Are knockoff high-end Fostex headphones a thing?

[U2Edge]

Peeps,

My spidey senses are starting to tingle. I just noticed multiple sellers on E-bay -- both from Garfield, New Jersey -- selling MULTIPLE new / sealed Fostex TH-900 cans. One of the sellers has almost 100 feedback at 100%. The other only has 18, but 100%.

I bought a pair of Onyx Black from the former. Received it a day or two ago and it looks legit (at least from the outer shipping box). I know there's a lot more to a pair of headphones than an outer shipping box, but... part of me wants to keep it as pristine as possible until I sell my Sapphire blue MK2s (which are listed).

Maybe it's because I just discovered how there are loads of Shure SM7B knockoffs that have flooded the market that I'm somewhat paranoid, but...

EDIT: I just noticed that both users' Onyx listing had the exact same listing title. That could be a result of YouTube generating it based on UPC code/#... or the latter person just copying and pasting another listing's title, but... that also seems a bit sus.

Any thoughts?

 

[minwyn]

open it up, listen to it, and let us know! if i didn't already have one i would've purchased it

 

[bagwell359]

Peeps,

My spidey senses are starting to tingle. I just noticed multiple sellers on E-bay -- both from Garfield, New Jersey -- selling MULTIPLE new / sealed Fostex TH-900 cans. One of the sellers has almost 100 feedback at 100%. The other only has 18, but 100%.

I bought a pair of Onyx Black from the former. Received it a day or two ago and it looks legit (at least from the outer shipping box). I know there's a lot more to a pair of headphones than an outer shipping box, but... part of me wants to keep it as pristine as possible until I sell my Sapphire blue MK2s (which are listed).

Maybe it's because I just discovered how there are loads of Shure SM7B knockoffs that have flooded the market that I'm somewhat paranoid, but...

EDIT: I just noticed that both users' Onyx listing had the exact same listing title. That could be a result of YouTube generating it based on UPC code/#... or the latter person just copying and pasting another listing's title, but... that also seems a bit sus.

Any thoughts?

~5 minute video showing examples in case you want to see the sellers' info and/or hear my sexy voice (LOL) now that I'm using a legit Shure MV7+ mic.

VIDEO: https://app.screencast.com/WosLH4vxk2hCx

the one w/ 18 followers - do a closeup of the left headband for the serial #. Seems odd to me. No box pictured either. Reviews on both good except for the negative one on the 43 reviews.

 

[dunring]

Contacting Fostex with photos like some in a Google photos gallery where you share the link to just send them that in an email. They would know where on the driver there would be a marking or serial number stamped or etched. Most high end ones have some identifying number when you take the pads off. If you have a digital scale, weighing them is a good way to check, see if they weigh the same as the factory spec. On Aliexpress or Wish you can find copies of Denon, Beyerdynamic, etc. Those like the Beyerdynamic all have the same serial number on every box.

 

[U2Edge]

the one w/ 18 followers - do a closeup of the left headband for the serial #. Seems odd to me. No box pictured either. Reviews on both good except for the negative one on the 43 reviews.

Luckily I didn't buy from that one. The outer shipping box has a serial on it... but I can't see a place to verify it against their database to see if it's legit. Even if it is a legit number, that doesn't make it UNIQUE. In fact, I fell for fake Jabra earbuds before... they just copy a serial number from a legit pair... and then mass print labels with that serial. Luckily, I was able to get a refund from the Ebay seller and he claimed it's what he got from his distributor (yeah, a distributor of fake goods).

 

[minwyn]

i didn't know seller can send offers without buyer initiating first

 

[U2Edge]

i didn't know seller can send offers without buyer initiating first

If you’re watching an item, they can. I think I have even seen that after viewing an item.

 

[U2Edge]

I opened the outer factory shipping box. The inner factory box looks and feels legit based on my other TH-900 cans. It had a serial number of 26 on the inner box which matched what was on the headband (not that they couldn't have just mass produced a fake "0026" -- or even changed that. But the font on the serial on the headband looks comparable to my other TH900s. The feel of the leatherette pouch was the same as my others. It had the Fostex "paperwork" (which, yes, could be faked, but). The headphone cable had the same blue protective "film"/plastic over the plugin that my other TH-900s have. The weight was VERY comparable to what my reds were -- within a tenth of an ounce -- and my reds have X00 pads instead of MK2 pads (which could explain the difference).

I think we're good.

 

[Scarz]

I opened the outer factory shipping box. The inner factory box looks and feels legit based on my other TH-900 cans. It had a serial number of 26 on the inner box which matched what was on the headband (not that they couldn't have just mass produced a fake "0026" -- or even changed that. But the font on the serial on the headband looks comparable to my other TH900s. The feel of the leatherette pouch was the same as my others. It had the Fostex "paperwork" (which, yes, could be faked, but). The headphone cable had the same blue protective "film"/plastic over the plugin that my other TH-900s have. The weight was VERY comparable to what my reds were -- within a tenth of an ounce -- and my reds have X00 pads instead of MK2 pads (which could explain the difference).

I think we're good.

That looks exactly like a TH900 box. Can you send me a PM with the seller? I can check if its an authorized dealer. Was the package shipped from Garfield, or another town in NJ?

 

[U2Edge]

That looks exactly like a TH900 box. Can you send me a PM with the seller? I can check if its an authorized dealer. Was the package shipped from Garfield, or another town in NJ?

It was some random EBay seller. They had 100 feedback at 100%.

The UPS package originated from a Lyndhurst, NJ location.

Everything from the leatherette pouch to the paperwork to the blue protective film around the cable looked and felt legit.

 

[Scarz]

It was some random EBay seller. They had 100 feedback at 100%.

The UPS package originated from a Lyndhurst, NJ location.

Everything from the leatherette pouch to the paperwork to the blue protective film around the cable looked and felt legit.

That sounds good to me! I was concerned because I have seen a few fake listings in my time.
The funniest one was someone selling the Fostex TH1000 for half the price. The catch was that they were selling a book titled "Fostex TH1000", it even had a registered ISBN. Cover of the book was white background and the headphone so they could just say the picture in the listing was actually the cover of the book.