We went to Shanghai last year for Expo and while there I figured I needed another SD card for a Canon 1XUS951S cam.

Very wary of fake cards, I went to a big fashionable multi-story department store in central Shanghai and bought a Canon SDC-16m 16MB Canon SD card for a good price, can't remember the exact cost but it was about 1/2 local, as expected. As it turned out I didn't need it in Shanghai, but later on during the holiday.

It took just 4 shots, then displayed card full. Too late to return it or even find the store again, I bought it home and fully examined it, the packaging, everything etc. You can't visually tell it's not the real deal.

What I figure is, it is counterfeit, the Chinese manufacturer doesn't have the necessary licence and in case you test the card before you pay for it, it will store 4 normal shots.

That's it, I won't buy any memory cards anywhere that I can't return them by walking back into the store at any time .. in other words, locally.

eBay Australia Guides - How to test for a fake SD card, USB Drive, CF, MMC Etc (http://reviews.ebay.com.au/How-to-test-for-a-fake-SD-card-USB-Drive-CF-MMC-Etc_W0QQugidZ10000000001287720)

Cheers.

You get what you pay for, - or less! If it seems too good to be true then it probably is.
Memory cards are global products and have virtually no cost added for carriage between their country of manufacture their market. If the SAME item is being offered at a substantially lower price then its probably a fake or stolen. If its an unknown brand, then you are just taking a gamble.

Steve

memory cards and batteries are VERY high volume knockoff items... buyer beware, about 90+% of memory and batteries on eBay (located in HK/China it's probaly 100%) are counterfeit, knockoff, or fakes if they carry a name brand label - they MAY or MAY NOT work as intended/expected...

Was the pictured Dept store on Naning Road the place by any chance? I went in there one Sunday and couldn't believe how large and full of people one store could be. They say China has a problem with not enough women. I don't believe it. That place was chock full of them.

It happens at local retailers too.

Last year I went Frys and bought two cheap advertized 16 gig Class 10 cards. I took them home and tried them in my Canon T2i. One worked and had full memory. The other would not format, and in checking card, it showed only a couple of megs of memory. Both had been enclosed in sealed packing.

I went back to Frys and asked for a replacement. I was put through the third degree. I was essentially accused of changing the label to a bad card. I started to burn slowly, and demanded a new card. Eventually after an extended argument, they gave me a new card.

Neither card really performed at Class 10 rates. My class 4 cards actually are faster.

Over the years I have bought 10's of thousands of dollars of stuff at Frys. I haven't been back to Fry's since and don't think I will ever go back.