Here are some quick tips on how you can shield yourself and your loved ones against fake BIDI^® Sticks!

Fake goods and products are now a part of the minefield that consumers have to navigate through, leading consumers to purchase goods that may not live up to the brand’s quality or manufacturer’s standards. Although prevalent in the market today, you can easily spot counterfeit goods if you are aware and well-informed. 

If you are shopping for a particular product, it helps if you know some basic information about that product, including its packaging, retail price, and other pertinent details about it.

Companies and brands often take steps to keep consumers from falling victim to illegal retailers and imitation items. For instance, brands often embed anti-counterfeiting indicators in their packaging. They could be as simple as a redesign to an elaborately designed packaging with embedded technology. 

Here are a few ways to avoid fake goods:

• Buy from authorized retailers. Make sure you do a little bit of investigating on the retailer’s identity. Check if they are licensed or official retailers, endorsed by the brand of the product that you wish to purchase. 
• Observe how stores do business. Official retailers are polite, confident, and knowledgeable about the product. They demonstrate good customer service and can promptly offer suggestions that suit your needs or preferences.
• Review websites. In the case of websites, unauthorized retailers will often have websites that look like they were put together in a hurry. Check the overall appearance and content of the site. If there are too many grammatical errors, distorted images of logos, your gut feel tells you something is not right. It is an indication of dubious integrity. Perhaps you should take your business somewhere else.  

You could say the same for brick and mortar situations; you wouldn’t go into a dimly lit shady store, would you?  

The Importance of Customer Reviews and Testimonials

A quick way to see if they are who they claim to be is to read and check customer reviews or testimonials. Researching previous transactions would give you a good sense of any retailer’s legitimacy. 

Today, you can type in any subject, topic, or product on the web. You will find legitimate retailers mentioned in communities or group discussions about topics of mutual interest.

Participating in the discussion of these groups or communities can tell you about a specific retailer. Online forums and groups are always good sources of information because most answers come from real-life experiences from fellow consumers. 

You can also look for information on the web to cross-reference the descriptions that they post on their pages to determine if the product you are interested in is authentic. 

Inspect the Product Closely

If you are the tactile type, ask the sales representative to see the product and hold it in your hands before purchasing it. Carefully inspecting the item for discrepancies will help you judge whether the item is a fake or not. Ask questions from the retailer as you inspect it.

Before you go and visit a physical store, equip yourself with pieces of information about the product you wish to buy including the price points.  

Thorough research of the product will help you discern the genuine ones from the doubtful ones. So be careful about clicking that “buy now” button.

BIDI^® Vapor’s Effort to Stop Counterfeiters

BIDI^® Vapor realizes the genuine threat of fake BIDI^® Sticks proliferating in the market. Along with advisories to the public, the company has launched an anti-catfish initiative to safeguard consumers from counterfeit BIDI^® Sticks. 

BIDI^® Vapor also encourages everyone to buy only from authorized retailers to ensure the safety and satisfaction of their purchase. Currently, there are only two authorized retailers, www.bidivapor.com and www.gopuff.com.

If you or anyone you know have fallen victim to fake BIDI^® Sticks or know of any unauthorized retailers, please report them immediately. To learn more about fake BIDI^® Sticks and how to further authenticate your purchase, you can check www.bidivapor.com/authenticate today!