AfterDawn: Tech news

30 percent of all SanDisk memory cards are fake, says engineer

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 22 May 2011 1:30 User comments (15)

30 percent of all SanDisk memory cards are fake, says engineer OnlinePhotographer recently spoke to a SanDisk engineer who dropped an astonishing tidbit of info.
The engineer says that at any given time, 30 percent of all SanDisk memory cards being used in the world are fakes.

Most of the cards are no-name brands being sold with SanDisk stickers and packaging.

Many of the cards also offer worse performance than the buyer would assume, for example, Class 4 SD cards being sold as Class 10 cards.

Additionally, a separate report states that eBay is a lead marketplace for the counterfeit goods, with around 70 percent of all memory cards being sold on the auction site being seen as fake or rebranded.

Previous Next  

15 user comments

122.5.2011 07:01

Only 70% of ebay cards are fake? I find that very hard to believe.

222.5.2011 07:27

Quote:
Only 70% of ebay cards are fake? I find that very hard to believe.
I was going to post the same comment. I have been burned twice on Ebay both times were fake SD cards

322.5.2011 08:38

Sandisk brands are also very cheap as compared to sony and other good manufacturers,, is this bcuz they are fake?

422.5.2011 08:53

To check my SD cards ive used : https://market.android.com/details?id=ales.veluscek.sdtools

Thankfully all the ones ive had off ebay check out as valid.

Although im sure there are similar tools for other platforms.

UPDATE*
Bad memory is a nightmare, last week i had to pull a usb stick used as a "boot only" device in a server due to it randomly having read issues. After posting this i cracked it open to find (see below picture)



VID_1307&PID_0165 appears to indicate someone skimmed a faulty Transcend Information, Inc. stick and re-housed it and helpfully sold it to me..... doh wont buy be buying unbranded usb sticks anymore either, no matter how good the supplier.

This message has been edited since its posting. Latest edit was made on 22 May 2011 @ 9:49

522.5.2011 13:45

Originally posted by Matt898:
Quote:
Only 70% of ebay cards are fake? I find that very hard to believe.
I was going to post the same comment. I have been burned twice on Ebay both times were fake SD cards
Sooooo, this means that they're coming from China instead of where they're originally manufactured? Interesting...

622.5.2011 15:43

"caveat emptor" folks, if it's too good to be true... You know how these things go. I like a good deal, just as good as the next guy, but not when it comes to my livelihood.

Now the smartass at the end of the cubicle hallway whose been taking credit for my work...? Have I got a birthday surprise for him...

722.5.2011 17:49

I buy from trusted suppliers only. and and i NEVER use ebay. i wouldnt buy a can of pop from ebay.

823.5.2011 05:53

Yeah there is a load of naughty people on ebay, hence why ive always paid paypal...

... the amount of times ive ended up with free things and chinese sellers just give you a full refund rather than risk bad feedback and the chance to dupe someone else.

Ebays a double edged sword, but as long as you can sort though the chaff there still a few bargains to be had in my opinion.

923.5.2011 10:11

Yeah........NEVER been burned on Ebay. Check feedback before buying and don't buy from anyone with less than 99.5% positive FB rating. .5% is merely inevitable because you can't make every happy.........especially jagoffs.

As for Sandisk cards being fakes........didn't know this and will be very vigilant from here on out but WHAT ASSHOLES for selling that. Is there no shame in the world anymore??

1023.5.2011 10:15

Originally posted by 1nsan3:
I buy from trusted suppliers only. and and i NEVER use ebay. i wouldnt buy a can of pop from ebay.
And you not buying from Ebay is just shooting yourself in the foot. I bought my HTC MyTouch 4G on Ebay for 337.00 BRAND SPANKIN' NEW! So you're missin' out but hey.........your loss.

Granted, I understand your apprehension, but seriously man......most Ebay transactions of any merit and/or significance are legit. (not counting buying little things like arts and crafts, wiring bundles, etc.) Doing a little checking and corresponding to the seller yields fruitful results all the time for me. Though, my FB count is only at 103

1123.5.2011 11:48

Originally posted by hearme0:
Originally posted by 1nsan3:
I buy from trusted suppliers only. and and i NEVER use ebay. i wouldnt buy a can of pop from ebay.
And you not buying from Ebay is just shooting yourself in the foot. I bought my HTC MyTouch 4G on Ebay for 337.00 BRAND SPANKIN' NEW! So you're missin' out but hey.........your loss.

Granted, I understand your apprehension, but seriously man......most Ebay transactions of any merit and/or significance are legit. (not counting buying little things like arts and crafts, wiring bundles, etc.) Doing a little checking and corresponding to the seller yields fruitful results all the time for me. Though, my FB count is only at 103
eBay is fantastic, people who don't use it are those that got burned once or twice and are terrified now. I have been burned as well, but PayPal always gets me my money back...

1223.5.2011 12:20
SatisfiedCustomer
Unverified new user

Here in the U.S. I bought an 8gb Sandisk MicroSd from a seller named DZ-Tech on eBay, located in California, and their memory card was legit and held full capacity. I would recommend that seller.

1323.5.2011 13:32
bozut
Unverified new user

Originally posted by 1nsan3:
I buy from trusted suppliers only. and and i NEVER use ebay. i wouldnt buy a can of pop from ebay.
Bought a can of pop from eBay once. Opened it and found it had an extra 'o'.

1427.5.2011 06:16

Originally posted by 1nsan3:
I buy from trusted suppliers only. and and i NEVER use ebay. i wouldnt buy a can of pop from ebay.
LoL...if you were an antique pop can collector, then ebay would be your best friend.

Really, ebay isn't the worst place to buy flash memory...sure, it will probably be a clone, but you can get all your money back, and you might just get a free 256MB-2GB card out of the deal. Newegg...now that is a terrible place to buy flash...they sell clones even after they know that they are clones, then you have to pay shipping to send it back, then they charge you inflated shipping to send the replacement, then you have to pay to send it back, and then you have to pay a "restocking fee" so that they can put the fake flash back on the shelves for other people to get scammed with. Based on my experiences with them, this is standard policy with everything...but since they seem to buy their flash memory out of some guy's trunk, it is especially bad when you are buying flash memory.

When it comes to flash memory, you have to buy from trustworthy sellers...preferably someone that will give a full refund (including shipping) if they sell you a defective/cloned item. ...or better yet, a company that will give you a full refund if you are not completely satisfied; as you won't have to prove to them that it really is a clone. That is why I get all my flash memory from Amazon...haven't gotten any bad flash from them yet...but I know that they gave me a 100% refund (including shipping) and paid return shipping when I got a defective hard drive from them...so I feel safe.

154.6.2011 11:28

I thought the label "SpamDick" was just a spelling thing.

Comments have been disabled for this article.

Latest news

VLC hits milestone: over 5 billion downloads VLC hits milestone: over 5 billion downloads (16 Mar 2024 4:31)
VLC Media Player, the versatile video-software powerhouse, has achieved a remarkable feat: it has been downloaded over 5 billion times.
2 user comments
Sideloading apps to Android gets easier, as Google settles its lawsuit Sideloading apps to Android gets easier, as Google settles its lawsuit (19 Dec 2023 11:09)
Google settled its lawsuit in September 2023, and one of the settlement terms was that the way applications are installed on Android from outside the Google Play Store must become simpler. In the future, installing APK files will be easier.
8 user comments
Roomba Combo j7+ review - Clever trick allows robot vacuum finally to tackle home with rugs and carpets Roomba Combo j7+ review - Clever trick allows robot vacuum finally to tackle home with rugs and carpets (06 Jun 2023 9:19)
Roomba Combo j7+ is the very first Roomba model to combine robot vacuum with mopping features. And Roomba Combo j7+ does all that with a very clever trick, which tackles the problem with mopping and carpets. But is it any good? We found out.
Neato, the robot vacuum company, ends its operations Neato, the robot vacuum company, ends its operations (02 May 2023 3:38)
Neato Robotics has ceased its operations. American robot vacuum pioneer founded in 2005 has finally called it quits and company will cease its operations and sales. Only a skeleton crew will remain who will keep the servers running until 2028.
5 user comments
How to Send Messages to Yourself on WhatsApp How to Send Messages to Yourself on WhatsApp (20 Mar 2023 1:25)
The world's most popular messaging platform, Meta-owned WhatsApp has enabled sending messages to yourself. While at first, this might seem like an odd feature, it can be very useful in a lot of situations. ....
18 user comments

News archive