Fake PS3 Controller

I have placed an order from Amazon of an official PS3 controller that arrived this week. The seller I purchased from was selling the controller for a reasonable price and claims that the controller is an official product. I paid $45.00 and the standard shipping for their definition is air mail that I had to wait for about two weeks. I did have doubts that the price compared to what retail stores are selling for is too good to be true. When my controller finally arrived to me, I was right for being suspicious.

When I first held the controller in my hands, I knew something didn't feel authentic to me. The buttons made loud clicks when pressed, the analog sticks felt very stiff, and the d-pad felt like the diagonal inputs would not register properly.

After researching online to compare the differences between the real and the fake product, this controller that was said to be official from the seller was a lie.


No Printed Color Type
When you look at the front of the box, there should be a color type printed on the bottom right corner. In my case, no color was indicated at all. So before you open it, be sure to check this first.


Mismatch Model Numbers
The outside box shows a model number that may show, "CECHZC2U". That is an official number used from Sony, but the controller model number shows "CECHZC2H" that doesn't match at all. This clearly shows that the product has been tampered.


Controller Sticker
If your official boxing looks different like mine, then you can look at the sticker located in the back of the controller. The sticker will easily tell you if it's an official product or not. The funniest discovery is that it prints the company's name as, "Sony ComputerEnter tainment Inc".


I still think $60 is still expensive for Sony's Dualshock 3 controllers. My default controller that came with my PS3 console is really worn out from excessive use. So I went ahead and bought it from the store instead of ordering again online.

I did message the seller tonight for a full refund. Surprisingly, the seller has issued a full refund to me with no hesitation and said to send the product back to the seller's address rather than in China.

This is one of those lessons about too good to be true examples and this is one of them. But, I was cautious and had a backup plan just in case so the only thing I've lost out of all of this is my time.