Counterfeit Equinox 600?

Somebody posted a link to a website called Giraffess on another forum tonight. They are selling a new Equinox 600 for $506.99. I might have gone out on a limb with my thoughts but I can't help it...my Spidey senses are tingling LOL!

I copied my response on that forum below, I'm curious to find out what the fine folks here think:




OK, I'll provide some feedback simply by using my powers of observation. I see big, bright red flags telling me that anybody who buys from this company has a good chance of getting an Equinox 600 counterfeit.

It's a new site, no info about it when searched for. There are also new sites which look exactly the same called Camelss and Goatss. Sensing a pattern here? They all have the same "about us" blurb: "...We are a small apparel company striving to bring our customers the best outfit for every occasion. We wish you a happy time shopping on..."

The website was constructed by somebody whose first language is not English. "Free ship for every order"...probably Chinese.

You say well my credit card/paypal protects me against fraud? Maybe. But even in instances where it does you're going to have a hassle. Good luck getting any recourse from your card if the detector is counterfeit. And my senses are telling me what they are selling is a Chinese made fake. The Chinese are notorious for counterfeiting popular metal detectors, not to mention anything else they can fake for a dishonest dollar.

Minelab, like most detecting manufacturers, has a MAP (Minimum Advertising Price) that by contract their detectors can't be advertised for less than. Sell for whatever you want, but you can't advertise for less than the MAP. The MAP for the 600 is $649. So how are they advertising them for $506.99?

If you buy one of these I imagine it will probably superficially look like a Equinox 600, but I'm betting it won't perform like one. And there will no doubt be minor visual tells as well to identify it as a fake.

groundsweeper is right, a legitimate dealer on this forum could probably get you one for just a few dollars more than this. And it would be the genuine article.

Based on their odd / eclectic product range and rankings .... where an HP calculator is somehow related to lawn mower mulching blades, Kubota tires, and Seagate hard drives ??? .... I'd not predict a counterfeit at all.
As in, I'd predict no product at all.

There's too many bulky, expensive, and unrelated industries listed to actually carry any stock.

My bet is on the crickets .... as in, "that's all you're going to hear from them once they take your money."
But regardless of what you get, I think several old sayings apply here, LOL.


mike

hang on a minute - are you saying someone purchased a Nox600 and it turned out to be a Chinese fake?

or is this purely speculation in regards to a dodgy seller selling under MAP?

two completely different scenario's imo

[www.earthscan.co.nz]

rustic charm Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> hang on a minute - are you saying someone purchase
> d a Nox600 and it turned out to be a Chinese fake?
>
> or is this purely speculation in regards to a dodg
> y seller selling under MAP?
>
> two completely different scenario's imo

I'm not saying either. What I'm saying is that I am very skeptical for the reasons I outlined.

If this is a dodgy seller selling legitimate product under MAP that would be a best case scenario.

Here's the link to the Giraffess site that was posted on the Friendly forum. Hard to say whether they would actually send you the machine. There's probably nothing you could do if they didn't.

[giraffess.com]


I found an 800 on Ebay for $49.99 free shipping and Ebay money back guarantee.

[www.ebay.com]

.



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 09/14/2019 01:01PM by Badger in NH.

The one on Ebay, you can't buy now but can add to watch list. I put it on my list and when I can buy I will. I have lost more than $50.00 on other detectors, If I can get one I will let everyone know if it works. Wish me luck, flintstone

Flintstone Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The one on Ebay, you can't buy now but can add to
> watch list. I put it on my list and when I can buy
> I will. I have lost more than $50.00 on other dete
> ctors, If I can get one I will let everyone know i
> f it works. Wish me luck, flintstone

Something tells me that when that seller comes back from vacation that $50 Nox will go poof.

So why do the listing? Maybe so someone who looks will see other Chinese items that he has for sale at cheap prices.

I'll gladly wish you good luck, Flintstone. I'll also implore you to avoid Nigerian princes!

In response to your thread title - "Counterfeit Equinox 600?"

I would put this down to an over eager imagination to draw the
same conclusion as you looking at that website marcomo

A seller selling under MAP - nothing new as I have seen this before
As for the website - yeah could be a risk, but how you then reach
the conclusion that they must be counterfeit Nox 600's is a knee jerk
reaction in my opinion and can be quite damaging to a product and
their manufacturer -

However if you or someone you know has purchased one from that
website and it has turned out to be a 'counterfeit' then I take back fore
mentioned rant -

"If you buy one of these I imagine it will probably superficially look like a
Equinox 600, but I'm betting it won't perform like one. And there will no doubt
be minor visual tells as well to identify it as a fake"

Then by adding this statement you not only help re-enforce the fact that they are
counterfeit products but also take it upon yourself to slander the website as well

Honestly, you would be a sitter for a top job at CNN

[www.earthscan.co.nz]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/17/2019 03:05PM by rustic charm.

someone will "roll the dice" but it won't be me!
"no balls!" good luck with that! ..just sayin'

(h.h.!)
j.t.

Well rustic, at least you didn't say MSNBC.

Slander is a pretty strong term to use for someone giving their opinion on a forum where members routinely express and debate opinions, but if it makes you feel better I can add one of those ubiquitous legal disclaimers: "this post represents the opinion of the author only and unless expressly indicated should not be construed as indisputable fact..."

As for damaging the manufacturer, I would argue that the seller is doing that by breaking their contract which does not allow advertising a price below MAP. Not to mention the damage done to all the Minelab dealers who do abide by their contract with the manufacturer.

I never claimed to know for a fact that these sellers are selling counterfeit product, but I am suspicious. It is an undisputed fact that the Chinese have a well documented history of manufacturing and distributing counterfeit products, and that includes metal detectors. Unless ML has authorized these "animal" websites to advertise their product for less than MAP, then I would argue they are, at the very least, sleazy and unethical.

Counterfeit detectors aren't the only possible scenario here, I agree. Customers could get exactly what they paid for or nothing at all. Hopefully we'll from somebody who ordered in the future, although I think we'll be more likely to hear if the detector is exactly as ordered. Many people would be too embarrassed to admit they got taken for half a G note.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/18/2019 12:36AM by marcomo.

Don't do it. I once bought a detector way below list price and it was under $800 on ebay. The seller then sent a box to my zip code and since in was under the $800 limit it did not need to be signed for. The seller had sent a box of rocks from the factory as free samples. I fought tooth and nail for ebay and paypal losing every decision since it was flagged as delivered. I went to Fedex and the kind employee shared to where the tracking number went to. I then filed a police report and they went immediately to the house and got the box and a very detailed police report. Finally after more fighting I won the case. Most of the time you will lose.

Surprise of surprises, the giraffess, camelss and goatss websites allegedly selling the Nox 600 for $506.99 all seem to have gone POOF!

Hey marcomo

So were they "counterfeits"?

Or was it yet another dodgy seller?

I know well enough of Chinese manufacturing and counterfeit claims, but thanks for sharing your views

I never mentioned or implied "slander" - I was simply highlighting your over eager imagination in reference to
these non existent counterfeit Equinox 600's that you eluded to_

that's all_now we know NOT to keep an eye out for fake Nox's regardless of Chinese history

however thanks for the heads up on the animal sites

[www.earthscan.co.nz]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/20/2019 03:06PM by rustic charm.

> Then by adding this statement you not only help re
> -enforce the fact that they are
> counterfeit products but also take it upon yoursel
> f to slander the website as well
>
> Honestly, you would be a sitter for a top job at C
> NN

OK rustic, the quote above was from your earlier post where you flat-out stated that I slandered the now apparently defunct website. I wouldn't have brought up the word if you hadn't used it.

As I said, I was highly suspicious of that site. Still am. I probably should have given more credence to the possibility that the site was legitimate or possibly just out to straight up steal money from customers giving absolutely nothing in return. It disappeared quickly so we don't have any definite for sure facts.

It's an eye-opener to open alibaba and search the phrase metal detector along with a manufacturer like Minelab, Garrett, Fisher, etc.

I didn't see the Equinox, but they are faking a lot of detectors including high end pulse units as well as Minelab's CTX 3030. The number of T2, Ace and various Garrett PPs is mind boggling.

Just because there are no verified Nox fakes out there yet that we know of, seeing a new Chinese site advertise the Nox for well below MAP is a big red flag that something's not kosher.

thank you marcomo_

yes I do know about the 'counterfeit' issues THAT is why I wanted clarification regarding the Nox600 counterfeits

as for the dodgy website, I really do not care about however the fact that the mention of counterfeit Equinox 600's
possibly hitting the market could be detrimental to Minelab themselves, hence the clarification on whether the website
was indeed selling fakes

thank you again for the head-ups and it was great to answer the question heading up your title

"Counterfeit Equinox 600's" = not at the moment

[www.earthscan.co.nz]

Fake trash vs. Illicit copies.

There have been a lot of both.

First Texas has suffered rip-offs of their system software on Gold Bug and T2 detectors - and the software incorporated in nearly exact copies of said machines.

Garrett machines have likewise been “cloned” in China.

Minelab suffered a bunch of knock-off look-alike GPX 4500’s but they were apparently of the “fake trash” type. More recently rumors of actual GPX 4500 clones have surfaced and very recently online evidence that exact clones of the XTerra detector have been produced.

It’s a big problem and the lax enforcement of intellectual property laws in China don’t help matters - to say the least.

I suspect however that the Nox’s system software is probably better protected and I rate it as unlikely that actual clones exist.

One question however - if they do exist, do they leak as often at the genuine article???

Rick Kempf
Gold Canyon AZ- where there is no gold

ask Whites -

they would be in a better position to ask that question to

I suppose however to safeguard yourself from leaky waterproof units, simply don't
design and manufacture them and it appears this is the option some of the older
manufacturers have chosen -

one question that should be asked and discussed is, how is it possible for Turkey to
manufacture high quality technically advanced products and keep the costs down
without having to run off to China?

if you compared what you get from the US manufacturers for around $350, NOTHING
comes close to the features and specifications of the Simplex - It appears to me and I suppose
many others that the previous big players in the industry are being left behind by a country
that can design & manufacture new & exciting products regularly -

as for your repeated digs at the Nox, all I can say is that the issue you highlight does not
compare to this issues Whites had with the MXS or FT with the leaky 11" DD's - As proven by
some of the greatest manufacturers, you can experience problems however it is how well the
manufacturer handles those problems is the key -

[www.earthscan.co.nz]