Apple’s AirPods are the most popular wireless earbuds on the planet right now, but as their shipments increase, so do the number of fake units. The counterfeit variants have improved significantly to the extent that it is difficult to tell them apart from the real ones. What is worse is that there is a dedicated TikTok community that actually encourages ‘hustlers’ or teenagers to sell fake AirPods to customers while being advertised as legit retail units. Here are more details on the story.

Fake AirPods are being purchased in bulk from third-party online websites and getting listed on eBay and others in an effort to make ‘easy cash’

The talented concept creator Ian Zelbo recently published a report on 9to5Mac on how TikTok is filled with content promoting the idea of selling replica AirPods. The 3D graphics designer states that he went down a rabbit hole in his investigative journalism efforts while also terming this practice as completely illegal and morally wrong. Since teenagers have a penchant for making thousands of dollars through ‘get rich easy’ schemes, TikTok has provided them with a platform to flourish their ‘skills.’

One method of raking in lots of money is through purchasing these fake AirPods from websites like AliExpress or Alibaba in large quantities and later listing them on places like eBay, Craigslist, and others. As these devices are mass produced in various factories with little to no safety regulations, the chances of them exploding in the user’s ears can skyrocket. Aside from being dangerous, teenagers who are caught selling these units in the U.S. and other countries can get into legal trouble with Apple.

AirPods clones are getting GOOD. So good that there’s an entire community on TikTok that teaches teenagers how to make money selling fake AirPods as real. They say that because they are “1:1” or “made in the same factory” that it is not illegal. However, this is illegal, morally… pic.twitter.com/5JLBslPfBx

— Ian Zelbo (@ianzelbo) April 28, 2023

Still, this has not stopped these ‘hustlers’ from embracing this form of business, with some of them even boasting about how their lifestyle has been revamped ever since they started this side gig. It is also disappointing to see how easily innocent buyers can get scammed out of their earnings simply because they saw an opportunity to purchase affordably-priced AirPods. Fortunately, where there are fakes, there are also contingencies in place to prevent the proliferation of copycat AirPod sales.

While Ian Zelbo has outlined some helpful tips for customers to keep themselves safe from counterfeit products, he also states that the quickest way of picking up a genuine item is to step inside an Apple retail outlet or order through the company’s online store. Alternatively, customers can also order through an Apple Authorized Reseller. While these practices will certainly not quell fake AirPods shipments, we can say that educating honest, hardworking people can go a long way in putting a little dent in the replica market.

News Source: Ian Zelbo