Beats: Safe buying

Beats premium products attract consumers from around the world. Unfortunately, like other luxury brands, they also attract counterfeiters.

Getting the real deal

Counterfeit Beats products are cheaply made and don’t provide the same listening experience that makes Beats stand out from other audio electronics. To make sure you buy Beats, not cheats, shop with one of Beats’ Authorised Retailers.

Spotting fakes

Protect your investment and don’t waste your money. Fake Beats products aren’t protected by our warranty and often break soon after purchase.

Here’s how to spot fakes:

  • The price is too good to be true: that’s because it is. Genuine Beats products are made with high-quality materials and designed to deliver a one-of-a-kind listening experience.

  • The retailer offers low pricing if you buy more than one: authorised Beats retailers will never offer discounts on multiple purchases.

  • The plastic packaging on the exterior is loose or unprofessional looking: if you get Beats products in unprofessional packaging, they’re fake.

  • No box, manual or warranty documentation: Auction sites offering products with no box, manual or warranty documentation are counterfeit.

  • Suspicious packaging: Cheap, faded, damaged packaging or labelling, strange markings or misspelled words are all sure signs of counterfeits.

What to do if you buy fakes

If you’re suspicious that your Beats product is not genuine, there are steps that you can take to get help.

  • Contact the seller and try to return the Beats for a full refund (don’t give any more personal info to the seller though).

  • Call your credit card company or bank and ask for an immediate chargeback or a reversal of charges.

  • Report the counterfeit seller if you bought the item through a platform or payment service like eBay or PayPal.

  • Monitor your credit card for suspicious activity in the future. Many of these counterfeiters are phishing websites looking to steal personal information.

  • Report counterfeit products to the FBI using their Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) reporting form.

  • If shipped via US Mail, you can also report the seller/sender to the US Postal Inspectors using their reporting tool.

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