Fake Nikon batteries

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How do you spot a counterfeit battery? Amazon are selling the EN-EL3E for £24...

very tempted to buy, but dont want to end up with a knock off!
 
Bare in mind that third party and fake/counterfeit are two different things.

Also, not all Nikon's accept third party batteries.

I've found that a lot of third party gear has the Nikon logo but says "For" in the top left so it almost looks genuine.

Nikon batteries come with a hologram on the battery.
 
Yeah the one I'm looking at is suppose to be a proper Nikon battery (not 3rd party) and looks pretty genuine...but for that price it seems too good to be true.
 
Always stick to genuine items from trusted sellers cost more to start with but you'll get more shots out of them and they last longer.
I bought a third party grip and genuine battery off the forum for my D90 and very pleased I am the battery had been used but still registered as 0 on my camera.
12 months later and many chargers down the line it's still 0
You certainly get what you pay for.
 
You guys do realise that Nikon do not make batteries?
 
I would trust Amazon to supply genuine kit if advertised as genuine - some resellers (marketplace) maybe not so much. E-Bay probably has at least as many fakes as it does genuine and is probably best avoided for any critical part (especially memory cards!).
 
How do you spot a counterfeit battery? Amazon are selling the EN-EL3E for £24...

very tempted to buy, but dont want to end up with a knock off!

The images on the page tell you how to spot a fake, the £24 ones are fulfilled by Amazon, so if it turns out to be fake you will have no problem getting a refund.
 
I emailed one of the sellers and received an email this morning confirming that they are genuine Nikon. So at least I have it in writing if I need a refund. Going to order one now.
 
Nikon's guide to identifying counterfeit batteries here.

I bought a 'genuine' battery from a Marketplace seller on Amazon a couple of years ago, but found it was identical to one of the counterfeits identified by Nikon. Fortunately the item was fulfilled by Amazon rather than supplied directly from the seller which probably made it easier to get a refund.

Good luck!
 
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Update: Received the battery this morning, have checked it with amazon and nikon guidelines and is all good! Just need to test it in camera now.

For anyone looking to buy here's the link - Nikon EN-EL3E Battery £24 Amazon

Ordered through marketplace, fullfilled by Amazon, company is called HD Sales Inc, and very fast delivery ordered Wednesday (super saver free delivery) and recieved this morning. :)
 
I picked up an EN-EL9 for under £10 from 7dayshop which turned out to be made be Energizer. I've not noticed any difference between that and an original even when doing long exposures or shooting in the cold.

They sell a Compatible Nikon EN-EL3e Digital Camera Battery - 1620mAh for £7.99, worth giving it a try for that price.
 
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They're not "fake" unless they blatantly have "Nikon" printed on. Otherwise they are third party ... and they usually work fine. I had 2 for my D90, along with an official one, and they all lasted the same.
 
Ive bought the genuine ones from Amazon for very cheap too. Ive had them 3 years and they are still going strong.
 
7 Day shop get my vote and their batteries for my D3 have same performance as the OEM...ones
 
Update: Received the battery this morning, have checked it with amazon and nikon guidelines and is all good! Just need to test it in camera now.

For anyone looking to buy here's the link - Nikon EN-EL3E Battery £24 Amazon

Ordered through marketplace, fullfilled by Amazon, company is called HD Sales Inc, and very fast delivery ordered Wednesday (super saver free delivery) and recieved this morning. :)
At least three buyers are reporting fakes... look for one-star feedbacks.

Bought a "genuine Nikon EN-EL3e" here from another ebay seller. First one charged once, drained quickly and then refused to charge again... have just received a replacement yesterday and after some testings, it appears to be good.

Seller replaced without any arguing, so always go for "fullfilment by eBay/Amazon" when shopping.
 
... always go for "fullfilment by Amazon" when shopping.

Apologies for the snipping.

This just means it's sitting in Amazon's warehouse (rather than at the actual vendor's place) and will be shipped from there. It doesn't give any guarantee of improved quality.
 
I think it does make it easier if you want to return it, as you go through the Amazon returns process rather than having to deal with (a possibly) difficult third party.
 
They're not "fake" unless they blatantly have "Nikon" printed on. Otherwise they are third party ... and they usually work fine. I had 2 for my D90, along with an official one, and they all lasted the same.

Yeah the one I purchased was shown as Nikon branded, so why I was a bit aware of the fact it could be a fake. Lucky it's not..unless it dies after I take a few shots then I might be wrong :naughty:

I bought an EN-EL3E from an Amazon seller for about £3.

Thought I'd take a gamble. It worked for about a week. Now only takes about 100 shots before it dies. LOL

Ha worth the gamble at that price! Just hope it don't b****r up your camera.

At least three buyers are reporting fakes... look for one-star feedbacks.

Bought a "genuine Nikon EN-EL3e" here from another ebay seller. First one charged once, drained quickly and then refused to charge again... have just received a replacement yesterday and after some testings, it appears to be good.

Seller replaced without any arguing, so always go for "fullfilment by eBay/Amazon" when shopping.

Yeah I noticed those reviews, and yeah it's all trial and error with batteries! Thought wireless remote weren't working when I got it out the box, turns out it was a dead battery..

I think it does make it easier if you want to return it, as you go through the Amazon returns process rather than having to deal with (a possibly) difficult third party.

Yep agree I'd rather go through Amazon aswell.
 
Third party batteries can be hit and miss, I got two batteries from Kelso a few years ago for my 400D, they were double the capacity of the official battery and lasted several years. I then bought two other third party batteries to replace them from another seller, the batteries died within a few charges.

Relatives have had similar situations. As usual buy cheap, buy twice... A good quality third party battery or official battery is fine, cheap third party batteries can be hit and miss.
 
I knew this battery stuff would jinx everything. Speedlight wouldnt turn on today, batteries have leaked :(
 
Bloody thing, finally got flash gun working. bit of vinegar and scrubbing!

Never going to leave AA batteries in expensive electronics ever again...
 
~*~ElmoHolz~*~ said:
Bloody thing, finally got flash gun working. bit of vinegar and scrubbing!

Never going to leave AA batteries in expensive electronics ever again...

Thanks for reminding me, better check my flash.
 
You can tell a lot from the little hologram sticker:)
Have a look here :- https://nikoneurope-en.custhelp.com.../45066/p/19/c/241/kw/fake battery/r_id/150284

I bought one off someone on here a couple of years back which turned out to be fake, I sent it back to the seller and he got a refund from Amazon for it even though it was over a year old:)

Thanks, that link has just confirmed my recent purchase of an en-el15 is a counterfeit, albeit a very good one, except for the hologram which I instantly found suspicious on opening and inspecting the battery

Mine was from an amazon seller but fulfilled by amazon so I'm now awaiting a return call from them
 
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