Unfortunately, due to their popularity, there has been a large influx of counterfeits in products sold through Aliexpress, Amazon, Wish, and Ebay. It is important to address this issue with these counterfeits as they are not assembled by Baofeng, are not FCC certified, do not have European labeling, are inferior in construction and performance, and do not have a distributor warranty.
¿How to identify fake Baofeng walkie talkies?
Firstly, when purchasing Baofeng walkie talkies, it is important to verify the supplier that has sold them. Although we will document some differences between different types of counterfeits:
Verify the maximum power of the walkie talkie. For the 10W model of Baofeng, its maximum power is 10W, but we have received photos of walkie talkies that advertise 15-18 and even 20W of power, which is technologically impossible in a walkie talkie the size of Baofeng. The actual power of the walkie talkies being marketed with powers of 15 to 20W is only 5W. The only Baofeng model labeled with 15W is the AR-152.
Genuine Baofeng walkie talkies are sold exclusively through Baofeng and their authorized distributors. Neither their official websites nor authorized distributors sell counterfeits.
DETECTION OF FAKE MODELS:
Some counterfeits are completely different aesthetically, and the reseller will try to hide it. Their listings may be a mix of genuine photos of Baofeng walkie talkies along with the fake ones they ultimately send to customers. Below, we show you photos of the models, all of them marketed through Ebay, Amazon, Aliexpress, and Wish:
Packaging:
Some counterfeiters may use generic batteries, user manuals, and boxes. Baofeng walkie talkies come packed in Baofeng boxes and include the following standard accessories:
- Walkie talkie
- Battery
- Charging base + plug
- Antenna
- Waterproof lower seal
- Belt clip
- Hand strap
- Pinganillo earpiece (some models may be shipped without earpiece from the factory due to logistical reasons of weights exceeding 0.5 kgs), but all walkie talkies shipped from Europe include the pinganillo earpiece.
These are the accessories that come with each and every one of our walkie talkies straight from the factory.
These are the typical boxes, although customized model boxes also exist.
How to deal with a counterfeit:
We have personally dealt with hundreds of counterfeit listings on various marketplaces such as Amazon, Ebay, Wish, and Aliexpress, and have requested the removal of these listings. Unfortunately, most marketplaces will not prohibit the counterfeiter from creating another listing and continue selling them.
The most effective way to stop counterfeits is to buy directly from Baofeng's official websites or through an authorized Baofeng distributor. If you want to buy a product and have doubts about whether the seller is an authorized seller, you can contact us by phone to verify in our database if they are indeed an authorized seller and selling original Baofeng products.
What if you have purchased a counterfeit? You can stop the counterfeiters by requesting a refund from your payment processor (your bank, Paypal, Payoneer, etc.) informing them that the product you purchased is fake, and also informing the marketplace where you made the purchase about the illegitimate seller who is selling counterfeit products so that the marketplace can remove them from sale.