I purchased some Gary Fong Lightspheres on Amazon to see which ones were counterfeit. We gave Amazon the transaction numbers of the counterfeit items, and they quickly removed the content and closed all of the stores selling fake merchandise (over 100!). All we needed to do was be able to identify what the counterfeits were, so Amazon could destroy them in the Warehouse.
The first part was easy. If they came from China, all product was destroyed. My products are 100% made in the US. The second part is a little bit more detailed.
The fakes have the following characteristics:
- the Top Dome falls off instantly. There’s no “grip”
- The artwork on the box is screened directly onto a high-gloss black box. The genuine product has a matte black box, and the product label is affixed to the top.
- Counterfeit Lightspheres are frosted with a white dye. All Lightspheres are made with a clear material, which are bead-blasted and crafted with concentric rings to create the even spread of light. A White Dye reduces power in much the same way that you would find if you tried to shoot through a piece of paper. Additionally, it is easy to hide flaws in material with a white dye.
- Counterfeit Lightspheres have the instruction card shoved over the product, and bent. Genuine Lightspheres have a card that is scored and folded in the middle.
Here's an interesting video that should help!