It’s easier to spot counterfeit products when shopping in physical stores but when shopping online, it is much more difficult. To help you with that, we’ll give you four helpful tips you can use for spotting fake products online.
The rise of online shopping sites paved the way for better and more convenient shopping experience for consumers from all over the world. I mean, who can say no to shopping and browsing through the latest sales and deals within the comforts of your home and in your favorite jammies?
Not us, no. We certainly won’t.
But as much as online shopping is convenient, it can also be risky for consumers. Especially with the prevalence of online shopping scams and counterfeit products!
Spotting fake products online may take some work, but fear not! We are here to help safeguard your money and save you a heapload of headaches.
Below are four tips that will help you scrutinize online items before you purchase them.
TIP #1: If the deal seems too good to be true, it probably is.
You’re probably tired of hearing this age-old adage but trust us, this all the more rings true in the age of online shopping.
Online shopping sites frequently bring us juicy sales and bargain deals in order to convince us to hand over our hard-earned money, but it’s important to be realistic when it comes to bargain expectations.
For instance, if an Anker powerbank has a standard retail price of ₱5,380 and you see a similar item being sold for a mere ₱999, it might be wise to pause for a minute and ask yourself why this product is selling that low.
Because while our favorite brands may conduct clearance sales or employ bagsak-presyo discounts every once in a while, it’s highly unlikely they’ll willingly slash off huge chunks off their profit for no good reason. Sometimes, spotting fake products online simply requires caution and common sense.
Which brings us to our next tip…
TIP #2: Research about the product you’re going to buy.
One of the benefits of online shopping is that you can quickly look up information on the brand and/or item that you’re looking to purchase. With one click, you can immediately look up product descriptions and compare prices from one website to another.
Our advice? Use all this information when spotting fake products online. If the item on display does not look anything like the ones in the brand’s official site, it probably is a fake.
If you see any discrepancies on the labels or design, it probably is a fake. And if the product description is poorly made and does not match the official description, it probably is a fake.
And while you’re at it…
TIP #3: Read user reviews.
God bless whoever thought of incorporating user reviews to online shopping sites. Instead of leaving our next purchases to chance, we can get free advice from previous buyers on whether the item we want is legit or not.
Mind you, not only can you use user reviews for spotting fake products online, you can also use it to spot fake sellers! So go ahead and scour the Internet for happy and/or angry customers. Read up their reasons and make informed decisions from them.
Speaking of fake sellers…
TIP #4: As much as possible, shop only at official online stores.
Fake sellers, along with counterfeit products, are the bane of every online shopper’s experience. Instead of bringing us convenience, they give us nothing but headaches and sometimes endanger our lives as well!
Thankfully, our very own Lazada Philippines stepped up their game when they launched their “Official Stores”. Through Lazada’s official stores, consumers are guaranteed that their items come directly from the brand itself. And because your items come directly from the brand, you can be assured of the products’ authenticity.
The best part? Lazada currently has a wide range of official stores – perfect for catering to your every needs and wants.
You can find a list of Lazada’s official stores here!
Spotting fake products online can take some work on your part, but the pros definitely outweigh the cons. With some vigilance and a whole lot of caution and research, we guarantee you’ll experience the best of the online shopping world.
Happy shopping, folks!