(Fake) Pro-pointer eats batteries (sold by Wish.com)

[Andysmee]

I found out yesterday that the seller bought the item from Wish.com. Like other items on Wish.com (e.g. Lego) be wary of paying knock down prices for branded items. These pinpointers are not fake, they are counterfeit.

I've added an example Google search you could use to inform yourself about how to spot fakes pinpointers, but price is easily the clearest indicator - Garrett don't sell their pinpointers at a wholesale price which allows people to make a profit at £60-70 on Facebook Marketplace, and there's only so many pinpointers that people can have "won" via MDUK raffles (and I dare say a lot of the raffle prices are these counterfeit pinpointers as the market for them is rife).

If you can rub the serial number off without removing the laminated plastic over the serial number, then question whether you can be certain that it is not a counterfeit item.

Does the pinpointer go on a solid tone when touching the item? Did you get a lanyard with it? Does it eat batteries or go ga-ga occasionally? Does it have as many modes as the real one? Does the led flash weakly and erratically in programming mode? Did you pay half the RRP? Does it weigh the same as a real one?

[Batman]

I found out yesterday that the seller bought the item from Wish.com. Like.other items on Wish.com (e.g. Lego) be wary of paying knock down prices for branded items. These pinpointers are not fake, they are counterfeit.

I've added an example Google search you could use to inform yourself about how to spot fakes pinpointers, but price is easily the clearest indicator - Garrett don't sell their pinpointers at a wholesale price which allows people to make a profit at £60-70 on Facebook Marketplace, and there's only so many pinpointers that people can have "won" via MDUK raffles (and I dare say a lot of the raffle prices are these counterfeit pinpointers as the market for them is rife).

If you can run the serial number off without removing the laminated plastic over the serial number, then question whether you can be certain that it is not a counterfeit item.

Does the pinpointer go on a solid tone when touching the item? Did you get a lanyard with it? Does it eat batteries or go ga-ga occasionally? Does it have as many modes as the real one? Does the led flash weakly and erratically in programming mode? Did you pay half the RRP? Does it weigh the same as a real one?

Did you buy it from one of the several reputable dealers in the UK?......that's the biggest give away, they will not sell you crap and ruin their reputation!

[Cheshire searcher]

I won't be sending it back for warranty repair, it's a fake :-(

It seems to work but goes ga-ga once the battery drops only a little. The clues that give it away: it came with the coil lanyard thing and the serial number on the cap rubs off as it's not laminated... oh, and the price was too good to be true, so mea culpa.

Sorry you've ended up with a fake, how annoying.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge and video showing what to look out for , bought my son a Garrett carrot in July from REGTON
Julia