David Bridges
This text initially appeared on Quartz.
If you happen to’re one of many tens of millions of individuals in North America planning to witness the pure phenomenon, making a final minute Amazon Prime order for eclipse glasses is probably not the most effective concept.
The American Astronomical Society’s (AAS) Photo voltaic Eclipse Job Drive issued a warning in late March that it has discovered proof that counterfeit and faux eclipse glasses and viewers have entered the market.
An unidentified manufacturing unit in China has been printing on its eclipse viewing merchandise that they have been manufactured by American Paper Optics, a serious U.S.-based maker of secure eclipse viewers. Whereas the AAS says these most up-to-date counterfeits do “seem like secure,” the society warns in opposition to shopping for counterfeit merchandise as they aren’t assured to be of constant high quality.
Moreover, the AAS has additionally discovered that a number of unidentified Chinese language factories have been labeling their merchandise as being made by the professional producer Cangnan County Qiwei Craft Co. A few of these merchandise even embrace printed logos of Qiwei’s major North American distributor, Photo voltaic Eclipse Worldwide, Canada. The AAS has decided that a few of these merchandise will not be solely counterfeit, they’re additionally unsafe for viewing an eclipse.
To make it simpler for customers to purchase legit and secure photo voltaic eclipse glasses, the AAS has compiled a record over 100 producers, distributors, and retailers it has vetted that supply lab-tested glasses. Main retailers on the record embrace Walmart, Warby Parker, Lowe’s, and even 7-Eleven.
Notably lacking from the record are a number of e-commerce giants.
“We don’t suggest trying to find eclipse glasses on Amazon, eBay, Temu, or every other on-line market and shopping for from whichever vendor provides the bottom worth,” the AAS stated. “Before you purchase a photo voltaic viewer or filter on-line, we suggest that you just make it possible for the vendor is recognized on the location and the vendor is listed on this web page.”
When Quartz reached out to Amazon, eBay, and Temu to search out out what these firms are doing to guard its costumers from fraudulent photo voltaic eclipse viewers, eBay was the one one to reply.
“eBay solely permits the sale of eclipse glasses verified by the American Astronomical Society to fulfill worldwide security requirements,” eBay instructed Quartz in an emailed assertion.
The corporate added that it makes use of “a number of layers of AI know-how, professionally educated eBay investigators, and purchaser safety applications” to make sure items bought on its platform are genuine.
If you happen to’ve already bought glasses or viewers from retailers not on the AAS record, the group advises that this doesn’t essentially imply they’re unsafe. There are strategies out there to take a look at their security.
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