A low price can be a warning sign, but it isn't proof that an item is counterfeit. Before you buy, identify the actual seller, compare the listing with the manufacturer's information, and use an official channel to check serial, IMEI, or lot details when that's available. Keep the order, payment, and listing records.

If the product could affect your health or safety, don't use it while you're checking it. A visual inspection can't establish that a medicine, battery, child-safety product, or other safety-critical item is genuine.

The quickest checks to make before checkout

Find the actual seller

A marketplace's name may be more visible than the business that accepted your order. Open the seller field and record the exact business name, contact details, return address, warranty terms, and customer-service channel.

Don't treat any of these as proof of authenticity:

The brand's website may list authorized retailers. If the seller isn't on that list, the product isn't automatically fake; it does mean you'll want stronger evidence before spending a lot of money.

Compare the price with the same product

Check the manufacturer's current price, when one is published, and compare it with prices from authorized retailers. Include shipping, tax, and possible import charges rather than comparing headline prices alone.

A legitimate discount may reflect an open-box, refurbished, discontinued, damaged, or clearance item. The seller should say which condition applies. An unexplained discount on an item described as new and genuine is a reason to pause, ask questions, or buy elsewhere.

Check whether the details agree

Match the model number, color, size, version, accessories, warranty, and country of sale against the manufacturer's listing. Small inconsistencies often matter more than a seller's assurances. Watch for:

Save the listing, seller profile, price, return policy, and messages before you pay. A listing can be edited after the order is placed.

Keep payment and messages on-platform

Use the marketplace checkout when possible. Be wary when a seller asks for a gift card, cryptocurrency, wire transfer, or person-to-person payment outside the platform. Moving to a private link can also remove useful order records and marketplace protections.

A payment method with a dispute process isn't a guaranteed refund. It does give you a formal route if the seller won't resolve a problem. Don't leave the platform just to get a discount or a quicker refund.

Ask the manufacturer about expensive or risky purchases

For an expensive bag, watch, phone, collectible, supplement, or similar item, contact the manufacturer using information found on its own website. Ask whether it offers any of the following:

Some brands won't authenticate an item for consumers. Registration may also show only that a code exists; it may not prove that the item in your possession is genuine. Consider the manufacturer's response one piece of evidence, not a guarantee.

When the package arrives

Keep the box, inserts, tags, shipping label, and receipt. Photograph the item and its packaging before removing seals or using the product. That record can help with a seller, marketplace, payment provider, or manufacturer later.

Packaging and labels

Compare the box, bottle, tags, and labels with current photographs on the manufacturer's website. Look at printing quality, colors, alignment, spelling, barcode placement, safety information, lot number, expiration date, and tamper seal.

Packaging can legitimately differ after a redesign or between countries. An older-looking box isn't enough to establish a counterfeit. Blurry printing, inconsistent fonts, poor materials, missing warnings, a damaged seal, or an unusual chemical smell deserve closer attention.

Construction and fit

Use a known genuine example or detailed manufacturer photographs for comparison. Depending on the product, check for:

One odd detail isn't conclusive. Brands change designs, and legitimate differences can occur between models, markets, and production years. Several mismatches are more significant than one internet rule about a stitch count, logo, or date code.

Serial numbers, QR codes, and barcodes

A code is useful only when you check it through an official channel. Counterfeiters can copy a genuine serial number, reuse one code on many items, or print a QR code that leads to a real brand website.

Check whether:

A barcode scan usually identifies a product or category. It doesn't show that the particular physical item came from the legitimate manufacturer.

Warning signs by product type

Luxury bags, watches, and sneakers

Compare the exact model and production period, not just the brand. Examine the hardware, lining, logo placement, edge finishing, materials, and included accessories. For sneakers, match the box label with the shoe's size, model, and colorway. Glue lines, stitching, symmetry, insole printing, and material quality can reveal inconsistencies.

Be cautious with rigid online rules, such as one required stitch count or a single date-code format. Construction varies by model and year. For an expensive purchase, a professional authentication service may be useful. Before paying, find out what evidence the service reviews, how it handles uncertainty or conflicts of interest, and whether it has a dispute process.

Electronics, phones, chargers, and batteries

Match the model number and serial or IMEI across the device, packaging, settings menu, and invoice. Check the operating system, ports, accessories, charger markings, firmware behavior, and compatibility with the manufacturer's support tools.

Stop using a suspicious charger, battery, or power accessory if it becomes unusually hot, swells, smells odd, sparks, or damages a device. Don't open a lithium battery or attempt a dangerous electrical test. A device that works briefly can still contain counterfeit or inferior internal parts.

If a certification mark can be checked through the relevant certifier or manufacturer, use that lookup. A printed logo alone is easy to copy.

Cosmetics, supplements, and medicines

Take an unfamiliar seal, leaking container, mismatched label, unusual color, changed odor, missing lot number, or unexplained ingredient difference seriously. Compare the ingredient panel and serving information with the manufacturer's official listing.

Don't taste a suspect product. A smell test, UV light, or phone app can't establish that it is safe. Don't take a supplement or medicine that may be counterfeit. Keep the container and lot information, contact the manufacturer or a pharmacist, and seek medical help if you develop symptoms after using it.

Prescription medicines should come from a legitimate, licensed pharmacy or another source that can verify the supply chain. A professional-looking label doesn't establish what is inside the package.

Jewelry, watches, alcohol, and collectibles

Hallmarks, weight, closures, labels, seals, packaging, and provenance can provide clues, but none is conclusive by itself. A magnet test can't reliably establish jewelry purity. Home acid testing can damage an item or produce a misleading result.

For a valuable piece, use a reputable jeweler, appraiser, or authentication service that explains its method and provides a written result. Don't consume or resell alcohol or collectibles if the seal, bottle, provenance, or label appears to have been tampered with.

What authentication tools can and can't tell you

Use a tool to find inconsistencies, not as a substitute for a trustworthy seller and purchase records.

Tool or check What it can show What it cannot prove
Official serial or batch lookup Whether the code is recognized and matches a product record That the code wasn't copied onto a fake
QR or barcode scan Where the code leads or what product category it identifies That the physical item is genuine
Hologram or color-shifting label Whether a security feature appears to behave as expected That the entire product is authentic
Magnifying glass or UV light Printing, fibers, marks, or label differences That every ingredient or component is legitimate
Authentication app or AI tool A preliminary image-based comparison A guaranteed result, especially for a rare or new model
Expert inspection A more informed opinion based on construction and provenance Absolute certainty when records or access are limited

Use an official brand app or lookup page if one exists. For a third-party service, check the examiner's credentials, the evidence reviewed, turnaround time, privacy terms, fees, and what happens if you dispute the result. Don't upload sensitive receipts or personal information unless the service needs it.

If you think you bought a counterfeit

1. Stop using it

Don't consume a suspect supplement, cosmetic, or medicine. Unplug questionable electronics and stop using damaged batteries or other unsafe items. Don't wear safety equipment, use a child-safety product, or operate a vehicle part if you doubt its authenticity.

Don't resell or give the item to someone else. Keep it and its packaging unless a manufacturer, marketplace, or health professional gives you different instructions.

2. Preserve the evidence

Keep:

If the item caused an injury, illness, fire, or property damage, document the damage and get appropriate professional help.

3. Write to the seller

Use the marketplace's messaging system or a customer-service channel you verified independently. Say that the item appears counterfeit or materially different from the listing. Attach clear evidence and ask for the seller's instructions for a refund and return.

Think carefully before accepting a private replacement, partial refund, or request for more money. It may affect a marketplace or payment dispute. Don't send the item to an address supplied only through an unverified message.

4. Open a marketplace case

If the seller doesn't resolve the issue, use the platform's official order-support or complaint process. Report both the order and, if the platform allows it, the listing or seller. Follow the platform's return instructions and save the case number.

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency's guidance on consumer product and retail fraud advises online buyers to contact the marketplace and report online fraud through the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3).

5. Contact the payment provider

If the seller or marketplace doesn't fix the problem, contact the card issuer, bank, digital wallet, or other payment service. Ask about its dispute process for merchandise that was counterfeit or not as described.

Describe what happened accurately. A purchase you authorized that turned out to be fake is different from an unauthorized transaction. The provider may request the listing, messages, photographs, refund request, and marketplace case details. Deadlines and evidence requirements vary by payment method, so don't wait indefinitely for the seller.

The marketplace's refund policy and the payment provider's dispute process are separate systems. Starting one doesn't guarantee an outcome under the other.

6. Report the scam

The FTC's consumer contact guidance directs people targeted by an illegal business practice or scam to ReportFraud.ftc.gov. This report is separate from a refund request, so continue with the seller, marketplace, and payment-provider processes.

If you shared account credentials or payment details with the seller, change any reused passwords and contact your financial institution about protecting the account.

Common questions

Does a serial number prove a product is genuine?

No. A counterfeit can carry a copied, reused, or stolen serial number. The number is stronger evidence when the manufacturer verifies it and the item, packaging, product details, and purchase history also agree.

Is a very low price always a sign of a counterfeit?

No. Clearance, refurbished, open-box, and gray-market goods can be legitimate. The seller should disclose the condition, source, warranty, and return terms. A price far below the normal range with no credible explanation is a reason to investigate or walk away.

Can reviews or a marketplace badge guarantee authenticity?

No. Reviews may describe shipping or customer service rather than the product. A marketplace can also host third-party sellers. Check the seller field and compare it with the brand's authorized-retailer information.

Can an app or UV light identify a fake?

They can reveal inconsistencies, but neither guarantees authenticity or safety. Official manufacturer verification and reliable purchase records are more useful. For an expensive or disputed item, consider an expert inspection that explains its limits.

If the manufacturer can't verify the item and the seller won't provide a credible explanation, don't use or resell it. Keep the evidence and begin the seller, marketplace, payment, and reporting steps while the records are still available.