Buyer Beware: Perler Bead Scam

I go through Perler Beads really fast and order quite a bit of them, usually through Amazon. On June 27, 2015, I found a decent deal on beads (which I needed quickly). I ordered them through a seller called "Qin H", who had an extremely high seller ranking (as seen below).

I thought it was a bit strange that the beads came in small ziplock type back instead of the usually packaging. ​

Working with beads so much, I noticed that these beads felt a bit different than usually. These were NOT Perler Beads. I'd been ripped off. The beads I'd gotten were a cheap knock off that were absolutely horrible! 

Apparently, some vendors routinely stock the off brand (which costs significantly less than the Perler Brand), mark them up, and sell them as Perler Brand beads. 

Why am I making such a big deal about this? Well, first, it's just plain dishonest of them. Second, well, this is what the off brand beads looked like after I melted/fused them.

A small film from the cheap beads melted over the top of the white.

The low grade plastic had all sorts of problems when melted. They wouldn't melt evenly, the edges rounded (which made them stick out from the actual Perler brand beads), and the finished piece's durability was compromised by the cheap bead (which broke easily). Pictured below: Knock off brand is black.

The knocks offs did NOT melt smoothly.

Different size holes and rounded edges in knock offs

Different size holes and rounded edges in knock offs (in black) compared to Perler Beads

These ones ended up uneven, and with holes that weren't supposed to be there!

These ones ended up uneven, and with holes that weren't supposed to be there!

Symmetry...

I've contacted the seller, saying I needed either a refund or factory sealed Perler Brand beads. We'll see what they say. 

While I wait, I decided to do a bit more research. I found out I'm not the first customer to complain about this issue. 

I've worked with Amazon before when there have been seller issues and they've been wonderful. Last time, the power cord I ordered tried to set fire to my house. It was a month or so past the return date, so the seller wasn't liable any more, but when I told Amazon's customer service about it, they immediately issued a full refund. I'm going to report this seller's dishonest practice to them and see what happens. 
Please be careful when you buy your beads! Always buy from a reputable seller. This is why I stick with Amazon. Even when things look great, something can go wrong. I trust Amazon to fix this. I'll let you know what happens.