The deal was too good. The goods were fake.

I wanted AirPods without paying full retail, so I ordered from a site that looked polished—reviews, HTTPS, prices about half the Apple Store.

The earbuds arrived in a box that fooled me until I tried them.

Tracking worked and the packaging looked right, but the fit hurt, the sound cut out, and Apple’s serial check failed.

The seller’s site went offline before I could return them; my bank eventually charged back the purchase, which not everyone gets.

The goods were counterfeit: cheap hardware sold with stolen branding, often moved through short-lived domains.

A letter from customs later tied a shipment to my address, which explained why the price had been possible at all.

I told myself I was being smart about money; I did not check how new the domain was or whether the seller was an authorised retailer.

At an Apple Store, staff compared the case to a real unit and pointed out label and hinge details I would never have spotted at home—that was the first time I admitted I had bought a fake.

Even after the chargeback I was stuck with the waste and the worry about what I had imported; the loss of trust in “too good” prices lasted longer than the refund.

I buy audio and electronics only from authorised sellers or refurbs with a warranty I can verify.

I check domain age and company registry before checkout.

• Prices far below retail on unknown sites are a major counterfeit risk.
• Verify sellers with the brand’s official store locator; dispute bad charges promptly with your card issuer.

For more help, see our Report a scam page and Spot and avoid scams guide.