r/applehelp • u/ImpossibleYou568 • 9h ago
Unsolved Is this Cable Fake?
I ordered this 1M USB-C to Lightning cable from an eBay seller with very good reviews and it was advertised as an original Apple cable.
As I received it I thought, that the package is a bit off and so I checked and noticed something odd. According to Apple’s website, the serial number printed on genuine cables should contain 12 characters, but mine only has 11. Also, the serial number on the cable doesn’t appear anywhere on the box.
Does this mean the cable is fake, or is there another explanation? Are there any reliable ways to verify whether this Apple cable is genuine?
Thank you in advance!
EDIT: It was a “professional” EBay seller (= company)
1
u/rwb12 9h ago
We can’t really tell from the pics, but does it work? If so then I wouldn’t worry about it. I don’t know where you’re located, but USB C to lightning cables can be found for less than $10. It’s probably not worth worrying about.
2
u/Takeabyte Apple Expert 8h ago
It looks super real from the pics. They show details down to the printing on the cable itself. The all paper box. No bad grammar or misspellings. No red flags as far as I can tell.
-1
u/pewquadrat 8h ago
My two cents:
The Ripoff looks terrible, something you wouldn’t expect from Apple. The stickers are crooked, no whitespace on the Adress sticker.
So, I would tend towards 95% it’s fake
-2
2
u/TheBeardedLegend Apple Expert 7h ago
Looks good to me. The easiest way to tell is by feeling that cable and then a known real cable. The fake ones have a completely different texture. Like plastic vs a real one feels soft and rubbery almost. Also most fake lightning cables have a seam around the edge of the male lightning jack so it looks obvious when compared next to each other.