Fake Compact Flash cards E-Bay seller "Timershin"

I viewed Ebay item #321106724576 and made an offer to purchase which was accepted. Something didn't feel right so before I made payment I asked the seller some questions about the item.

The card was advertised as New unopened. I asked him why the product photo did not have the number "20" ontop of the movie clapboard which is found on the newer cards. He replied to me with a photo of the actual item. That's when the alarms went off.

The photo below is what he sent me which clearly shows the card out of the sealed package that new cards are shipped in. It also shows some tell tale signs of a counterfeit card.

The silver border is supposed to have round corners on all eight corners (front and back). This one obviously does not. Also, the serial number on the bottom of the card is supposed to be further to the right of the card. Take a look at your compact flash cards to see the difference.

I reported the seller and this item to Ebay and I get the impression that nothing will be done about it. They said they will "investigate" but without the photo that he sent to me there is no way to confirm my claim.

This particular seller sells many Sandisk cards and yet when I asked what the "20" means he said it meant that it was the 20th generation of cards which is comical.

Here is the text that I sent the seller;
Dear Timershin,
The Compact Flash item that you are trying to sell is a fake. Please cancel my offer to purchase and remove your items from the market. I have reported the item to EBay and there is a case pending.

And here is his reply;
Ok, I will cancel the transaction!
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His reply speaks volumes. No questions, no explanations. On to the next purchaser willing to send him their money.
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Here is a link on how to spot fake cards.
http://damien.douxcham​ps.net/photo/fake-cf/
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Please share this post with as many folks as you can

thanks for the heads up stan!

Unless you are dealing with a reputable seller like B&H, Adorama, Beach, Cameta, etc., it's not advisable to ever buy memory cards on eBay. Even reputable dealers can get stuck with counterfeit cards. I bought a SanDisk CF cards at Staples a few years ago. It was still sealed in the blisterpack. After putting the card in the camera, I was unable to format it. I put it in my card reader and found that there were photos already on it and they were protected so I couldn't delete them. I checked with SanDisk because sometimes a returned card find it's way back into the stream and they requested photos of the card, including serial number. They confirmed it was a fake. Back to Staples and the manager and I went through all their CF cards - they had the same serial number, all fake. They buy cards from a distributor who I gather can be the one at fault.

Thanks for your replies

If you must buy from eBay (sometimes you have eBay bucks or whatever to burn) go through buydig, adorama, j and r, etc. who all have eBay stores. I'd even be cautious buying from a third party amazon seller.

ntotrr wrote in post #15884280
Unless you are dealing with a reputable seller like B&H, Adorama, Beach, Cameta, etc., it's not advisable to ever buy memory cards on eBay. Even reputable dealers can get stuck with counterfeit cards. I bought a SanDisk CF cards at Staples a few years ago. It was still sealed in the blisterpack. After putting the card in the camera, I was unable to format it. I put it in my card reader and found that there were photos already on it and they were protected so I couldn't delete them. I checked with SanDisk because sometimes a returned card find it's way back into the stream and they requested photos of the card, including serial number. They confirmed it was a fake. Back to Staples and the manager and I went through all their CF cards - they had the same serial number, all fake. They buy cards from a distributor who I gather can be the one at fault.

People also buy genuine ones from stores and return fake ones for a refund. The world is flooded with fake cards, so even legitimate stores fall victim to bad wholesale distributors at times. I would assume all the cards on ebay are fake unless they are from a known B&M store like Adorama, B&H, etc.

This guy might not even know his card(s) are fake and he may have actually been burned himself by a wholesaler. It's almost impossible for you to even prove without Sandisk themselves telling you it's fake.