It's the first seemingly non-third-party listing on Amazon.com for the search term, "iPhone lightning cable." It's the 4th search result. If you hover over the first of "Other sellers" you'll see a store which has a 67% satisfaction rating. If you click through and read the negative reviews, almost all of them list getting a fake product. Amazon lists the brand of the cable as "Apple." The item description says that it comes in "non-retail packaging."
[not the parent] Apple.com's cheapest lightning cable is $19.99, and I don't recall ever seeing a 3rd party discount a genuine product by so much, and it says "Non-Retail Packaging" which is a bit strange, so I'd assume it's a knock-off. But you make a good point — it says "Apple" and it is the first result that looks exactly like the original: my family members would probably buy it.
Same $19.99 price as an Apple original. Amazon lists "Apple" as the brand. But read the reviews--2.5 stars over 379 reviewers. First review: "Fake Apple cable. Doesn't work."
Under "Other sellers," Amazon.com is listed as an alternative, albeit for $5 more. That one is surely authentic, right? But what if the inventory is co-mingled with that of the other sellers for the same product?
I'd suspect the problem might actually be the NUMBER of reviews --- 26,000 is a lot, and I suspect many of the reviews are bots meant to tip the score.
The interesting part to me is the reviews are half one stars.
For a lot of things I buy on amazon, being authentic or not is irrelevant, being of good quality or not is my only concern.
Of course for a lot of brands 'authenticity' and good quality go together, but that's only a signal to me, authentic products can also be crap.
Perhaps that's also why I don't buy most brand stuff on amazon, as it gives me nothing more than the official retailer's site, prices should be the same, and customer service will be on par or better.
To be clear I don't condone selling fakes, I just think it's a fool's errand to look for 'good deals' on amazon or any third party site when it comes products where brand matters over all.
It's the first seemingly non-third-party listing on Amazon.com for the search term, "iPhone lightning cable." It's the 4th search result. If you hover over the first of "Other sellers" you'll see a store which has a 67% satisfaction rating. If you click through and read the negative reviews, almost all of them list getting a fake product. Amazon lists the brand of the cable as "Apple." The item description says that it comes in "non-retail packaging."