon and Walmart now frequently involves purchases from third-party sellers.
• The core concern: “How do you know what you're buying isn't counterfeit?”
  — Jessica Ettinger [00:05]

2. Walmart’s Third-Party Seller Expansion

• As Walmart expanded to compete with Amazon, it loosened its vetting process for third-party sellers.
• Notable Insight:

  "As Walmart got bigger to try to compete with Amazon... its third party seller and product vetting got smaller."
  — Jessica Ettinger [00:12]

3. Amazon’s Response Versus Walmart’s

• Amazon tightened regulations, banned many sellers, and made it harder to sell name-brand goods. This pushed sellers to Walmart.

  “Amazon got a lot stricter…it banned a lot of sellers and made it a lot harder to sell name-brand goods. And so these sellers were looking for a new place to go, and Walmart, eager to expand, kind of made it easier for them to get in the door.”
  — Gabrielle Fon Rouge [00:24]

4. Types and Dangers of Counterfeit Products

• Health and beauty products, such as supplements, were most commonly found to be counterfeit.
• Personal safety risk:

  “We spoke with a customer who purchased counterfeit brain supplements from Walmart. And if someone's injured from that, that can open up a lot of liability.”
  — Gabrielle Fon Rouge [00:38]

5. Tips for Safe Online Shopping

• Use the site’s filters to purchase directly from trusted retailers.

  "With Walmart, every time you shop, you can choose to limit the search to just Walmart as a retailer so you’re not lured in by too good to be true prices posted by third-party sellers."
  — Jessica Ettinger [00:52]

• Best way to ensure authenticity is to buy directly from the official brand website.
• On both Amazon and Walmart, check that items are listed as “sold and shipped” by the retailer, not a third party.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Walmart’s vetting problem:

  “Its third party seller and product vetting got smaller.”
  — Jessica Ettinger [00:16]

• On the consequences for customers:

  “If someone's injured from that, that can open up a lot of liability.”
  — Gabrielle Fon Rouge [00:48]

• On avoiding fake goods:

  “To be sure a product is legit, you might want to buy from the brand’s official website.”
  — Jessica Ettinger [00:55]

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Actionable Advice Summary

• Limit Marketplace Searches: Use filters to buy directly from Walmart (or Amazon).
• Buy Direct: Official brand or manufacturer websites are safest.
• Double Check Seller: Confirm the product is “sold and shipped” by the main retailer and not a third party.
• Stay Informed: For more detail, visit the full CNBC investigation at cnbc.com.

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:05 – How counterfeit products proliferate via third-party sellers
• 00:24 – Amazon’s crackdown pushes sellers to Walmart
• 00:38 – Counterfeit health/beauty products and consumer risks
• 00:52 – Consumer tips: how to avoid fake goods online
• 00:55 – Advice to buy directly from brands

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This episode delivers a concise but important warning for online shoppers and shares practical steps to better protect themselves against the growing problem of counterfeit goods on major web retail platforms.

Transcript

[A]

With a CNBC you money minute. I'm Jessica Ettinger. Online shopping on Amazon and Walmart can mean you could be buying from a third party seller. But how do you know what you're buying isn't counterfeit? A CNBC investigation found that as Walmart got bigger to try to compete with Amazon, adding more and more third parties, its third party seller and product vetting got smaller.

[B]

Amazon got a lot stricter. It banned a lot of sellers and made it a lot harder to sell name brand goods. And so these sellers were looking for a new place to go and Walmart, eager to expand, kind of made it easier for them to get in the door.

[A]

CNBC's Gabrielle Fon Rouge.

[B]

So a lot of the products that we found in this investigation are health and beauty products, things that go on our face. Counterfeit supplements. We spoke with a customer who purchased counterfeit brain supplements from Walmart. And if someone's injured from that, that can open up a lot of liability.

[A]

With Walmart, every time you shop, you can choose to limit the search to just Walmart as a retailer so you're not lured in by too good to be true. Prices posted by third party sellers. To be sure a product is legit, you might want to buy from the brand's official website. With Amazon and Walmart, you might want to check that the item is sold and shipped by Amazon or Walmart. See the full CNBC investigation. It'[e-mail] I'm Jessica Ettinger.

[C]

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