360,000 KW AirPods Seized by US Customs in 9 Months

 

U.S. customs seized about 360,000 counterfeit wireless earbuds, including Apple AirPods, in the last nine months. This amount has exceeded the amount recorded in the previous year.

According to a report from The Information, the 360,000 wireless earbuds seized are estimated to be worth USD 62.2 million. This figure exceeds the total of 295,000 wireless earphones seized in 2020.

About 80% of these fake wireless earbuds come from mainland China and Hong Kong. While it is not known how many KW of AirPods have been seized, U.S. Customs says seizures of wireless earbuds have increased by 50% in the last five years following the popularity of AirPods.

Manufacturers of counterfeit wireless earbuds have also seen a growing opportunity in recent years. Strategy Analytics states sales of Bluetooth headsets reached 300 million units worldwide, and the TWS market grew 90%.

Apple remains the global TWS market leader, and is estimated to have generated $ 16 billion in AirPods sales over the course of 2020. Not surprisingly, many KW goods manufacturers want to take advantage.

GST Louisville recently ordered 817 pairs of fake Apple Airpods. Consumers should be aware almost all fake Airpods from China contain malware & can connect to Apple iPhones infecting your electronics & compromising your data. ATTENTION BUYERS! Https: //t.co/xiYba6GIzI pic.twitter.com/ZfPOASL73O

- CBP Chicago (@CBPChicago) 21 Jun 2021

Some of these fake earbuds are suspected to be made using original molds from companies that work with Apple. Some can even mimic the process of pairing an AirPod with an iPhone and display the original serial number to the point of fooling an unintentional buyer.

Even so, there are several ways that can be done to distinguish genuine and fake AirPods, for example by looking at the firmware version, as quoted from The Verge, Monday (19/7/2021).

Apple says counterfeit AirPods and accessories not only incur their revenue costs but also threaten consumer safety, for example if a charger or battery explodes.

IPhone makers are also mobilizing global efforts to eradicate counterfeit products, as well as working with law enforcement and e-commerce to prevent consumers from being deceived by counterfeit products.

The flood of fake AirPods in the market is also hurting other vendors. Last year, the OnePlus earbud was confiscated by U.S. Customs for being mistaken for a fake AirPod.