Everybody loves a good deal. Especially when it’s on things like electronic gadgets. Such deals are popular around the holiday season and days like Black Friday. In the excitement that ensues, many buyers get ripped off by falling for these ‘deals’. They find themselves with counterfeit products. Here’s how you can avoid that trap.
Be keen on logos. Have photos of logos on original products when you go shopping for electronics. Compare the images with what you are about to buy. Counterfeit products have logos that are slightly different from the original to trick unsuspecting buyers.
Another thing is typos. Look carefully at the words on the packaging and the product itself. Fake electronics will have errors, for example ‘Samsnug’ instead of Samsung, ‘Abble’ instead of Apple, etc.
Confirm what colours the genuine products come in. Go to the manufacturer’s website for confirmation before celebrating that ‘sale’. If the manufacturer doesn’t produce an item in a certain colour yet you see it in the shop, keep your money. It’s fake.
The finishing on electronics also matters. Looseness where parts connect, missing screws, parts falling off are high indicators of counterfeits.
Capacities also matter. For instance if a hard drive claims to have ‘x’ capacity yet the manufacturer doesn’t produce capacity ‘x’ disks, that is a counterfeit. Check their website for the correct specs so that you’re armed with information as you go shopping.
Low price isn’t always a good thing. As much as high-end brands also have sales once in a while, if the price is too low you may want to think twice. The counterfeiter may have gone to great lengths to copy how the genuine product looks, such that you’re fooled into thinking you’ve struck a golden deal.
Be sure to buy electronics from authorised dealers. This is the best way to protect yourself from unscrupulous producers of counterfeit goods.
