Hey Nikonians, just got my new EN-EL3e battery from ebay seller noble_rose and, yup, it's counterfeit.

Should have known better. I always check feedback forums and I forgot and then realized what I'd done. Contacted the seller to express concerns and they never replied. Got my package today and was disappointed to find my fear realized.

Just sent an email. Will be interested in the response, if any. Good news? I'm only out $26 but used PayPal so I should be able to get it back. My first test of their buyer protection plan in 12 years of using ebay.

Beware!

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Hi:
Sorry about your problem.
There are lots of counterfit Nikon batteries online. Check this (http://support.nikonusa.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/8119/~/counterfeit-and-non-nikon-rechargeable-batteries.) from Nikon which realizes the problem as well.
I would report fraud to PayPal.


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If they actually stated that it was a Nikon brand battery then yes you can report it to ebay and Paypal, but if they only said it is a EN-EL3e Battery then there is not much you can do about it since there are tons of people selling gray market batteries and of course they need to sell it by its name eg: EN-EL3e otherwise how would you know which battery will go in which camera.

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How did you know it was counterfeit?

Thanks,

Beck

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Point - Simply because it is NOT a Nikon brand item does not necessarily mean it is a counterfiet. A counterfiet would be one that is labeled to make it look like a Nikon item, but on closer scrutiny, is not.

Alan
Waterloo, IL, USA
www.proimagingmidamerica.com

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That's bad luck buying one thing and getting not what was expected. I don't know about the US, but it appears that OEM Nikon batteries are available at reputable dealers at better prices than claimed OEM Nikon batteries are on e-bay. For example today on Amazon UK they are £32 (approx $48) with free P&P, whereas on e-bay "buy now" the cheapest claimed OEM is about £30, but most appear to be grey imports. I've noticed no end of e-bay sales at higher prices than UK web prices and even retail outlets.

I bought a D90 second hand about 3 years ago and it came with a Hama equivilent. I got rid of my D90, but still use that battery in my D700 and it still charges and lasts as long as my OEM batteries! It even displays charge life on the Nikon menu as my OEM batteries do

Richard

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Be Aware - when I first got my Nikon d700, I bought extra battery from ebay which was a counterfeit and ended up damaging the camera. Fortunately for me our local store took it back as warranty return and exchanged it for brand new camera. Since then I always buy accessories, specailly the elctrical/electronic accessories from Nikon authorized stores only.

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Yes, I do and everything I have is Nikon except that one battery and a Sigma lens.

Interestingly, I subscribe to NPhoto, the dedicated Nikon user magazine and they regularly recommend 3rd Party accessories, e.g. D7000 Hahnel grips and the extra power batteries, GPS, remote triggers and a host of other non OEM products! I actually find that quite strange and am surprised Nikon haven't commented, but in fairness all photo mags do too.

Masses of Nikon users don't seem to mind connecting a third party lens to Nikon cameras and that's got electrical connections and electronic components!

I'm sure this whole issue deserves a forum post on it's own.

Richard

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Clarification. This ebay seller stated it was a Genuine Nikon EN-EL3e battery. He posted a photo of a genuine box and included a photo of a genuine Nikon battery. When it arrived I noticed right away it looked a little different. The color was off compared to my other two genuine batteries. On the back they did a very good job disguising it but when I went to

http://support.nikonusa.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/8119/~/counterfeit-and-non-nikon-rechargeable-batteries.#1 and saw Counterfeit product sample #1 and found: (actual photos at this site but not showing here)


Differences between the two items:

Original Nikon battery on the right. Font for the Nikon logo is more bold on the authentic Nikon product.
"Made In China" noted as the country of manufacture.
Highlighting of the noted country of manufacture. (Font is more bold on counterfeit battery.)
Holographic seal dimensions differ, and the counterfeit seal does not have 4 notches cut into the sides.

Counterfeit product sample #2:


Differences between the two items:

Original Nikon battery on the right. Font for the Nikon logo differs. Authentic Nikon battery has a more bold font.
Highlighting of the note regarding 'recycling' differs, centering ,print type, and spacing different.
Holographic seal dimensions differ, and the counterfeit seal does not have 4 notches.
NOTE: Some original Nikon EN-EL3e batteries have cautions written in Chinese, rather than Japanese, on the back (terminal side), as shown.

The color, finish and holograph are the giveaways.

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This problem is also compounded since Nikon OEM batteries are usually not available after a new camera is launched. Take EN-EL15 for example. This battery is used in D7000, and the new D800/E DSLRs. I cannot find it in any online store in USA for a reasonable price (usually $65).

All the usually reliable stores (B&H, Adorama, J&R, Amazon, etc) are out of stock for a long time.

I can see that there are some ebay resellers that claim to have Genuine Nikon OEM batteries but after reading your post, I think I will wait for some of the above stores to get them in-stock.

Thanks for helping me.

Pravin.