Amazon-first Gadget, Choetech, Has Suddenly Vanished

If you’re looking for a new charger or cable, you’ll notice that there are fewer options on Amazon than you might anticipate, as at least six of them have inexplicably vanished. Last month, the global retailer announced that Aukey, Mpow, RavPower, Vava, and TaoTronics had been removed. Still, now Choetech, a brand best known for affordable wireless charging pads, has vanished in a puff of smoke as well.Amazon

This time, Amazon isn’t saying anything, but the tactic is the same: if you go to Choetech’s Amazon seller page, you’ll see the same telltale empty boxes where the company’s products used to be. Instead, searches for Choetech turn up products from different suppliers.

As far as I can determine, the business was taken down a few days ago, with allegations of its removal on social media dating back to July 3rd. It’s easy to see how this may have happened. Amazon is cracking down on bogus five-star reviews, and several gadget sellers have been caught red-handed attempting to pay customers to increase their rating. (Amazon outlawed paid reviews in 2016.) When we inquired about Choetech, only sent us to a blog post published on June 16th that discussed the new crackdown.

We’ve also received no response from any of the previous gadget brands that confirmed removing. Still, it appears that some of them are attempting to circumvent the prohibition by using slightly different seller names. While Aukey and Mpow no longer have a direct presence on Amazon, some of Aukey’s wireless earbuds are still available under the “Key Series” name, and Amazon is also now selling the “xMpow MFly,” which appears to be a Mpow product.