YOU might be a victim of hard to spot counterfeit memory sales.Have a look.

[avinashm88]

I recently purchased a memory stick from ebay india. It was advertised as a "Genuine Sandisk 1gb micro m2 + Adapter". The Seller was digital*memory. He seemed to have a good 97% or so positive feedback, which is why i chose to purchase from him. The transaction went smooth, i recieved the stick in 48 hours. I had no idea i had been cheated. Below i have list some evidence to prove that this is a counterfeit product.

The seller advertised saying "Genuine Sandisk 1gb card + adapter".

1. He gave me a Sony card instead of a Sandisk memory stick, and a sandisk adapter. A Sony memory stick is far more expensive than a sandisk memory stick. Either he is feeling too generous or hes selling me garbage.

2. Genuine products, as he claims to sell come in proper packaging.
I was expecting one of the below packages :








Heres what i got :






If the seller claims the memory to be genuine he must sell it with the packaging.I dont see a reason why he would want to give me a genuine stick without the packaging, other than the reason that its a fake.





Heres a comparison of a genuine and fake memory stick.


Front:




Back :






I had also taken it to a Sony showroom to verify it , and they agreed that this was indeed a fake.

Also, this card does not run fine. Mp3 files are choppy, many of them abruptly stop while playing. When i transfered the same files to my phone memory they played flawlessly. The seller asked me to try formating it, which i did, but didnt help at all.


After looking up the internet i was quite shocked at how massive the counterfeit business of phone memory is. In many countries, its almost impossible to spot because you are provided with casing that is almost identical.




Here are some links :


Fake Memory Cards - Overclockers.com.au


Ebay Guide to avoiding counterfeit memory

[avinashm88]

Heres another picture of the adapter i recieved, when compared to a genuine adapter.

[cameras_n_such]

Hello,

There is a huge scan going on regarding Memory Cards particularly Sony Memory Stick Pro Duo and the M2 cards as these are priced at a premium compared wiht other format cards of same capacity.

There are sellers with 100% positive ratings who are selling these fake memory cards. So a seller's good rating should not be an indication of the geuninity of the products.

Memory cards currently only attract 4% import duty so the prices of Memory Cards from Sony would not be much higher than available at other sources. A good way to check the prices is to log on to www.sony.co.in and check the prices being offerred there.

If you find prices too lower than those offered by Sony, these will be fake.


The best way to check the genuity of the product is to see if there is a sticker with the name and address of importer which is complusory required by law.


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[avinashm88]

Yep, its pathetic how some sellers can get so cheap, they ruin the reputation of the entire auction site. Anyways i have found a genuine sandisk 2gb on amazon for a great price of 1.5k shipping included. I will pick it up from there.

[jewels.exports]

Oh!..so what you tried>>..have you registered a complaint or something>?

[cochinmall]

Hey Avinash.

It is a very good thing that at least one of the ebayer has posted something which every buyer has be carefuly with.I had told the customer care guys thru live chat to start ebay guides on ebay.in.But all in vain.

It is because there is a lot of difference between the products made in south east asia and the other part of the continent.I myself deal in memory stick pro duos and take a lot of care before sending them.I check their memory capacity and their memory perfomance to decide it is a fake memory card.

I compared them with the prices in my local Sony World too,but when I first checked it out,I was really shocked.It is three times the rate and they offer three years warranty.

Now,coming back to the point,since sellers themselves are reducing the prices,buyers would be tempted to buy from them,so who would ever buy a memory stick which is three times the rate when the buyer is honestly trying to sell the item(at three time the rate).

I am not trying to say that I am cheating on my buyers(since i sell memory stick pro duos),but i tell everything properly before they buy it.I tell them that the item would be checked before sending.I get these items from Dubai or Singapore since i frankly dont trust the people who try to sell it a low price here in India.


P.S I think all the buyers should try and press the ebay.in guys to start a ebay guide.In ebay.com,most of the products are from different parts of the country,but poor Indian citizens(inc. me,not memory stick though) are getting items which are made in China!!! 😞

Regards
Rahul
cochinmall

[avinashm88]

Unfortunately many of the ebayers in India are complete Internet beginners, unaware of what people really have in store for them.They get taken for a total ride. For example my seller of this memory stick has around 127 buyers.I read all his feedback, and not a single buyer was aware they might have recieved fake memory. After 2 emails of proof to the seller that this is a fake memory, he admitted to having got them from the grey market. That was the magic word - Grey market. Now im completely convinced this memory card has a illegal and unreliable source. I completely agree that eBay needs some guides on the front page for new members, instead of placing a remote link in a random page of the site giving guidelines to safe shopping. I guess for now the only way people will learn is by a bad experience.

[cochinmall]

Yes,this is exactly what i have to say.Start ebay guide on ebay.in.Next time when you buy an item,especially a sandisk item,check the back.On the cover,the name of the importer is written along with the mrp.And dont accept an item without receiving everything including the cover and its adapter.

As far as my part is concerned,I just try to be honest and tell the buyers everything(if it is fake or original),athough i dont sell these fake ones.

Rahul
cochinmall

[sajalbasu]

Just wondering the 2GB 4GB 8GB sandisk MS duo pro cards which are on sell are vaild or not

for example this
http://cgi.ebay.in/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=130219237766&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=003

and e.stores is the seller, can anybody help 4K price for a sandisk 8GB is not that bad, sonyworld sells sony 8GB MS pro duo at 6K

[indraneel@ebay.com]

Hello sajalbasu,

The seller has mentioned 'Genuine Sandisk Pro Duo Memory Stick' in the title of the listing which should suffice that the item on sale is a genuine Sandisk product. Also the seller is a PowerSeller with a very good Feedback rating and his Detailed Seller Ratings (which can be seen after clicking on the Feedback number) indiactes that buyers have rated him well for 'Items as Described'.

However we would encourage you to contact the seller through 'Ask Seller a Question' link or alternatively you can contact him at the contact details provided by him in the listing and clear your doubts.

keep posting!!

Regards,
Indraneel