There is an awful lot of fake car audio (and other products) going on Ebay ATM. Focal's website has just released a notice on thier products... I found a couple of other fake Focal products from the same supplier which claimed to be in AUSTRALIA!!!

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=3292&item=5803479439
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=4576766421
This should take you to focals FAKE product page for more info...

http://www.focal-fr.com/COUNTERFEITING/website.htm

Please feel free to use this thread for any other "Suss" things you guys&gals find so we don't get done by these freakin CROOKS!!! :rant:

Just curious how do they know they are fake? Did they buy one and test it?
Judging by the website they look like they are "Real" focals, but have been stolen from the warehouse or something. OR am i way off?

Dunno... I've just been reading the Focals website... The guys in the pics don't look happy though!!!

http://www.focal-fr.com/COUNTERFEITING/malaysia.htm

Hmmmm.... You would think that if they were real but "stolen" then that would be tracked by serial and Focal would list them as "stolen" not "counterfeit"?

If they wanted to make the focals look real then they probably could have nicked the photos from somewhere else... But the end products... I mean, some ppl have been happy with them!!! I'm very interested to see how it pans out as a couple of freinds of mine have bought Focal products (not saying this is the only brand affected) online off Ebay, and I can't see any difference, but they got em for soooo cheap that it's pretty dubious to how real they are... Or mabye I'm just p1553d cause I paid nearly twice as much for mine from the local rep!!!

I actually got my 165kp's from online depot. One of the woofers has a defect and so was sent back and the 'genuine product card' was for a 165v2 set.

I would have said they are stolen or factory rejects or stolen factory rejects... either way, the TN52 tweets are awesome, the crossovers are quality and the one woofer I am using at the moment (they're replacing the other for a new one) goes great. I couldn't ask for better sound and the workmanship is second to none. I have no doubt the products I'm using are genuine, but I am suspicious that they may have been stolen from the factory or rejects.

I'll keep updating because I've asked them about it, waiting for a reply.

Still saved coin, the tweets would have cost more than I paid for the lot :D

Would not recomend buying through these guys now tho, it's not much more expensive for the reassurance that you're buying genuine product. I suppose I got lucky in that what I got sent works!

Oh, and focal would want to shut these guys down so they'd claim that they're counterfeit goods. If they said they're stolen, people would still buy them because it's real product at a fraction of the price!

Cheers,

Danno

yeah... I know for sure that Pioneer has "re-furbished" products that get sold again on-line through Ebay, and most of it is good stuff, but it would really hurt Focals rep if ppl knew they were doin the same tactics...
Maybe its a sign of the times. The car audio industry is feeling the affects of a global slump in sales ATM, and its gonna be hard for companies to stay afloat without resorting to some economic trickery to stay in the black. I just hope that we as consumers don't suffer with brands that sacrifice quality for marketing techniques... (not that I'm implying that any of the brands I've mentioned have done that).
Having said this, I'm a junkie for conspiracy and gossip, so.... :liar: I tend to shoot off on a tangent without fully exploring all the facts...
I'm just so sick of having to watch out for crims that take advantage of ppl, especially in an industry I love (like car audio) where reputation is sooo important.

Well there are over 2,000 listings on Australian Ebay under Car Audio, Video, & Electronic, nearly 13,000 under the same heading in the International site, so yeah expect there to be a few fakes in the mix. I don't agree that based on what Focal's dredged up, that its a major plague of fakes though.

The other thing though, is that I've not found Ebay 'Sellers' to be any cheaper on Car audio gear than standard retailers - at least with mainstream stuff. There are models you can't get easily over the counter here, and private people on-selling excess purchases etc, but for brand name speakers and amps etc the standard J&B, Strathfield, Ryda type places seem to have better prices anyway from what I've seen.

I honestly don't believe they're fakes.

The materials used in the 165kp's I recieved aren't easilly available and aren't cheap. They arrived in the correct box with a warranty booklet and focal guarantee and the speakers are identical to those I've seen in stores both in workmanship and in sound quality. I'd imagine that counterfeit products would not sound nearly as good as the real thing and would not be constructed to the same standard. If the counterfeiters had the technology to produce speakers like this, they could make money selling their product legitemately throught their own name.

There is a possibillity that they are exceptional quality fakes, but I'm far more inclined to believe that they're resold defected goods due to the fact that one of my woofers needed to be sent back to be replaced as it had bad connections.

Eitherway, fakes or stolen/resold, it's not going to ruin focal's reputation as they've identified these sellers as being dodgy and anyone silly enough to buy products off the black market (like myself :D ) has to take the risk that they might not be getting genuine goods.

Luckilly for me it's been worth it, as the savings have outweighed the defects... but I don't think I'll be buying off these guys again.

Cheers,

Danno

It's not just in the car audio scene either.

There's HEAPS of music equipment/instrument fakes going around too.

Shure microphones (namely SM57's and 58's) that are fakes but look identical. Then BOSS pedals that are fakes etc...

Also misleading advertising is rife on there too.

Shure microphones (namely SM57's and 58's) that are fakes but look identical.

Sorry to off the topic but,
I'm actually looking to get a couple of those mics, do you which ones are the fakes so I don't get stooged. Thanks

Easy, dont buy them from EBAY at all ;) You can't tell untill they're pulled apart.

be carefull because there are heaps of fakes going around. Me and my bro might be buying some subs in bulk (100pcs) from a wholesaler but they are not originall but look VERY close to the real thing (kicker, xplod etc..) but they dont have the names stuck on them.

We are going to get a few to see if they are anygood lol. if they are decent, we will sell them as budget subs for poeple that want some cheap doof but want something nice to look at too :)

be carefull because there are heaps of fakes going around. Me and my bro might be buying some subs in bulk (100pcs) from a wholesaler but they are not originall but look VERY close to the real thing (kicker, xplod etc..) but they dont have the names stuck on them.

We are going to get a few to see if they are anygood. if they are decent, we will sell them as budget subs for poeple that want some cheap doof but want something nice to look at too

so dodge lol

yeah about the 'paying too much for stuff you could buy in strathfield etc' point, i was gonna buy a sub (brand new) off ebay once (just a boss one...i know i know dont flame me :P ) was goin for like $80, checked strathfields website and i could bought it for cheaper than the thing went for, then with postage on top... stupid idiot that bought it :P

that sed, i saved sh*tloads on my laptop that i bought recently, and it works a treat :)

hp zd7000 3.06GHz, 512meg ram, 128meg Geforce Go 5600 FX, 17" widescreen, Windows MCE, remote control, all the cd's and original boxes... $1850 :) ohhhhh yeaaaaah

I was gonna buy these Pioneer speakers but I backed out at the last minute....


http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Speakers-1-Pair-Brand-New-in-Box-4-x-6-600w_W0QQitemZ5821575850QQcategoryZ3292QQrdZ1QQcmd ZViewItem

Ummm..... sumthin juz looked suss... :eh:

I was gonna buy these Pioneer speakers but I backed out at the last minute....


http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Speakers-1-Pair-Brand-New-in-Box-4-x-6-600w_W0QQitemZ5821575850QQcategoryZ3292QQrdZ1QQcmd ZViewItem

Ummm..... sumthin juz looked suss... :eh:


"Worlwide Construction Machinery P/L" they can't even get their company name right never mind the product!

I'd love to buy em just to see if they could handle 600w :bowrofl:

Maybe "Guido Hatzis" is their marketing manager.

I'd love to buy em just to see if they could handle 600w :bowrofl:

Maybe "Guido Hatzis" is their marketing manager.


haha yeah that would be cool. The guy i am planning to buy these speakers from reckon that they are 1200W RMS :nuts:

If i had the money, it would be cool to get the real thing and a clone and see how the clone compares to the original.

Thread mining I know, but I just stumbled across this on the zapco page and thought it eerily similar, two very respected companies being chopped up by dodgy merchants.

http://www.zapco.com/ZapcoBuyersBeware.htm

Matthius

Well if they are PIONEER speakers as above is mentioned all well.
But if they are POINEER speakers as the box says, they are a new brand!!! :badgrin:
Would be good if they could spell the name on the box correct