Feds seize OnePlus Buds, mistaking them for “counterfeit” AirPods

Enlarge / These are OnePlus Buds. They are a real product made by a real company, despite what US Customs seems to think. (credit: OnePlus)

US Customs and Border Protection this weekend proudly tweeted about a high-value seizure of counterfeit electronic goods at John F. Kennedy International Airport. "That's not an ," the agency wrote yesterday, sharing two pictures and linking to a press release.

"CBP officers seized 2,000 counterfeit Apple Airpod Earbuds from Hong Kong destined for Nevada at an air cargo facility," the agency wrote in the press release, dated Friday. "If the merchandise were genuine, the Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) would have been $398,000."

CBP was right about two things, at least: the earbuds shipped from Hong Kong, and they are not Apple AirPods. But that's about all the credit you can give it. Judging by the pictures CBP itself shared in both the press release and the tweet, the earbuds are not in any way counterfeit Apple products. They do not say "Apple" on the packaging, they do not have an Apple logo anywhere, and they do not feature any other images or text linking them to Apple.

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