Metro
Street vendors do not hesitate to sell their products.
Helayne Seidman
Canal Street’s street vendors are turning to high technology.
Counterfeit kings are flooding Chinatown and the Lower East Side with counterfeit Apple products, including the wireless AirPods Pro and AirPods Max, selling gadgets for $40 that, if real, would cost as much as $550.
On a recent Wednesday afternoon, The Post saw about 30 “Apple” sellers along Canal Street — and concerned neighbors say the problem is growing.
“Their numbers have increased significantly over the past month. On a weekend day, there are maybe three to four dozen Canal Streeters in operation between Lafayette Street and Mott Street. . . . You can’t miss them,” fumed Chinatown activist Karlin Chan.
“Chinatown is a vibrant neighborhood that we locals would like to be known for its food and culture, not as a destination for counterfeit products that reinforce a negative stereotype,” Chan said.
A Post reporter, with Chan’s help, purchased “AirPods Max and Pro” from two retailers on Mulberry Street and Canal.
The box for the Max helmet was unsealed and was smaller than the real McCoy.
Some instructions had grammatical errors.
The device was made of plastic instead of aluminum.
The peddler started at $150 but was quickly haggled down to $40.
The second seller wanted $100 for the “AirPods Pro,” but settled for $50.
The outer packaging and instructions looked legit, but the internal packaging was plastic, which Apple doesn’t use.
As for the earbuds, the earpads weren’t removable like Apple’s and the device used an outdated Lightning connector.
Street vendors – West African migrants who speak little English – carry plastic bags filled with white “Apple” boxes and when pedestrians approach, hawkers collect the boxes from the bags and flash the products in the faces of unsuspecting walkers .
“Come with me!” insist the sellers.
Most use the “translate text” iPhone app to answer questions.
Street vendors rush towards vehicles stopped in traffic.
One said he “needs money to eat.”
At the mere sight of a cop, peddlers shout “Police!” and disperse until the coast is clear to return.
“It’s gotten out of control. Along with the hundred or so Chinese dealers selling fake luxury goods, the sidewalks are impossible to navigate, especially since they all like to work on corners, which creates a safety risk,” Chan said.
He added: “It also hurts our traders who pay high rents and taxes. »
Traders agreed, saying it hurt their bottom lines.
“It’s not good and it’s illegal. They sell on the street. They’re taking away our customers,” complained Mohammad Khan, 25, whose brother runs the Chinatown Center gift shop on Canal Street.
German tourists Mark Hochtrigt, 53, and his daughter Charlotte, 23, were not enticed by the street vendors.
“It’s not original, it’s false,” said the father, a doctor. “When you go home, you try it and you test it and it won’t work,” he predicted.
Messages to Apple headquarters were not returned.
“These are counterfeits,” said Dan Harris, a Seattle-based lawyer who helps companies resolve global intellectual property issues and runs the China Law Blog.
He reviewed photos of the post-purchased products.
“No one sells AirPod Pros for $50 unless they were stolen,” he said. “I doubt these are real Apple products being sold illegally, as I haven’t heard of them. And I’m pretty sure Apple has very good security,” he said. “Now maybe someone walks away with an Apple product and sells it through the side door, but not in quantity. »
Harris said that “believe it or not, the best way” to determine a fake is to look at the packaging and instructions and look for those inconsistencies.
He said Apple has its own “highly trained counterfeiting team and they will make sure this stops.” It’s not good for business.
Joseph Giacalone, a retired NYPD sergeant and adjunct professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, said selling counterfeits is not a victimless crime.
“If you think a company like Apple isn’t going to pass an expense on to consumers who actually paid for the real McCoy, you’re wrong,” he said. “This kind of behavior steals from everyone.”
Nearly $290,000 worth of counterfeit AirPods and Apple Watches shipped from China to Washington Dulles International Airport were seized by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers in March 2023.
The NYPD said it “is aware of the sale of counterfeit Apple products along Canal Street and continues to take action to address this situation.”
Load more…
{{#isDisplay}}
{{/isDisplay}}{{#isAniviewVideo}}
{{/isAniviewVideo}}{{#isSRVideo}}
{{/isSRVideo}}