How to avoid buying a counterfeit SD card

So, how can you ensure that the SD card you're ordering is legit? I'll break down the signs I personally look for when it comes to spotting the fool's gold.

1 Stick to popular brands

Beware of clone brands that imitate the most popular brands

There's a wide range of SD cards from unknown brands all over Amazon. Some of these brands attempt to look like the brands they are imitating. Often these fake brands will use color schemes such as black and red, which belong to the popular brand, SanDisk. Clones of popular brands are common everywhere third-party sellers operate, be it Temu, Walmart, Amazon, or eBay. However, Amazon allows third-party sellers to pay to boost their listings, giving the seller a "sponsored" badge next to their name. This can make counterfeit products seem even more legitimate.

Amazon does monitor these listings and responds to complaints, but with so many third-party sellers constantly posting products, it can take some time -- and a number of sales -- before a counterfeited product such as an SD card gets taken down. Of course, not every third-party seller is selling fake products, but because many are, it can be nearly impossible to tell the difference between a fake SD card and a real one when it's sold by a third-party seller.

There's also an issue with counterfeit SD cards getting mixed in with real SD cards.

Many knock-off brands might even appear to work at first, but have issues with their actual storage capacity and reliability. Take for example, the brand 5-Star. 5-Star makes SD cards that look almost identical to SanDisk SD cards, but issues with their reliability resulted in the brand being pulled from Amazon. However, other sites that allow third-party sellers such as Walmart are still selling the 5-Star SD cards that have since been pulled from Amazon.

You should be safe by sticking to popular brands for SD cards such as SanDisk, Lexar, PNY, or Samsung, among others, but there's also an issue with counterfeit SD cards getting mixed in with real SD cards.

Sometimes, fake SD cards get mixed into fulfillment programs

Big e-commerce companies such as Amazon and Walmart allow third-party sellers to store their inventory in their warehouses. This allows third-party sellers to use Amazon's warehouses, and Amazon takes care of the shipping and storage for the seller. This, in turn, is sometimes how counterfeit products end up in Amazon's or Walmart's warehouses. Real SD cards can get mixed up in storage with counterfeit ones, making it difficult to parse out what is real and what isn't.

The problem is especially prevalent when third-party seller fulfillment programs get mixed in with large companies' inventories.

There's even a chance that if you buy SD cards in bulk, you may receive some real cards mixed in with fake ones if they come from third-party sellers using an e-commerce fulfillment program. Inventory mixing is a complex issue that can affect even brick-and-mortar retail stores, but the problem is especially prevalent when third-party seller fulfillment programs get mixed in with large companies' inventories.

2 Buy directly from the source

SD card manufacturers have their own webstores

I recommend buying SD cards directly from the manufacturer. Brands such as SanDisk can be purchased directly from the Western Digital webstore, and the same is true for Samsung SD cards. While sometimes even the largest brands have issues with defective SD cards, you can get these refunded and replaced much easier than you could with a third-party seller. When you buy directly from the manufacturer, you can rest assured knowing that you're receiving a genuine product.

You can still buy directly from the manufacturer while shopping on Amazon.

If you have an Amazon gift card or want to take advantage of your prime membership, you can still buy directly from the manufacturer while shopping on Amazon. Most major brands have their own store on Amazon's page where you can buy their SD cards from. To verify that you are buying a legitimate product, always make sure the SD card you are purchasing says "Sold by and shipped by Amazon."

3 Be wary of SD card storage capacity

A 1TB SD card for $20 is too good to be true

You can always spot a fake SD card online if it's storage capacity to price ratio seems too good to be true. There's been a lot of past reporting about absurdly sized fake SSDs available on Amazon, and SD cards are no different. A 1TB SD card typically retails for anywhere between $130 to $200. If you are looking at a 1TB SD card online for less, especially if it's as cheap as $20-50, it's most likely a scam.

When shopping online for electronics, the old saying is typically on track: If it's too good to be true, it probably isn't true.

If you do see what you think is a great deal on an SD card, make sure you read the customer reviews and confirm that the SD card is being sold by a reputable seller. Reading customer reviews can give you a clue whether or not the card is fake. Just make sure you don't read the automatic highest-rated reviews. Check through and read a few of the 1-star or 2-star reviews to see if others in the past have been receiving fake SD cards from a particular seller.

4 Buy from authorized dealers

B&H Photo or Adorama are among your options

The easiest way to make sure you are buying legitimate SD cards online is to shop from authorized dealers of camera gear. I personally buy most of my camera gear and accessories from Samy's Camera here in Los Angeles, and anything I need online I get from B&H Photo.

These are reputable retailers that buy directly from manufacturers and are authorized to sell legitimate SanDisk, Canon, Nikon, Samsung, and other gear. Reading customer reviews will also help you make sure you aren't buying defective gear when you shop online, but the safest way to is to always shop with a reputable vendor.