Bought a FAKE Sony Memory Card: Advice?

[Mother Goose]

I bought a Sony Memory Pro Duo a week or so ago. It was very cheap, though this didn't really ring any alarm bells for me since I wasn't up-to-date on the general going prices of these cards. Also, the seller had very good feedback, and I had good experience in the past with Hong Kong dealers with excellent feedback.

Here (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270275805804) is the ebay link.

Some things I noticed after using the memory card: the transfer speed was extremely slow -- I think about 1/4 the speed of what I got with my (genuine) Sandisk card. I have already read this fake guide (http://reviews.ebay.co.uk/FAKE-Sony-Memory-Stick-Pro-Duo-MagicGate-Cards-Exposed_W0QQugidZ10000000001535763), and one clear alarm bell is that the MagicGate Supported statement is Unknown. Also, the packaging had dimple staples, rather than the usual elongated staples.

Based on this, I think it's reasonable to conclude I was sold a fake card. Next steps? Shall I contact the e-bay seller, giving him reasonable doubt that somehow he received a bad batch? Should I contact e-bay? Paypal?

[Clockwork_Apple]

It is possible he was unaware of what he was selling, there are many cases of reputable sellers being conned into buying fake stock.

Regardless of whether he was aware or not the product does not match the eBay listing. Ask for a full refund, if he does not oblige, raise a dispute with eBay.

[TempliNocturnus]

I'd contact the seller first. Let him know that you believe you have a fake product. Inform him of what let you to believe it's fake. If he offers you a refund, or a genuine one, give him positive feedback. If not, give in neutral or negative feedback. Either way, include in your feedback that the item was fake.

[dj_2004]

This occurs very often on ebay for this particular item. I'd follow TempliNocturnus's advice and next time, see if you can buy from a reputable retailer.

[petteyg359]

next time, see if you can buy from a reputable retailer.

The seller is reputable. That's why it was suggested to contact the seller first (before starting any disputes with eBay/Paypal, if at all, depending on whether the seller refunds/replaces) and let him know the product is a "fake".

[SeanBest]

If you read his feedback, a few people positive, neutral, or negative, a few people posted that is was fake. Some were negative, but some were still positive. One said something like fake but worked fine and was cheap. No reply from seller. Contact him and ask....

[Malpine Walis]

http://www.anthemsky.com/images/sony%20chips/powerseller5.jpg
http://www.anthemsky.com/images/sony%20chips/Powerseller111111111.jpg
http://www.anthemsky.com/images/sony%20chips/img28.jpg

Be thankful that your lesson in not getting pwned was so cheap. Sorry dude but that is the way that it is. At this point, you don't get to have the magic fairy wave her wand and all is right with the world.

[Mother Goose]

I contacted the seller yesterday and today, I've recieved this:


Good news that you received it.

In fact,we bought all chips from our supplier,the biggest agent in my city. We met some same trouble these days from other buyers. So please return the chip back to us,then we will give you full refund.

My address:
Zhu Houfeng
#1510,B Tower,Jinhaian Building,Nanshan Dist,Shenzhen City,518054,China.
Phone number:13510269939

If you have any questions,please feel free to contact us for furture assistance.


At this point, I think I'm going to just keep the memory card. It seems to work as required, except for the fact the transfer speed is slow (1/4 the speed of a normal card). I don't seem to have any trouble with playing my games, but we will see -- I'll be loading some PSX games on my PSP soon and that will probably be the ultimate test to see if any slowdown occurs.

The seller's response leads me to believe that he is fully aware his memory cards aren't genuine Sony -- though it seems they're similar enough so that he hasn't had any complaints, except by people like us.

[petteyg359]

What do those images have to do with anything, Malpine? When I sell many similar items on eBay, I host images on my own site. PayPal provides their "buyer protection" service regardless of where that image is hosted. The guy is a power seller, regardless of where that image is hosted.

And, as Mother Goose just posted, the seller is offering a full refund if wanted.

[dj_2004]

I contacted the seller yesterday and today, I've recieved this:

At this point, I think I'm going to just keep the memory card. It seems to work as required, except for the fact the transfer speed is slow (1/4 the speed of a normal card). I don't seem to have any trouble with playing my games, but we will see -- I'll be loading some PSX games on my PSP soon and that will probably be the ultimate test to see if any slowdown occurs.

The seller's response leads me to believe that he is fully aware his memory cards aren't genuine Sony -- though it seems they're similar enough so that he hasn't had any complaints, except by people like us.

UMD games do not utilize the memory stick unless during saving so it is unlikely those will inform you if the slow speed is a problem. Loading PSX games is a good idea.

A thing to note, with fake cards they are likely to die much quicker. This is not always the case though, but I just wanted you to know.

[ghost_recon88]

To be honest, most memory cards that come from China, specifically Hong Kong, are fakes. While sellers might have a lot of positive feedback, most people aren't smart enough to know they received a fake, so they just leave positive feedback thinking all is well. I bought a 4GB SD card a while back (only $25 shipped, shoulda known better since it was so cheap). Whoa and behold, while it looked like an SD card, upon further review it was obviously a fake. And just like yours, the read/write speed is very slow compared to a genuine one.

[e6600]

i bought a laptop keyboard from ebay from a hongkong seller, and never got anything
he got my $20 bucks... really ****ed me off

[Mother Goose]

UMD games do not utilize the memory stick unless during saving so it is unlikely those will inform you if the slow speed is a problem. Loading PSX games is a good idea.

A thing to note, with fake cards they are likely to die much quicker. This is not always the case though, but I just wanted you to know.

You wouldn't know, by any chance, what are the typical read speeds required for playing PSX games?

[Silversinksam]

To be honest, it's as much your fault as the sellers (Actually it's more his fault for misrepresenting what he's selling, it's only a little but your fault for thinking this is genuine Sony.

The reason I say this is I also buy items from Hong Kong, BUT... I know that buying certain products are taboo, items like memory cards, batteries and other electronic consumables are taboo to buy. Some items like flashlights and a few others depending on the product are OK to buy. For example; you can buy a helluva good flashlight like the VB-16, but you should not expect the highest quality like you would with a Surefire.

Last year I bought a knockoff $10 Benchmade knife, it looked just like the real deal Benchmade I paid $200 for, but upon real close scrutiny, it's not as good as the real deal. For $10 it was a good deal as I drop knives into the ocean more times that I'd like.

Now back to this memory card, if it indeed is a knock off and I'm 100% positive it is, the seller has made a very big no no. In the notes section, he writes this:

Not all Cameras and Camcorders will have full compatibility with the Memory Stick. For Sony Digital Camera's, Mobile Phones and PDA's please click here to refer to the Sony Website (http://esupport.sony.com/perl/news-item.pl?template=EN&news_id=15)for details of compatibility.

How do i know it's a knockoff? Very simple, and the seller knows 100% he's selling knockoffs, he's not a victim here.

5 year Warranty provided by us. <---That says it all (He does not want his buyers returning these to Sony, or they might come after him, at the very least they will stop him selling this on Ebay.

My advise to you is to ask the seller if you can return the memory card for a refund, if not, leave him a negative, then contact Sony's and let them know about these being sold on Ebay. It's no accident he's selling knock-offs. If he allows a refund, that's awesome, be nice, don't leave him a negative and just be a smarter shopper next time. ;)

[dj_2004]

You wouldn't know, by any chance, what are the typical read speeds required for playing PSX games?

I am not sure how I could check that. The PSX game should run smooth unless the game is known to have issues with the PSP (incompatibility).

Silversinksam offers good advice. This is why I stated a reputable retailer earlier as these sellers from ebay are NOT reputable when it comes to this type of merchandise. By reputable, I mean a large, well known B&M store or e-tailer (such as newegg).

[gangaskan]

actually SSS the seller did offer a refund per post #8 however, the buyer (mothergoose) has decided it was not worth the extra effort to ship the item back to china (possibly costing MORE then the cost of the item, however, this is a memory stick and that being said, it wouldnt cost more then 2 or 3 usd to ship)

[Silversinksam]

actually SSS the seller did offer a refund per post #8 however, the buyer (mothergoose) has decided it was not worth the extra effort to ship the item back to china (possibly costing MORE then the cost of the item, however, this is a memory stick and that being said, it wouldnt cost more then 2 or 3 usd to ship)

They should cover the postage, if not, one call to Sony will make them wish they had. ;)

[gangaskan]

They should cover the postage, if not, one call to Sony will make them wish they had. ;)

i totally agree, it was their fault they should pay for the return postage, but i dont see it happening :(