Have I been scammed? 45W Magsafe 2 power adapter Apple

[marosa32]

Hello! I bought this MagSafe 2 power adapter and I don't know if it's a replica or original, since I thought the package came with the extension cord but it doesn't and then on one of the legs where it allows you to fold the cable to store it there was this symbol. When I connect it to the computer it comes out like this recognized in "system information". In case someone can help me or know about it please help me. Thanks. Best regards.

The information that appears in "system information"

 

[chrfr]

That sticker under the leg is an absolute tell that this is a counterfeit adapter. I would immediately stop using it and return it if possible.

 

[smirking]

That sticker under the leg is an absolute tell that this is a counterfeit adapter. I would immediately stop using it and return it if possible.

Also that there's a leg might be a red flag. I haven't seen an Apple power adapter that had the coil-up legs in almost a decade, but I'm only familiar with their North American products.

Another tell is the labeling on the bottom of the adapter. I can't recall Apple ever printing anything on their devices in such a high contrast way. I need a flashlight and a magnifying glass if I ever want to read stuff labeled onto my Apple devices.

However, I don't think the extension cord comes with the adapters. They stopped doing that years ago too, which kinda sucks because I think the power bricks are nicer with an extension.

 

[chrfr]

Also that there's a leg might be a red flag. I haven't seen an Apple power adapter that had the coil-up legs in almost a decade, but I'm only familiar with their North American products.

That's standard for the old Magsafe 1 and 2 power adapters like the one here.

 

[smirking]

That's standard for the old Magsafe 1 and 2 power adapters like the one here.

I don't think that's true for Magsafe 2... at least not in North America. None of mine as of the USB-C days had those legs.

magsafe adapter - Apple

Apple Store Search Results

www.apple.com

 

[chrfr]

I don't think that's true for Magsafe 2... at least not in North America. None of mine as of the USB-C days had those legs.

magsafe adapter - Apple

Apple Store Search Results

www.apple.com

Magsafe 2 had the integrated cable and definitely had the legs. Presumably because the USB-C adapters all have removable cables, those have never had the ability to wrap the cable.

 

[smirking]

Magsafe 2 had the integrated cable and definitely had the legs. Presumably because the USB-C adapters all have removable cables, those have never had the ability to wrap the cable.

Oh, you're right. I have Magsafe 2 and 3 mixed up. I thought Magsafe 2 was the USB-C Magsafe.

 

[hardwickj]

Did you buy it somewhere in Central/South America? Because if you did, the majority of such things are in fact counterfeit. If it's cheaper than what the equivalent would be in the USA, then it's almost certainly counterfeit. Most legit Apple products down here will be noticeably more expensive than in the USA. Take for example this 60w charger I bought 3 weeks ago in Medellin. "Mede in China" 😂

 

[chrfr]

"Mede in China" 😂

Equally bad, it's designed in "Californla..." with a lower case L.

 

[MacGizmo]

This is anecdotal, but here goes: Why would anyone try to save just a few dollars on the charging cable that connects to their thousand(s) of dollars device is beyond me. LOL!

 

[hardwickj]

Equally bad, it's designed in "Californla..." with a lower case L.

I totally missed that! It's unfortunate that legit Apple products have anywhere from a 50%-200% markup here in Colombia over what they'd cost stateside.

Sounds crazy but I've been unable to find a store ANYWHERE here that sells USB-C 3.x cables. Every cable I can find is USB 2.0 speeds. The people working at these stores aren't even aware of the difference. The best store I could find swore up and down that their 240w Apple USB-C cables were what I wanted. I showed them directly on the box that it stated USB 2.0 data speeds, and they were dumbfounded.

I spent an hour the other day bouncing between several stores and the best I could find was a store that had a single 3' Apple Thunderbolt 4 cable for nearly $100 USD. Hard pass.

You'll have much better luck and save tons of time just ordering directly from Amazon. There are plenty of items/vendors on Amazon that will ship to Central/South America for no additional shipping charge, it'll just take 7-10 days to arrive and you'll have to eat the customs fees for your country. That will still likely be less than if you were to buy it in-country AND you know for a fact what you'll be getting.

 

[hardwickj]

This is anecdotal, but here goes: Why would anyone try to save just a few dollars on the charging cable that connects to their thousand(s) of dollars device is beyond me. LOL!

I think you missed the point. He wasn't necessarily trying to save a few dollars. The item sold to him was simply counterfeit and he wasn't aware until he opened it. This is extremely common in many countries, where legitimate Apple products can actually be very difficult to come by, let alone more expensive. Therefore many vendors fill that gap by selling counterfeit.

For reference, I've spent 6+ years nomadic and have seen this all over the world.

 

[MacGizmo]

I think you missed the point. He wasn't necessarily trying to save a few dollars. The item sold to him was simply counterfeit and he wasn't aware until he opened it. This is extremely common in many countries, where legitimate Apple products can actually be very difficult to come by, let alone more expensive. Therefore many vendors fill that gap by selling counterfeit.

For reference, I've spent 6+ years nomadic and have seen this all over the world.

I understand what you/he were saying... I've just never, ever, EVER heard of a single person receiving a counterfeit Apple product when purchased directly from Apple.

 

[hardwickj]

I understand what you/he were saying... I've just never, ever, EVER heard of a single person receiving a counterfeit Apple product when purchased directly from Apple.

Yea, but therein lies the problem in most Central/South American countries. You simply can't purchase directly from Apple, or at best its very difficult to. The only countries Apple has an official presence in Central/South America are Mexico and Brazil, and an online-only store in Chile.

In most cases, you literally have no option but to buy from a 3rd party.

 

[MacGizmo]

Yea, but therein lies the problem in most Central/South American countries. You simply can't purchase directly from Apple, or at best its very difficult to. The only countries Apple has an official presence in Central/South America are Mexico and Brazil, and an online-only store in Chile.

In most cases, you literally have no option but to buy from a 3rd party.

Well that sucks. I would think at the very least one could buy from the Apple Store on Amazon, if not Apple's own website.

 

[hardwickj]

Well that sucks. I would think at the very least one could buy from the Apple Store on Amazon, if not Apple's own website.

Most vendors on Amazon do not support shipping to South American countries. In the off-chance that they do, electronics specifically are usually charged hefty customs fees (depending on the country).

For example, I recently wanted to buy a 2nd GL.iNet travel router for my office at a WeWork in Medellin to act as a wireguard VPN proxy back into the USA for all my devices. It was actually just on sale for $75 AND the seller offered free shipping to Colombia. Unfortunately, Amazon also had to charge an additional ~$100 for Colombia customs fees. Yes, you read that right. The customs fees were more than the cost of the device!

I'm not sure how all the knock-offs avoid those fees, but I'm assuming they must otherwise they wouldn't be as cheap as they usually are down here.

 

[MacGizmo]

Most vendors on Amazon do not support shipping to South American countries. In the off-chance that they do, electronics specifically are usually charged hefty customs fees (depending on the country)...

I wonder why that is? The knock-offs are mostly coming from China, so it's obviously not Apple or the governments "punishing" tech-sellers. I wonder if it's just a "tech tax" in general.