The TikTok Shop Epidemic

    We all doom scroll, and the algorithm knows us better than we know ourselves. Over the last few years we've seen the growth of short form video content on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube absolutely explode. TikTok launched the TikTok shop in September of 2023 and now you can't scroll more than three videos without an influencer pushing something on you to buy. Whether that's an AI generated coffee mug that looks nothing like the pictures, or an actual good deal on pre-workout there's something sponsored in almost every video you see. While the TikTok shop has some good people selling stuff and utilizing it, such as the guys at Kruschiki Supply Co. or Americana Pipedream, yet there has been a steady rise of bad actors. 

A screen grab from Yakeda's website of a vest with a word vomit title for SEO (Search Engine Optimization). This is a copy of a USMC FSBE Carrier.

    If you're chronically online like the rest of us, you've probably noticed more and more videos pushing plate carriers to unknowing people that are looking to get into prepping, or to unknowing privates in the army. It'd be fine if these plate carriers were something of value but more often than not it's some Chinese made, subpar knockoff. One of these brands is "Yakeda Outdoor Gear" which has been taking the app by storm. Yakeda makes plate carriers and other gear that are extremely low quality with very low spec materials. Based on Yakeda's website they are very open that their products are made in China (Shanghai) however they use tactics like stating that they have distribution in the US as well as Poland. Most videos you will see made about the brand use tag lines like "I wish I had something like this when I was in the Marines" and "Outfit your entire family for the same price as a week of groceries". To the unassuming customer those sound great, but in reality these people earn commission based on how many other unassuming people buy something by clicking the link on their video. 

A screen grab from Krydex of a copy of a Crye Precision JPC 2.0 with fake Crye Precision Multicam Fabric. 

    Many times you are buying stolen intellectual property that is protected under US and foreign patents. Some of Yakeda's designs are original but many are poor copies of outdated designs like the Eagle Industries MARCIRAS and strangely enough the rare FSBE body armor. There are many companies that sell stolen designs which isn't a new thing by any means. Another brand that sells on the TikTok shop and Temu is a brand called Krydex. Krydex markets their products to Airsofters and cosplayers as a cheaper alternative to the real thing. Many times these designs are exact copies of rigs from brands like Haley Strategic and Ferro Concepts. Most times the material these companies use is not real Multicam fabric, but a very cheap knock off. The fabric is a stolen design and manufactured in a subpar way; the fabric Krydex uses is not NIR (Near-Infrared) coated and can pose problems when someone professionally is using the item. Almost all garments issued to US Military personnel are coated in this NIR solution as to not "glow" when hit with infrared light. Crye Precision, the owner of Multicam, has been working with agencies such as Customs and Border Protection to seize these shipments as they come into the country. Crye Precision also partnered with CNBC in 2025 to bring to light how they are working with the marketing giant Amazon to fight back on these counterfeits coming into the United States. 

A screen grab from CNBC's YouTube channel interviewing a Crye Precision employee regarding an intercepted counterfeit uniform. Approximately at 5:12 in the video.

    Another brand that has had many issues is Benchmade Knives. Benchmade Knives and many other knifemakers have struggled with brand protection for a very long time. Recently there has been an influx of fake Benchmade products being promoted on the app. Many times these fake knives also come in very well faked packaging, to include direct copies of Benchmade's warranty paperwork. If you buy one of these knives and try to send it to Benchmade for warranty work, Benchmade states that they will take possession and destroy the counterfeit product. These knives are usually made with "chinesium" steel and not actually made with the steel their real counterparts are. Benchmade is known for using high strength super steels such as S35VN, CruWear and Magnacut; many times the fakes have these markings but they are made with subpar steels like 420 stainless steel (commonly seen on cheaper Gerber models, while not horrible, it is not as advertised). 

A comparison between a real and fake Benchmade 535GRY-1 Bugout

    About two years ago there was a new memorandum that came out at Fort Bragg's 82nd Airborne that soldiers were no longer allowed to wear or use any personal gear to include privately purchased helmets and plate carriers. While an official reason was never released as to why that happened, many soldiers took to online forums on Facebook and Reddit and stated it was because of soldiers having equipment failures in training. This was mostly in part to soldiers buying gear that was made of subpar quality. This trend has spread to other bases in the country, to include locally at Fort Meyer. This typically comes down to the unit and the NCOs (Non Commissioned Officer) appointed to the unit but many have been ok with some private purchase items as long as they have an NSN (National Stock Number) on them. This is not always a great way to decipher if something is legitimate as labels with NSNs have been faked for years but it is an attempt to get rid of subpar gear in these units. 

A spider map of InfiRay's umbrella of companies courtesy of Vermillion China, a blog that tracks China's defense industry. 

    Over the last ten plus years the United States has thoroughly made it clear that the newest near-peer threat will be China. It has been reported that Chinese nationals who operate companies under the People's Republic of China (PRC) ownership have used US citizens to help improve their gear that they are pushing. Brands such as InfiRay and Argus (Night Vision and Thermal Imagers) have taken to US forums to get user feedback on how to improve their offerings. Many times while this seems to be open market capitalism, these companies are getting individuals to dive deeply into issues and draw comparisons to US made and manufactured items which are controlled under ITAR (International Traffic in Arms Regulations) and EAR (Export Administration Regulations) agreements. These regulations protect US patents and trade secrets from falling into the hands of adversaries to reengineer and use themselves. 

    These issues are not going anywhere anytime soon but you should be doing your duty to be an informed consumer. We know we will continue to see these knock-offs come through the door and we will continue to let it be the dying place for these items. We do not want to sound like we’re on some sort of soapbox but many consumers just don’t know any better. While these may not sound like an issue to many people; there remains an argument to buy these cheap knock-offs to test stuff to see if you like it. While this may sound good, you are oftentimes paying half of what the actual thing costs. As with many “tactical items” when you buy US made items they don’t depreciate much whereas when you get tired of the knockoff there is nearly no secondary market; this makes the “buy once cry once” mentality much more palatable to many. We hope you can become an educated consumer rather than someone who thinks they’re just getting a good deal.

Note: This post is not sponsored nor endorsed by any companies mentioned in the post. We have conducted extensive research to only deliver facts without a bias towards the companies mentioned.