SanDisk 1GB Memory Stick Pro Duo £37.99

Beancounter

The card itself looks ok and is working ok but going by the descrition of the packaging posted on the link in this thread it doesn't have the staples on the package and didn't have a warranty card ither. been looking at the sellers feedback and seems ok, no complaints of dodgy gear.

charlie12

Ah right, if you're happy with its functionality then it might not be worth the hassle sending it back. Just be aware that it won't be as reliable as original sticks, and if it does fail, the manufacturer won't honour the warranty as there isn't one! But the eBay seller might help you out...

Beancounter

I might pop past the local Sony Shop just to clairfy it is a fake. The only thing I can fault it on is trasferringmusic from the PC to the W800 phone is quite slow but then I can't compare it to an original. (14 secs to transfer a 4mb song?)

charlie12

I'm not sure about the speeds, 14 secs does sound long but there may be a bottleneck elsewhere - PC/software/drivers/cable etc.

Try the shop, but bear in mind that even they might not be able to tell the difference! Many sellers are not clued up on this stuff.

clarabell1984

i got a genuine one on EBAY for £32 a uk seller who had bulk bout from japan - worth a look

biglugs

I followed the thread in the link above to check out for fakes. I was going to buy a 1GB Sandisk card from 7dayshop but now I look at their photo I think they may be selling the fake version - anyone like to comment before I part with £35??

Link is
http://www.7dayshop.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=100616

The photo looks like the words Memory Stick Pro Duo are white on blue when they should be blue on white, and there is no ® logo after the Sandisk logo

Comments welcome
Cheers

charlie12

I very much doubt 7dayshop would sell fakes knowingly, they are reputable. The picture is also not a firm indication.

Anyhow, SVP (who are most definitely reputable) are doing them for £30.98 + postage so I recommend getting one from them:

http://svp.co.uk/products-solo.php?pid=862

Silent_Bob_3

I've got a 1gb Sandisk and its blue with white writing - having said that I've recently got a 2gb Sony one for £42 delivered from a reputable eBayer.

Luffy

All cheap Memory sticks are fakes. I have had a look around everywhere and you will simply not find a cheap memory stick.

Even the ones on amazon, ebuyer and whatnot will be fake, as they are so good even professionals can be tricked. Amazon probably dont actually sell them themselves (wonder why) but sell fake ones via their merchant system.

You have to wonder why you cant walk into Dixons or Argos or some high street store and buy a good priced 2gb stick, or buy them at all. They are simply not readily available. The abundance of online 2gb sticks therefore suggests they are not from Sony.

people on ebay - every single one will be fake. the seller may know, he may not know. 99.5% of game boy advance game on ebay are fake yet all the major sellers have huge feedback scores - because buyers either dont know or dont care due to lower price and give positive feedback. Same for the memory sticks.

Tell tale sign - with official memory sticks you get an adapter inside the plastic packaging, its not free, its included as part of the box.

With fake ones you will get the box and usualy the adapter will be added free (outside the box) or sold seperately.

My advice - do not buy memory sticks now, wait until real ones are in full circulation. 4gb ones are coming which will drive prices down. and buy from a real store where you can the item in person first, or which has a very solid returns policy. Keep in mind that 1gb sticks are going for £100, anything below that whether 1gb or 2gb should be examined and considered fake until proven otherwise.

charlie12

lol hold on there

You're saying that all 1GB sticks that cost less than £100 should be considered fake?

My advice would be to buy from a reputable online store (Amazon marketplace/eBay doesn't count), check it with the info I provided in the link earlier. In the unlikely event of it being a fake, return it and alert the vendor. If the fake is good enough to pass as genuine, then who cares as long as it works? The stick will be under warranty with the vendor, and is a third cheaper than your estimated retail store price. And what assurances do you have (apart from the higher price) that the reputable retail stores aren't selling these professional fakes?

Anyone tempted to buy from eBay or Amazon marketplace, as long as you pay by credit card or Paypal, just do a chargeback if you determine it to be fake (see link).

This is a MoneySaving board, and there's no way anyone on here would pay "shop" prices for these. Genuine sticks at decent prices do exist.

Luffy wrote:

Amazon probably dont actually sell them themselves (wonder why) but sell fake ones via their merchant system.

But Amazon themselves do sell them, as well as Marketplace sellers.

Luffy wrote:

I have had a look around everywhere and you will simply not find a cheap memory stick.

Have you bought sticks from companies such as SVP, 7dayshop and Amazon and determined them to be fake? Or are you just going by price ( < £100 = fake)