How To Spot A Counterfeit Cartridge

People are always looking for ways to save money, whether it’s a few pennies or a few quid. In fact, we’re encouraged to do so; we’re constantly being told to ‘shop around’ and hunt out the price possible for whatever we happen to be purchasing.

This is no truer than with printer cartridges. OEM printer cartridges have always been incredibly expensive and developments in recent years suggest that the gap between price you pay for a cartridge and what you actually receive is going to widen further. This often leads to consumers looking elsewhere for their ink cartridges.

Unfortunately, there is a legion of counterfeiters waiting to take advantage of the unwitting bargain hunter. Counterfeit cartridges have long been a problem for both OEM manufacturers and reputable retailers such as Cartridge World, but the internet has made the problem even worse. Websites such as eBay (although it should be pointed out that the company does attempt to restrict sales of counterfeit goods) have made it easier than ever for counterfeiters to hawk their wares.

What Is A Counterfeit Cartridge?

A counterfeit cartridge is a cartridge (either ink or toner) that has been designed to look exactly like an OEM cartridge. However, the cartridge will usually have been assembled poorly for a fraction of the cost.

There a few ways counterfeiters create their cartridges. One of the main ways is to import third party cartridges for an incredibly low price from another country, before reproducing the packaging of a major OEM and selling the cartridge as a genuine product.

Another method used by counterfeiters is to create their own ink formulation and create the cartridge from scratch. However, as a low cost is the primary selling point of a counterfeit product, the materials used will be of an incredibly low standard and the ink won’t even be close to that of its genuine equivalent.

What Are The Consequences Of Using A Counterfeit Cartridge?

Despite quality concerns, a lot of consumers will still buy counterfeit cartridges based on the incredibly low price, which is usually significantly lower than even a third party cartridge from a reputable seller.

Buying a counterfeit cartridge has many dangers. The poor quality materials used in the construction of the cartridge can mean leaks and even occasionally bursts inside the printer, potentially damaging your hardware. Most manufacturers will cover this under their warranty, although you’ll need to prove that you didn’t know the cartridge was fake.

On a less dramatic scale, counterfeit cartridges usually result in poor quality prints. This is especially true of colour prints, as the ink used in colour cartridges is quite difficult to replicate.

How To Spot A Counterfeit Cartridge

It can be incredibly difficult to spot a counterfeit cartridge, as many sellers will either provide stock photos of genuine products or have worked extremely hard to reproduce OEM packaging as well as they can.

That doesn’t mean it’s impossible, however. Before purchase, the telltale sign of a counterfeit cartridge is an incredibly low price. Most manufacturers will have a minimum price based on covering the cost of manufacture; anything falling below this minimum price (which can usually be found by simply browsing the lowest priced cartridges of any manufacturer or reputable dealer) should be treated with suspicion.

The seller’s identity should also give you a good idea as to the authenticity of the products you’re purchasing. Always keep an eye out for reputable dealers; brand names that you are already aware of and sites with good reviews online are two good trust signals.

Post-purchase, spotting a counterfeit is a bit easier. There will often be some minor differences in the packaging when compared to the original (look for poor quality prints, misspellings, etc). The cartridge itself will lack the security labels included by manufacturers.

A low print quality is also a telltale sign of a counterfeit, as is the cartridge running out of ink a lot sooner than you thought it would (check out our latest blog post to get a better idea of how long you should expect your cartridges to last).

What Should You Do If You Buy A Counterfeit

If you suspect you have a counterfeit cartridge, do not use it as it could damage your printer. If you have already started using the cartridge, stop immediately.

Unfortunately, there is no cashback scheme for counterfeit cartridges so you’ll have lost your money. However, you can prevent future buyers from falling into the same trap by reporting the cartridge and the person who sold it to you to the manufacturer. If you use eBay, you can also report the user on the site.

If you bought the cartridge from a company you felt were otherwise reputable, it’s also worth getting in touch with the seller. It may be that you’ve just purchased a faulty cartridge and they should be more than happy to replace it.

For quality low price printing supplies, browse the Cartridge World online store or visit your local shop!