I don't like this site any more than anyone else and obviously if their customer service is as bad as people say, I can't recommend them. But there are ways you can avoid sites like this, so that you don't end up yelling "scam!"

How's your observation? See if you get the following questions about this one right:

1. Where is the site name - Koo Kua - likely to come from?
A. America
B. France
C. England
D. China
(correct answer is d., these are Chinese names).

2. How does the site describe itself?
A. America wholesale
B. Australia wholesale
C. China wholesale
(correct answer - c. The words "China wholesale" are in the copyright message at the end of each web page).

3. Where is this business?
A. New York
B. London
C. Beijing
(correct answer - c. If you go to the Payments page, an address in Beijing is given clearly.)

4. The site states that it will ship some goods by HK Registered Post. What does the HK stand for?
A. Hong Kong
B. Hare Krishna
C. Happy kangaroo
(correct answer - a.)

5. Does this site claim to sell iPods, iPads, Dr. Dre Beats or Blackberry phones?
A. yes
B. No
(correct answer - b. No claims that goods are authentic are made here, that I found.)

6. Look at the button labeled "beats by dre". Does this tell you the site sells the "beats by Dre" range of headphones?
A. yes
B. No
C. No, but it's implied because the button is there.
(correct answer- b. Look to the left of that button bar. Where it says "Popular search:". There's nothing to state or imply that the buttons are anything more than links to the most popular search categories on the site.)

7. A two-part question now.
7A. Would most people pay special attention to the logo on all the Beats headphones, since it's there to show that these are real Dre stuff and not some cheap fakes?
A. yes
b.no
(I'm guessing but I think the answer here is a, yes. I know I would, at these prices.)

7B. What's obviously missing from all the Beats By Dre lookalikes here?
A. the wires
B. The volume controls
C. The logo.
(correct answer - c.)

8. Looking at the Lady Gaga headphones, which retail for $150, do you think getting them for as little as under $11 here is...
A. an amazing bargain?
B. a good reason to buy a dozen sets for all your friends?
C. very suspicious?
D. proof that they're not authentic?
(correct answer - d. Products at this low a percentage of retail are beyond suspicious, they can be nothing other than fakes or look-alikes.)

9. Looking at the descriptions of the tablet computers here, how many of them use the Apple operating system?
A. some
B. All
C. None
(answer - c., none. Hence not made by Apple, then.)

10. Those tablets, again, how many are described as "iPad" or have the Apple logo on them?
A. some
B. All
C. None
(answer - c. These are Chinese tablets made by EXEN and widely available from Chinese outlets. They run the Google Android system, as the site states, and have nothing in common with the iPad except looks. They're about 75% cheaper than an iPad, too. And they aren't fakes, they're lookalikes.)

11. The iPhones / iPods /Nanos then, does the site show any of these as made by Apple, or do any carry the Apple logo?
I'll answer that one for you: no. BUT they have pushed their luck by using genuine Apple images on the end of the Nano page, which is clearly illegal and misleading, and the name Nano itself is trademarked by Apple. They shouldn't use this material, but they still don't claim to be selling this product.)

It's misleading unless you've looked at the products actually on sale, as shown in the images at the top of the page. These are clearly NOT Apple products as they don't have the very prominent Apple logo that the genuine item has. And the description not only calls them "nano style", the most obvious giveaway is that they DON'T SUPPORT iTUNES.

Wait... an iPod that doesn't support iTunes? And they even make a point of telling you that up front. So regardless of the decorative images down the end, the items on offer here are clearly not Apple products nor are they claimed to be. Very, very close to the edge, but still legal. And here's another product that might set an alarm bell ringing by price - the retail is about $135 but you can have one from here for only $21 with free shipping from China (probably worth about $20). Does that
Sound too good to be true? Uhuh.

12. Look at the page of Blackberry accessories and phones. Are they selling Blackberry phones here?
A. yes
B. No
C. Some
(correct answer - b. They sell accessories for Blackberry, and they have some very Blackberry-like phones, which are lookalikes).

13. What word is most obviously missing from the front of the phones on this page?
A. Cherry
B. Banana
C. Blackberry
(correct answer - c. A bit of a giveaway, surely? But who noticed?)

How would you have done, without being shown the answers?

Here are some more things to think about. Have you ever dealt with Chinese wholesalers? Do you know what to expect, or how to deal with them? Have you dealt with any sort of wholesaler anywhere? Most people haven't. And it's not like going into a mall store. The rules are different, and you have much less to trust and feel secure about if the wholesaler is thousands of miles away, too.

Second, when you get cross because you spent $20 on what you mistook for a $150 item and it turned up broken, just remember that you bought a $20 item. For that price you could probably buy four of them in China, and that tells you how much it costs to manufacture them there. No wonder the wholesaler couldn't care less if one turns up broken. They're throw-aways, almost worthless as single units. The sort of thing you'd tuck in the bottom of a Christmas stocking and likely to last until New Year if you're lucky.

See, one of the things that you pay for when you fork out the $150 for the real thing - even if it's made in a similar factory environment to the copies - is quality control. An assurance that the chances of your $150 product breaking under normal use are much, much less, because more of them are tested, and materials are better, and the people doing the manufacture and testing are more responsible. And you're also paying for a network of dealers you can take a broken one back to, and a network of authorized online retailers who will also honor guarantees. Although some part of those high prices does help fund the engineers' Ferraris and Porsches, for sure, it also pays for better quality and support.

What you did was buy a 50 cent bit of junk, for which you paid $21, instead of $150 that you might have spent on something better. What broke, was a 50 cent bit of junk that cost you $21 of which most was shipping costs anyway.

Although you have a right to expect good customer service from the seller regardless, just put this in perspective, and bear in mind he's a wholesaler in China and really wants customers who are buying hundreds of these at a time and reselling them, probably at online auctions and flea markets, and with little or no guarantees. Sure, he will sell you a one-off, but it's insignificant to him and he probably expects it to be insignificant to you, too. What's it worth? A buck, maybe? You start demanding customer service because it arrives broken and he's not likely to take you seriously.

So, once again, I don't support this guy or anyone else who misleads people and/or treats them poorly. But even so, this is the sort of site and the sort of person you go to for cheap junk in bulk, and that really is your choice. If you're not looking or thinking, you shouldn't be spending.

Unless it specifically tells you that you are buying the authentic products, a site is not a scam. It might be a trap, but not a scam, and if you learn to spot the traps then you can walk around them. Just think about what you're buying. Look at it, look at the price, look at who is offering it to you. Yes, many things look amazingly cheap. Please, remember to ask why.
Oh, and if you're going all out to buy something with a designer logo, please, at least look to see that the logo is actually there and where it ought to be, and that it's a genuine logo!

Some manufacturers, like Monster and Deckers, makers of Beats headphones and Ugg boots, respectively, offer lots of useful information to help you. They both have lists of genuine dealers on their sites, with information to help you spot and avoid fakes. Hardly anyone bothers to look until after they've gone and bought the fakes. Don't be one of those that didn't bother.

I know I go on at great length but this time I don't apologize for it. If I have to nag at people indefinitely to wake them up to the risks of online trading, then I will, because over the course of a year at this site alone, members report losses of tens of thousands of dollars. Most of it is lost either as a result of frauds or because someone wasn't paying enough attention. Most of it is lost to people who can't afford to lose it. Far too much of it is people's hard-earned savings, set
Aside for gifts for themselves or others. Enough. Don't just complain, learn to avoid these situations and go out there and show your friends how to look out for themselves. If we can stop giving these traders our money, that's the best way to help end the trade.

Well guys I got ANOTHER on the SAME site. I went back to send them their review because I was so irritated by them. THIS TIME HE CALLED ME A $#*!! Luckily I SAVE THE CONVERSATION. This time I used the alias "Michael Beckley" Ill just post the most interesting partS:
Alex Zhang: what can i do for you?
Michael Beckly: http://www.sitejabber.com/reviews/www.kookua.com?mode=talk
Michael Beckly: 5 minutes
Michael Beckly: 170 views already
Alex Zhang::-)
Michael Beckly: (:
Michael Beckly: http://www.sitejabber.com/reviews/www.kookua.com?trk=search

Michael Beckly: you know he did
Alex Zhang: our IM Chat soft ware is not so good
Michael Beckly: 200 views already
Alex Zhang: trust me bro
Michael Beckly: wow its barely been ten minutes
Michael Beckly: dawg.
Michael Beckly: you call me bro.
Michael Beckly:?
Michael Beckly: I don't like that
Alex Zhang: ok

Michael Beckly: yeah? How come I don't see other reviews then?
Alex Zhang: do not try to blackmail us
Alex Zhang: you never buy from us before
Michael Beckly: hey this isnt blackmail I don't want ANYTHING
Alex Zhang: you can not say things like that
Alex Zhang: because we have bad internet before
Michael Beckly: ahaha.
Alex Zhang: really?
Alex Zhang: i do not think so
Alex Zhang: ~!@#$%^&*(
Michael Beckly: what is this?
Alex Zhang: you are not a good person
Michael Beckly:@#$%^&*
Michael Beckly: did you just cuss at me?
Michael Beckly: AHA
Michael Beckly: don't make me laugh
Michael Beckly: this is not blackmail. It is a review
Alex Zhang: you are a $#*!
Alex Zhang: not even like a man
Alex Zhang: you try to blackmail us
Michael Beckly: AHAHA
Alex Zhang: i am gonna to call 911
Michael Beckly: AHAHA
Michael Beckly: this is blackmail. I don't want anything from you guys
Alex Zhang: we are doing the review function recently
Alex Zhang: we will be better
Michael Beckly: okay well when you get better ill write a better ewview
Alex Zhang: we are doing the review function now
Alex Zhang: to our website
Michael Beckly: okay when you get better then tell me(;
Michael Beckly: UNTIL THEN...

Well there you have it, the professional staff and crew of two@ kookua.com