CANON LITHIUM BATTERY PACKS and OTHER CANON PRODUCTS

ARE HEAVILY COUNTERFEITED and FOUND ON EBAY

Counterfeit batteries can be DANGEROUS as they have been known to explode.  In addition, fake batteries can RUIN your equipment, costing you hundreds or even thousands of dollars.

I am posting this information on Ebay in an effort to help make the Ebay community a safer place and to help members avoid being scammed...or worse, injured. 

Please see my other guide "Beware! Counterfeit Items Being Sold as Authentic" for more information on counterfeits in general such as red flags in auctions that will tip you off that the item may be counterfeit (such as seller location, private listings, etc).  You can click on the link by my seller name that says "Top 100" Reviewer and it will take you to a link to all of my guides.

Please see the following VERY IMPORTANT consumer notice that is found at the Canon website:

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Safety Notice: Counterfeit Lithium-Ion Battery Packs

Updated: December 11, 2006

Affected Products:All Digital SLR Cameras, All Powershot Cameras, All Digital Video Cameras

The purpose of this document is to notify you that counterfeit lithium-ion battery packs and battery chargers are being used with Canon brand Digital Cameras and Digital Camcorders. Canon recently discoverd these counterfeit lithium-ion battery packs and chargers on sale, and in circulation on internet auction websites being passed off as Canon genuin lithium-ion battery packs and chargers. Canon also learned of an explosion which appears to have been caused by one of these counterfeit lithium-ion battery packs.

Because these counterfeit lithium-ion battery packs and battery charges are often not equipped with certain protective devices meeting Canon's and the industry's basic quality standards, using or recharging these counterfeit lithium-ion battery packs could cause your camcorder to malfunction. or lead these battery packs to overheat, leak liquids, ignite or explode. In other worse cases, this could not only damage your camera or camcorder but also result in fire, burns and/or injuries including loss of eyesight.  Accordingtly, these counterfeit lithium ion battery packs and/or battery chargers should not be used.

Pleae be advised that Canon is not responsible and will not be liable for any malfunction damages or injuries caused by non-Canon genuine lithium-ion battery packs and/or battery chargers (including any counterfeit products).

For questions about "Counterfeit" products, please contact Canon at the following:

(800) 828-4040

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You can find additional information by visiting the Canon website.

The fake batteries look EXTREMELY similar to the real thing and it is hard to detect with the naked eye.  The Canon logo is a little fuzzier on the counterfeit batteries.  Please visit their website or Google "counterfeit Canon Battery" to find the link to this information at their website which includes a photo of a fake and an authentic battery where you can see how simililar they look.

FAKE CANON TONER & INK

There are numerous counterfeit Canon products being made such as toner & ink, which can cause damage to your copy machines and printers.  Counterfeit items can be extremely dangerous so be certain any Canon item you are purchasing is from an authorized retailer to avoid a very costly error disguised as a "savings".

FAKE CAMERAS, TOO.

Entire Canon CAMERAS are counterfeited also.  You can visit the Tradekey website (the counterfeit internet capital of the world) and see numerous counterfeit Canon items being sold such as: EOS Mark III SLR cameras & kits and SD30 Powershots.  They come with Canon boxes, software, booklets....anything you would normally get with a Canon camera.  Ebay sellers buy from sources such as this and then turn around and sell them here on Ebay.  Here are a couple of fake Canon cameras being sold right now out of China from a seller who only accepts Western Union (another red flag of a fake item. NEVER send money Western Union!):

Many times sellers of counterfeits will post an actual photo of a genuine Canon camera but will send a fake in its place.  NEVER buy from a seller with stock photos such as the one above on the right.  This is not an actual photo of the camera for sale. Ask for CLOSE UP photos of the actual camera for sale.  Many times they can't even provide one because the camera is not even in their possession.

If you go to Tradekey and search "Canon" 97 sellers will come up with items for sale. Remember, these are ALL counterfeit at this site.  In addition, all of this information applies to Nikon, Kodak or any other highly desireable brand.  Go to Tradekey, google your brand of interest and if something comes up for sale, you will know it is being counterfeited.

LOOK FOR THE CANON HOLOGRAM

Canon has a specific Hologram to ID their products.  The security sticker used with genuine Canon products changes its design depending on the viewing angle.  Additionally, the color changes to a bright, iridescent green when tipped to a horizontal position.  With counterfeit products, neither the design or color will change when shifted.  That is, until they update the hologram to match the real thing.  Always be careful as counterfeit items and always being updated to be a closer match to the real thing in appearance.  They are rarely even close to equal in quality.  You can visit the Canon website to see a photo of an authentic hologram.

ALL CANON ITEMS AT RISK

Any Canon item is at risk of being counterfeited so make sure you KNOW your seller before attempting to make a purchase and bring your item to an authorized retailer for comparision before attempting to use a battery, toner, ink, etc., in your equipment as it could cause harm or even injury. 

Memory sticks are counterfeited also and may not even work.  Don't risk losing important photographs.

DID YOU FIND THIS INFORMATION HELPFUL?

If you found any of this information to be helpful, please register your "yes" vote below.  Your vote will help get the word out to the Ebay community as these guides become more visible in searches based on the number of votes received.  I also like to have an idea as to how many honest Ebayers are helped by the information in my guides.

Counterfeit products are overwhelming on Ebay.  This is not limited to Canon.  There are hundreds of counterfeit brands and millions of counterfeit items posted on Ebay every day.

Please take a moment to report to let Ebay know how you feel about counterfeit items being allowed at their site by the millions and offer any suggestions to reducing this ever growing problem.

Thanks for taking the time to read my guide.

Christi  

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IF YOU FOUND ANY OF THIS INFORMATION TO BE HELPFUL, PLEASE VOTE "YES" BELOW!  THANK YOU!

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