fake sd cards

[robrobrob]

just thought i would make my 1st post here semi-useful. recently bought a sandisk sd card which was very slow, copying files failed sometimes and was generally crap performance wise.

turns out (after about an hour of thinking, this isnt right) it was the cheapest possible memory all (properly) badged up and boxed as sandisk.

few things to look for, if you didnt already know...

lock switch - should be white, this was yellow.
card shape - there should be a notch on the base, not just a flat card
warranty - should say limited lifetime warranty, not lifetime warranty.
printing on box - for the ultra II, the II is normally at a different height on fake boxes
serial number - should be on the back of the card in white near the bottom edge with serial as BE##########B and then made in china, not just a generic number printed on the box (tho some new fakes are halfway clever to putting serials on)

according to ebay 80%+ of sandisk ultra II's sold on there are fake. why they bother allowing any to be sold is beyond me but dont get stung by buying one off there as performance is shocking

Welcom to Aximsite.That is good information and I'm sure it will help those looking at cards on Ebay.

[Zaniax]

robrobrob - Congratulations to your first post !

Thanks for the information and welcome to the AximSite :approve:

.

[Kool Breeze]

Thanks for the heads-up, robrobrob! :approve:

And, welcome to Aximsite!

[coach_ng]

the age old phrase "you get what you pay for" applies here.

turns out (after about an hour of thinking, this isnt right) it was the cheapest possible memory all (properly) badged up and boxed as sandisk.

that's your problem right there. Most of the cards I buy have been expensive because I bought them when they were brand new on the market. no time for the fakes to be produced. I kind of regret not waiting for prices to drop, but I gained knowing that they were authentic.

[spunker88]

Im holding a 2gb pqi in my hand, but i had to set it down to type.

It was a relly good price $20, and it seems to be real to me. Not from ebay though. It holds files, etc and has a real white lock switch. Hopefully it doesnt fail.

There's a SD card scam on ebay so I wouldn't be buying my SD cards on ebay if I were you.

Just a heads up on electronics on ebay. If the deal is too good to be true then it probably is...counterfeit. I almost got scammed on buying a 4GB thumbdrive until I read the warning articles on ebay about them. Turns out they take 256 or 512 cards and use compression software and the like to make them look like 4GB cards! For something like a Sandisk Ultra, I only shop at known retailers and look for the best price.

[silbot22]

trouble is everyone wants a bargain & will risk a few ££.
the crooks win every time but above all eBay wins all round.
buy from a good company even if it is a cheaper card. I have had good ones without spending top£. trouble with eBay is the daft sods bid & end up paying more on there than if they went to a supplier first. it's that buzz of bidding that folk love & they end up paying over the odds.

moral is; look around

[robrobrob]

thanks for the welcome guys :)

yeah, it wasnt full retail price cant argue with the comments on getting what you pay for in this case.

spent a few quid more (literally) and got a peak xtreme 1gig which seems to be doing the trick nicely :approve:

i dont see why i should pay a 400%+ markup on everything mind you. the kingstons i got fairly recently are pretty poor performance-wise also and they were retail as i needed them that day....binned/stuck in cheap camera. not impressed with kingston of late, they supplied me 2 faulty cf cards for my old camera earlier this year but thats not too relevant, just another gripe lol


oh, refund on its way as i pretty much bit the guys head off. sandisk like these things reported too, which i will do (along with ebay) if moneys not back tomorrow

[Jeeperman]

As I said in another thread.... my e-bay bought Transcend 2GB 150X card that I spent $35 on......rocks. It does have a yellow lock switch tho...... Maybe I got lucky.....

[Kevin1a]

I've got a PNY with a yellow lock switch, but it seems to be an OK company. You can tell that the build quality is worse than my sandisk card, but there is no performance difference. But I will remember not to buy SD or CF on eBay, unless seller has really good reviews.