15 Ways to Spot Fake Colored Pencils on Amazon (Checklist)

Categories: Art Supplies, Tutorials & Guides

A checklist of 15 ways to help you spot fake colored pencils.

As a coloring community, we purchase colored pencils, coloring books, and accessories for enjoying our hobby, creating beautiful art, and much more. When making those purchases on Amazon or other online retailers, we usually don’t stop and think about whether we are buying a fake or counterfeit product, which happens much more than you might think.

I want to share how to spot fake coloring supplies and recognize shady third-party retailers. Shop smart, stay safe, enjoy, and share the wonderful world of adult coloring. I use the following checklist when evaluating the coloring supplies and sellers.

How to Spot Fake Colored Pencils
Table of Contents

Check Signs of Shady Dealings
Check Out the Retailer
Inspect Your Delivery
- Colored Pencil Delivery Example
Other Article Resources to Consider

Other resources. Check out other supporting resources on ColoringButterfly.com that you might enjoy.

Check Signs of Fake Product

We continually buy pencils, sharpeners, coloring books, and more for adult coloring. I want to share how to spot fake colored pencils and recognize shady third-party retailers. Shop smart, stay safe, enjoy, and share the wonderful world of adult coloring. The following is the checklist I use when evaluating the coloring products and seller

The Price Is Too Good to Be True

If the product price is a fraction of the price of other online listings, it is most likely a fake/counterfeit, even if it appears identical. Imposters will use inferior materials to create “cheap ” replicas to make, produce, and market. Does this mean that all great prices represent fake products? For example, if online sellers sell a brand of pencils for about $150 and one seller sells the same brand for $50. It is a good sign that the $50 is probably counterfeit. Even a small discount could be a red flag since more and more counterfeits are charging almost as much as the real thing to trick customers. [TOC]

Check the Company Website

Check out the company website that is provided. If you are shopping online, you can quickly check the authenticity of websites. If the website is questionable, you could have fake colored pencils. The URL should begin with ‘HTTPS’ rather than ‘HTTP’ and the lock sign. You can verify the site’s authenticity by pasting the website address on www.scamadviser.com and http://whois.domaintools.com/, which lets you know whether it’s a reliable site.[TOC]

Notice Overused Words on the Website

Look for overused words like “authentic” should be a red flag. If you see the words like “authentic” repeated repeatedly, it might mean it is counterfeit/fake colored pencils. [TOC]

Check Where the Product is Made

Check where the product is made. If the product is stamped “Made in China,” or there is no identification of where the product was manufactured, you probably have fake colored pencils. [TOC]

Purchase from Trusted Seller

Purchase from a trusted brand or retailer online. Purchasing from a trusted brand or authorized retailer helps guarantee that the product is legitimate. Check where the product is shipped from. If the product is shipping from an unknown place or warehouse vs. a retailer, think twice before you buy. [TOC]

Check Online Images

Carefully inspect the online images and descriptions online. Companies/brands take great pride in their products. The website/product listing can indicate that the seller/product is fake colored pencil. Consider the following

The product description has misspellings and grammatical errors
The product has low-quality images
The product is missing important labels
For example, The product shows “Made in China” when it should be made in “England.”
The product images are distorted or out of date
The product is missing a warranty
Age recommendations are listed differently throughout the website

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Find the Company Address

Look for the company address. If there is a physical address listed for the company, use Google maps to see if you can see what the company building looks like. The return policy is the best place to look for the company address, which might show a mailing address. Once you have the address, could you copy and paste it into Google maps? If the building looks abandoned warehouse, in a run-down strip mall or even in a residential home, it could be a red flag you are not working with a shady company that sells fake colored pencils. [TOC]

Be Careful of Products Shipped from China

Be wary of a product that is shipped from China. Eighty percent (80%) of fakes originate from China/Hong Kong.

Be Careful of Companies on Social Media

Be wary of small companies that advertise on social media sites. It is not uncommon for consumers to experience fraud from a small company that advertises on social media. [TOC]

Be Careful of Prolonged Shipping Times

Be wary of more prolonged than usual shipping times. If you have a third-party seller telling you that it will take 3-4 weeks to get your product, it will most likely be shipped from China, which could signify that the product is poor quality or has fake colored pencils.

Be Careful of Redirects for Purchases

You are being directed to another website for purchase. If you are being directed to another website to purchase the product, or the seller will contact you before the purchase, this is a huge red flag that this is a shady seller. [TOC]

Review the Company Website for Product

Check out the product on the company website first. Before you buy online, go to the company’s website, look at the photographers of the colored pencils, read the promotion description, and more. You should see similar photographs, descriptions, and so forth when you go online. If it’s different, it could be fake colored pencils. [TOC]

Review the Product Warranty

Check the warranty online. A legitimate product will typically come with wording like “Satisfaction Guaranteed.” Warranties help give the consumer trust in the product and brand. Read the warranty carefully. [TOC]

Scan the Customer Reviews

Look closely at the reviews. You may see reviews that vary wildly for the same product, which could be due to quality issues, durability, customer experiences, etc. [TOC]

Check Out the Retailer

Carefully check out the retailer. When shopping online, you can access third-party sellers. For example:

You can select the seller’s name on Amazon under “Buy Now.”
You can click the seller’s name on eBay under “Seller Information.”
A product sold by a third party at Walmart has the seller’s name listed next to “Sold and shipped by.” [TOC]

Consider the following:

Check Seller Information

Click on the seller’s information. You should be able to learn what other items the seller sells, where the business is located, and feedback on the products. Think twice about buying from a seller that sells an assortment of products (e.g., colored pencils, socks, exercise bikes, hamster wheels). It is a sign they are just moving whatever cheap products they think people will buy. [TOC]

Check Seller Responses

See how the seller responds to customer questions/inquiries. Contact the seller with questions. If you don’t get a response, it is probably a good sign that this seller is not the one you want to buy from. [TOC]

Are They an Authorized Dealer

Confirm the seller is on the authorized list. All Amazon sellers must follow the Amazon code of conduct and selling. Most brands will have an authorized sales list and a store locator to find where you can find the brand’s products near you. [TOC]

Review Seller Feedback

Read the seller’s feedback. Review what other consumers say about the seller before purchasing from them. If the seller is below 90% positive in the past 30 days, they find another seller for the item they want to purchase.

Here is how you can find the seller’s recent history with customers on Amazon: On the product page, find the buyer box on the right-hand side of your screen. Next, look at a line that says “sold by” along with the retailer’s name, which should be in a spot above where you would add the item to your cart. Click that, and you’ll find all the feedback you’re looking for. [TOC]

Make Your Purchase Decision

Evaluate your research. If you have any reason to be concerned about a seller, don’t waste your time. Buy from someone else. [TOC]

Inspect Your Delivery

I now have a habit/routine I follow with I first open the shipping box/package with my new coloring pencil order. I have written a series of articles to share what I learned and how I approach online shopping for coloring supplies today. As you receive the delivery, consider the following. Go to the company’s website to familiarize yourself with how the product looks and is described. Your package should look and read the same. [TOC]

Colored Pencil Delivery Example

I want to share an example of how to inspect products when they arrive. You just received your new colored pencils. Now what? Do the following when inspecting the delivery.

Shipping Package/Shipping Box
- Insect the packing and seal of the package.
- Make sure Is the package adequately sealed.
- Make sure the box is not smashed.
- Make sure the boxing take has not been cut or opened.
- See if the product is shabbily packed or doesn’t fit properly in the box.

Colored Pencil Container (e.g., tin, wood, cardboard, plastic container)
- Make sure the colored pencil box has not been bent or opened.
- Has the product packaging seal been broken or tampered with?
- Look for where the product is made. If you find colored pencils are “Made in China” or have no identification of where they are made, they may be fake.
- Does the printing design and font (writing) differ from the images you see online?

Inside the Pencil Tin/Container/Box
- Make sure the colored pencils have not been used.
- Look for decolorization of products.
- Check the fonts for printing on the pencils. Do they differ from those used in online pictures?
- Look for misspellings and grammatical errors.
- Look for incorrect or missing logos (compare the logo to the company website logo).
- Missing standard safety symbols.
- Packing is substandard material like cheap plastic or sagging cardboard.
- The manufacturer’s physical address, e-mail, phone number or contact details are not listed on the product or package.

Review Brochures, Manuals, and Other Inserts
- Check the instruction manual for spelling and grammatical errors.
- Look for where the product is made. If you find colored pencils are “Made in China” or have no identification of where they are made, they may be fake.

Review Colored Pencils
- Check the quality of the craftsmanship (e.g., paint, decals, printing, subpar packaging, poorly made)
- Does the picture of the product outside match the product inside?
- Check model numbers
- Look for where the product is made. If you find colored pencils are “Made in China” or have no identification of where they are made, they may be fake. [TOC]

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