The success of any company inevitably leads to the production of cheap knock-offs and GHD straighteners are no exception. Cheap GHD straighteners can be found online and in salons; some are real, some aren’t. How do you know if you’re buying a counterfeit GHD? Look for these top 10 signs:
Evaluate the GHD seller
1 – Foreign seller – Most fake GHDs come from sellers located in China, where many products are counterfeited (China is the unofficial home of pirated DVDs). Only buy your GHD straighteners from your home country, where the seller has to answer to Trading Standards if anything is amiss. Don’t deal with any company that doesn’t give out a registered address and phone number in your home country.
2 – Knock-off website – If the website looks like an imitation of the real GHD site it is likely that the sellers are doing this as a way to look more official. Sites sporting official GHD logos, colours, designs, web address and even text are too close to the real thing. Real GHD retailers sell many other products too and simply cannot pigeonhole their brand by copying GHD’s website.
3 – Buying from an auction site? Remember that anyone can sell on sites like eBay. This is usually an advantage for the buyer, but in the case of counterfeiters it is all too easy to post listings, receive payment, and disappear. Instead, buy from a real store or authorised retailer.
4 – Dodgy payment methods – Avoid any site that wants you to send a wire transfer or pay by any means other than credit card or PayPal. When you pay with a credit card or PayPal, you are protected and can issue a chargeback if problems arise. You can’t do that with other payment methods. Not only might you be buying a fake GHD straightener, but you might not receive anything at all!
5 – Other products – What are the odds that a company is in business solely to sell one type of product? Check and see if the retailer is selling other hair products like Wella, Tigi or GHD styling products.
Evaluate the GHD straighteners
6 – Plastic hinge pins – Real GHD straighteners have metal hinge pins. Fake GHDs use plastic and look cheap compared to the real thing.
7 – Serial numbers – Use GHD’s official website to check the serial number; it’s even better if you can do this before you buy. If the number checks out, your GHD straightener is probably the real thing and will be protected by GHD’s warranty.
8 – GHD holograms – Real GHDs have two hologram stickers: one on the cord and another on the inner body of the straightener.
9 – Product features – Get to know the straightener before you buy. If an item is advertised on GHD’s website as coming with a particular feature, make sure this feature is present on the item you’re buying. Your GHDs should also include all of the paperwork you’d expect to find with a £119 straightener, and the paperwork should be free from typos.
10 – Price – Bargains abound online, so don’t confuse cheap GHD straightener – on sale at an official retailer – with knock-off items. However, price can help you separate the good from the bad. GHDs selling for prices that are too good to be true (50% or more off the RRP of £119) are probably fakes. The lowest authentic price is usually around £80. Shop around for a sale, but don’t get conned into buying a fake item.
