Rotten apples: Sidewalk spook peddlers flood NYC’s Chinatown with sketchy Apple merch

The Bobster

Senior News Editor since 2004

Rotten apples: Sidewalk peddlers flood NYC’s Chinatown with sketchy Apple merch​



By
Social Links for Dean Balsamini



Published April 20, 2024, 11:27 a.m. ET





A photo of an illegal peddler selling a knockoff Apple product
The peddlers are not shy about hawking their wares. Helayne Seidman


Canal street sidewalk peddlers are going high tech.
The counterfeit kings are flooding Chinatown and the Lower East Side with knockoff Apple products, including wireless AirPods Pro and AirPods Max, selling gizmos for $40 that, if real, would retail for as much as $550.
On a recent Wednesday afternoon, The Post witnessed some 30 “Apple” sellers along Canal Street — and concerned neighbors say the problem is mushrooming.
A photo of a peddler hawking fake AirPods Pro 14
On a recent Wednesday afternoon, The Post witnessed 30 peddlers all along Canal Street — and concerned neighbors say the Apple problem is mushrooming. Helayne Seidman
“Their numbers have grown substantially in the past month. On a weekend day there are maybe three to four dozen working Canal Street between Lafayette Street and Mott Street. . . . You can’t miss them,” fumed Chinatown activist Karlin Chan.

“Chinatown is a vibrant neighborhood that we locals would like to be known for its food and culture, not as a destination for fake goods which reinforces a negative stereotype,” Chan said.



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A Post reporter, with the assistance of Chan, bought “AirPods Max and Pro” from two dealers on Mulberry Street and Canal.
The Max headset box was not sealed and was smaller than the real McCoy.
Peddlers with knockoff merch gather at a Chinatown street corner 14
At the mere sight of a cop, the peddlers shout “Police!” and scatter until the coast is clear to return. Helayne Seidman
A side by side photo of Apple AirPods Max. The fake pair is on the left; the real ones on the right. 14
Can you tell the difference? The counterfeit Apple AirPods Max headphones are on the left, next to a real pair on the right. Michael McWeeney
Some of the instructions had grammatical errors.
The device was plastic instead of aluminum.
The peddler started at $150 but was quickly haggled down to $40.
A photo of Chinatown activist Karlin Chan, who barters with a peddler trying to sell him a knockoff AirPods Max headset. 14
Chinatown activist Karlin Chan barters with a peddler trying to sell him a knockoff AirPods Max headphones. Helayne Seidman
A photo of Chinatown activist Karlin Chan. 14
Chan holds up a box of fake Apple AirPods Pro that the peddler said cost $100. He quickly settled for $50. Helayne Seidman
The second seller wanted $100 for the “AirPods Pro,” but settled for $50.
The external packaging and instructions looked legit but the internal packaging was made from plastic, which Apple does not use.
As for the buds, the cushions were not removable like Apple, and the device used an outdated lightning connector.
A photo of German tourists Mark Hochtrigt, 53, and his daughter, Charlotte, 23. 14
German tourists Mark Hochtrigt, 53, and his daughter, Charlotte, 23, were not seduced by the Canal Street salespitches. “It’s not original, it’s fake,” the dad, a doctor, said. “When you get home, you try it and you test it and it will not work,” he predicted. Helayne Seidman
A photo that shows: The counterfeit AirPods Max box (left) is much smaller than the real deal (right). 14
The counterfeit AirPods Max box (left) is much smaller than the real deal (right). Michael McWeeney
The street salesmen — West African migrants who speak little English — carry plastic bags stuffed with the white “Apple” boxes and when pedestrians approach, the peddlers fish the boxes out of the bags and flash the merch in the faces of the unsuspecting walkers.
“Come with me!” the sellers insist.
Most use iPhone app “translate text” to answer questions.
The hawkers dart toward vehicles stopped in traffic.
One of them said he “needs the money to eat.”
A photo of Counterfeit AirPods Pro 14
These counterfeit AirPods Pro sold for $50 on Canal Street. Michael McWeeney
At the mere sight of a cop, the peddlers shout “Police!” and scatter until the coast is clear to return.
“It’s gotten out of hand. Coupled with the 100-plus Chinese fake luxury good dealers, the sidewalks are impossible to navigate — especially since they all like to work the corners, which creates a safety hazard,” Chan said.
He added: “It also hurts our merchants who pay high rents and taxes.”
A photo of a peddler trying to sell a pedestrian. 14
Legitimate Chinatown merchants say the pushy peddlers are hurting their bottom line. Helayne Seidman
A photo of a peddler pushing fake AirPods Max and Pro headphones. 14
Peddlers accost pedestrians on the sidewalk and hawk their goods to passing vehicles. Helayne Seidman
Merchants agreed, saying it is hurting their bottom line.
“It is not good and it’s illegal. They sell in the street. They take away our customers,” griped Mohammad Khan, 25, whose brother runs Chinatown Center Gift Shop on Canal Street.
German tourists Mark Hochtrigt, 53, and his daughter, Charlotte, 23, were not seduced by the street salespitches.
“It’s not original, it’s fake,” the dad, a doctor, said. “When you get home, you try it and you test it and it will not work,” he predicted.
Two peddlers lay low while trying to sell bogus Apple merch to a pedestrian. 14
Two peddlers lay low while trying to sell bogus Apple merch to a pedestrian. Helayne Seidman
A photo of peddlers trying to sell a couple in a passing vehicle. 14
Peddlers unsuccessfully try to sell the phony merch to a passing motorist on Canal Street. Helayne Seidman
Messages to Apple headquarters were not returned.
“They’re fakes,” declared Dan Harris, a Seattle-based lawyer who helps companies navigate global intellectual property issues and heads up China Law Blog.
He examined photos of the Post-purchased merch.
“There’s nobody selling AirPod Pros for $50 unless they were stolen,” he said. “I doubt that these are real Apple products sold out the back door because I’ve not heard of that. And I’m pretty damn certain Apple has really good security,” he said, “Now maybe somebody walks off with one Apple product and sells it out the side door, but not in quantity.”
A photo of three NYPD officers walking along Canal Street 14
At the mere sight of the NYPD, the peddlers shout “Police!” and scatter until the coast is clear to return. Helayne Seidman
Harris said “believe it or not, the best way” to determine a fake is to examine the packaging and instructions and look for those inconsistencies.
He said Apple has its own “highly-trained counterfeiting team and they will make sure this is stopped. It’s not good for business.”
Joseph Giacalone, a retired NYPD sergeant and adjunct professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, said selling fakes isn’t a victimless crime.
A photo of French tourists Happy Tuitcheu, 27, and his wife, Sabiha, on Canal Street. 14
French tourists Happy Tuitcheu, 27, and his coalburning whore wife, Sabiha, have no problem with the peddlers. “I’m cool. This is life. They need to make money,” Tuitcheu said. Helayne Seidman
“If you think a company like Apple is not going to pass along an expense to consumers that actually paid for the real McCoy, you’re mistaken,” he said. “This kind of behavior steals from everyone.”



Nearly $290,000 in AirPods and Apple Watch knockoffs shipped from China to Washington Dulles International Airport were seized by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers in March 2023.


The NYPD said it “is aware of counterfeit Apple goods being sold along Canal Street and continues to conduct enforcement to address the condition.”
 
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