Along with some iPhone chargers that I got off eBay from China I ordered a docking station so I could charge and listen to music. The ad claimed that the item was “OEM” and made by Apple. As soon as I opened the package, which came by parcel post from China about a month later, I noticed that it was obviously not a real Apple product.  This fake Chinese iPhone docking station damaged my phone.

The blame goes to myself on this one. I should have known that a stereo docking and charging station for the iPhone was counterfeit when I saw it listed for one third of the price of an Apple original at the Apple store downtown.  Counterfeiters in China have perfected fake Apple iPhone products right down to the logo and manuals. I’m sure they have probably cloned and made a counterfeit iPhone 3G already.

Check the seller’s reputation. If it is below 95% you should beware. Many eBay users will be hesitant to leave negative feedback for a cheap item, for fear that the seller will give them a a black mark as well, so even 95% is no guarantee of a good seller. I don’t want to insinuate that all products for Apple iPhones from China will harm your phone. There are many fine none OEM iPhone accessories from China that are a bargain and work just fine. The problem is when they claim to be OEM.

In that case you are relying on the Apple name to give you a product that you can trust not to harm your iPhone.  If you know the product is non OEM then the choice is yours to take the gamble.  If a fake product causes severe damage to your iPhone then it may void the warranty.

Apple diagnostics can determine the cause of failure in most cases and detect if a fake Apple accessory was used.

If you do take the gamble and buy an Apple iPhone product from overseas, check the manual for misprints, misspellings and other clues it is not original. Look carefully at the logo for a blurred or double stamped image.

If it smells funny, it probably is a fake Apple product. OEM accessories do not have a funny plastic smell that is similar to burned tires.

If you smell the burned tire smell on any plastic products from China that claim to be OEM Apple products, they are fakes.

I hope this helps others avoid what happened to me. Don’t damage your phone by using a fake Chinese iPhone docking station, charger or other accessory.

OEM iPhone Charger