Help with my USB Flash Drive (Counterfeit?)

So I bought a Sandisk Cruzer Micro 8gb on eBay (19€ shipped). Received it 5 minutes ago and as I suspected it seems to be fake.

I mean it was a "retail", but the picture in the retail package was from a 2.0 gb drive, and there isn't any sandisk software (U3 and those things) installed.

Also, here's the HDtune score.

 

Meh, seems totally fake. No serial number / hologram in either the drive itself or the packaging. I notified the seller, and will ask for a refund.

I also think that the transfer rate is somehow fake. How can it be 8mb/sec and then 30? (in a counterfeit...)

 

Try copying a 8gb file into it.. and copying back to a different location.

theres a guide on ebay on how to tell if its fake

 

you bought a flash drive on ebay????

oh no............

I thought I warned everyone...........

 

If it came from china or some place like that yeah its prob fake.

They can actually write the bios on those things to show up as a 8gb drive when its only a 1gb drive, and thats why trying to dump a large file into it will fail.

I saw a great guide on this once posted on the ebay forums & guides section.

 

You bought a flash drive on e-bay?!? That is wicked stupid man.

 

You can buy flash drives on ebay, you just need to know what red flags to look for.

3rd world countries, low feedback, short life of ebay account ect, price too good to be true ect.

nobody should insult him for his mistake but rather help everybody learn from it.

 

I assume you're talking about me. You're right, my previous post was in very poor taste and I apologize.

 

I wouldn't have bought in on eBay if it wasn't my only option.

I'm from Spain so I can't buy from Buy.com / Newegg.com or similar websites with free shipping.

If I bought it online elsewhere in Spain the prices are too high, and plus shipping, and in "normal" stores in my city there aren't any "quality branded" usb flash drive. (and if there were, they would be way too expensive).

 

I tried to install U3 but it wasn't possible so it's definetely fake. Already left negative feedback and going to ask for a refund. Also called Sandisk and did a few tests to confirm is fake.

Anyway, what USB drive do you suggest then? (I may try to buy it at a mall in my holidays next month, there isn't any mall in my city).

I like this kind of drives
Because they are small , but I also want them to be fast

What do you suggest?

Thanks!

 

The Sandisk Cruzer is the best flash drive i've ever worked with, trying getting a legitimate one.

 

I have a suggestion for you.
Once you can't buy from Buy or Newegg, next time buy round trip ticket to NewYork, Boston or Chicago where you can buy pen drive in 'brick and mortar' store like 'BEST BUY'

 

I feel it's fake.Never ever buy from ebay even though he might have good feedback.Not many ppl knows to check for them anyway.

 

There are lots of complains here
http://www.dpreview.com/
about counterfeit flash memory media distribution through eBay.
Penny wise and dollar stupid

 

I bought my sandisk cruzer off ebay (hk).. i was very cautious and aware of the fake flash disks sold, so i bought wisely

I did a 10point check and it passed out. Sandisk recognised it authehtic, U3 was installed. Did all the tests.

The funny thing is it took over 1 month for me to recieve it. I already filed a dispute on paypal and the money was refunded to my favour. Then the usb stick arrived 1 week after the dispute ended. lol freebie!

 

Can you please tell me the seller and price?

I saw a 4gb Cruzer Micro from HK, but I thought it was fake, and I ended buying the 8gb from Spain (also fake )

Thanks!

 

Hi

It was over 6 months ago and when i try look at my feedback, it doesnt seem to show the details. I also noticed alot of people closed their ebay accounts just by looking at my long feedback history

 

But even if it's over 6 months you can still know the seller, for example, this is from my account

 

Yes but ive had over 150 transactions, i dont remember which seller or item number.

Notice how it doesnt show what item it is?

 

How to do these tests?

hey

 

Update:

I filled a complaint yesterday, and the money is refunded now! 18.54 €

So , basically I got a fake 8gb flash drive for free. Not a bad deal at all

Anyway, what "real" small, fast usb drive would you recommend? I find this to be a bit "big" , becuase I'd like to be able to take it anywhere with me

For example like this ultrasmall (but they problably are too slow)

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.11302
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.12247

Thanks

 

Jin, I'm glad you got your refund Sorry you had to go thru this experience....

 

If you want speed tomshardware has alot of flash drive benchmark showdowns. Thats how I bought my first one and it was great. Since then tho they have gotten even better so I would look for more up to date benchmarks.

 

I'll check them out, thanks!

 

Hi Cin, hmmmm, are you following me

 

Please note that high feedback score is NO guarantee of genuine Flash SD cards or USB drives AT ALL!

The red flags are:

Product dispatched from China, Hong Kong or Australia. Sometimes the seller puts the auction on the UK eBay site, but you can see from the shipping prices and other signs, that it's dispatched from China. I have never seen a single USB drive or SD card from China on eBay, that would be authentic. Not saying it's not possible, but unlikely.

The packaging seen on the picture is different than the one you see in the local store, for the same product. For example, Kingston uses use-once plastic packaging covered with cardboard/paper. The forged/counterfeit Kingston packages are just plastic with the cardboard or paper inside, and usually the kind you can open and close again.

The print quality is lower on the forged (counterfeit) product label, than the original. Sometimes you notice this only when the product is in your hands, sadly, but that might be soon enough if you decide to get a refund. Also, some labels use a special metallized detail (like the triangle on Kingston SD cards), and this metallization is rather thick and consistent, with uniform colour. The forged printing will have a blurry and thin metallization.

And the difference between authentic and forged/counterfeit product can be dramatic: at the very least, the Flash RAM product (SD, Compact Flash / FC, USB drive) uses MLC instead of SLC Flash RAM. In the worse cases, it has smaller capacity than the stated. The latter is simple to test for - just try to copy a file of the stated size, and then read it back. The former would require you to write and erase the same sector 10.000 times (easily done in software, of course, but I don't know of such software). If it's MLC, the sector will fail and will be unusable. If it's SLC, it will still work fine, and will work fine for at least 90.000 more write/erase cycles.

Some very useful links:
http://reviews.ebay.com/BEWARE-of-F...ash-Drives-on-eBay_W0QQugidZ10000000001456613
http://reviews.ebay.com/SanDisk-Son...otline-amp-Contact_W0QQugidZ10000000001517978
http://reviews.ebay.com/Samsung-SLC...ston-Toshiba-Hynix_W0QQugidZ10000000000692467