Jacksonville business owner says counterfeiters on Amazon destroying his company

A Jacksonville T-shirt company owner said Chinese counterfeiters on Amazon are killing his business by selling low-quality knock-offs to would-be customers.

When T-Shirt Bordello first started selling shirts on Amazon, owner Don Myers said the company was shipping out 80 shirts a day.

Myers said that number dropped to a couple of shirts a week after Chinese counterfeiters got a hold of his designs.

LOCAL NEWS: Jacksonville business owner says counterfeiters on Amazon destroying his company

“In the middle of 2014, it really started picking up. And we were like, ‘Yeah!” All of the sudden, we got the attention of the counterfeiters,” Myers said.

Myers once had four employees shipping out shirts.

“This is the last guy standing. I am the last one,” Myers said.

Myers said Amazon removed his selling privileges when he threatened to go to the media.

But a quick search of “T-Shirt Bordello” on Amazon yields hundreds of results, none of them actually posted by Myers.

One of his designs is posted on Amazon by a distributor called “XUEZING.” The image even has Myers' watermark on it. “T-Shirt Bordello” is in the title description. It’s selling for $8.55. Myers typically sells that same design for $20.

The one-star review on that post says it all: “This product sucks.”

Myers said he’s sent thousands of complaints to Amazon, but it won’t take the fakes down.

LOCAL: Men hurt by lightning strike in Mandarin recovering

“They have created an environment that is rife and perfect for counterfeiting sales and abuse of sellers and buyers,” Myers said.

Action News Jax told you last year that Jacksonville-based swimsuit company Venus is suing over a similar problem.

“When you put your stuff on Amazon, it is a feeding frenzy,” Myers said.

TRENDING: Linkin Park lead singer Chester Bennington dead of suicide

So how do you know that what you think you’re buying is what you’re actually going to get?

Myers suggests looking for the seller’s actual website instead, cutting Amazon out of the deal.

Now Myers is only selling his shirts on tshirtbordello.com and on Etsy.

Myers was so frustrated, he created an app that sends notices about counterfeits to Amazon. If you're a business owner experiencing the same problem, Myers asks you to email him at don@tshirtbordello.com.

Cox Media Group