Around 6 months ago, I was on the lookout for a new pair of AirPods. My original 1st generation pair of AirPods didn’t hold a charge like they used to and I was interested in experiencing the noise cancellation that the AirPods Pro offered.
Being frugal, I began my search on Facebook Marketplace to see if anyone had a lightly used pair they would sell at a discount. To my surprise, there was an abundance of AirPods being sold for truly bargain prices.
As I continued to explore listings on Marketplace and eBay, I continually came across listings for sealed AirPods listed at prices too low to be true. I found a YouTube video that explains this scam well (linked below).
Fake AirPods are being purchased in bulk from China or other countries where they are mass-manufactured. Then, they are sold as the real product.
After learning this useful information, I opted not to buy any cheap, sealed AirPods from Marketplace or eBay. Instead, I found some used AirPods Pro on Marketplace that were lightly used and included the box. Everything looked legitimate, so I met up with the seller and made the purchase. The seller was kind and assured me these were real AirPods. I tested them and everything seemed fine (I had never owned a pair of legitimate AirPods before that, so I had nothing to compare them to).
Upon returning to my home, I found some odd inconsistencies with other Apple devices I owned. The battery life was detestable and the “barely used” AirPods only lasted around an hour before they required charging. This worried me, so I researched methods of locating fake AirPods, which led me to learn about the flashlight trick.
If you shine the flashlight through the lid of an AirPods case, you should see coils inside. For some reason, I have not come across any fake AirPods that contain this coil. They usually look empty inside or have text.
Realizing my AirPods were fake, I finally decided to chalk it up as the cost of a lesson and went to Amazon to purchase a pair of refurbished AirPods, knowing they would certainly be genuine. They cost more money, but I had the confidence that they would be real. If you are interested in purchasing your own pair, feel free to use my link. I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase too! :)
If it’s too good to be true, it probably is. Be careful of buying any used Apple products unless you have the option to return them.
Stay safe online and don’t get scammed!