What "sealed and genuine" means at iVillage, and why it matters

Kofi bought a pair of wireless earbuds from a stall near Circle. The box looked right, the case clicked shut with a satisfying snap, and the pairing animation even appeared on his phone. Three weeks later the left bud stopped charging. When he tried to check the warranty, the serial number on the box did not exist. The earbuds were a copy, and a good one.

Stories like his are common enough in Ghana that most people who have bought a phone or a laptop here know someone with one. Counterfeit electronics have become convincing. So have grey-market units: real devices that have been opened, used, repaired, reset and put back into a box that looks new. Neither is easy to spot at the counter, and both tend to reveal themselves only once the money has gone.

That is why "genuine" has become a word every seller uses. We would rather tell you exactly what we mean by it, and then show you how to check.

The four things we promise

The seal is intact. Your box arrives factory-sealed. If a seal is broken when it reaches you, do not accept it. Tell the courier, and tell us.

The serial matches. The serial number on the box matches the serial on the device and the one shown in its settings. You can check this yourself in a minute, and we would rather you did.

Never refurbished, never returned-as-new. We do not sell refurbished, reconditioned, open-box or customer-returned units as new. If we ever sell a refurbished item, the product page will say so, in those words.

Registered to you. The device has not been activated, registered or used before it reaches your hands. The manufacturer's warranty starts with you, not with us.

Everything we sell is brand-new, factory-sealed and the genuine product of the brand named on it, whether that is Apple, DJI, Ubiquiti, Sony, Logitech, Anker or another manufacturer.

Where our stock comes from

We buy from authorised distributors and retailers in the United States, the United Kingdom and Europe, and we bring the stock in ourselves.

That explains two small things you may notice. A product page sometimes says which market a unit comes from, because details such as SIM configuration or plug style can differ between markets. And plugs are occasionally US-style. Every device we sell runs on Ghana's 230V mains, with an adapter where the plug differs.

It also means we should be plain about what we are not. We are a shop. We are not an authorised dealer, distributor or service centre for any manufacturer, and we do not claim to be. What we are is the people who sourced your device and who answer the phone afterwards.

What you can check when it arrives

You do not need to take anyone's word for any of this, including ours. When the parcel is in your hands:

1. Look at the seal before you open anything. The wrapping or seal tabs should be unbroken. If they are not, stop there.
2. Find the serial on the box. It is on the label, usually on the base or the side.
3. Find the serial on the device. On an iPhone or iPad it is in Settings, then General, then About. On a Mac, open the Apple menu and choose About This Mac. On most other products it is printed on the device or shown in the maker's app.
4. Compare the two. They should be identical.
5. Check the coverage. For Apple products, enter the serial at Apple's coverage checker. A new, never-activated device should not show months of coverage already used up by someone else. Other manufacturers have their own warranty lookup, usually on their support site.
6. Set it up as new. A genuine sealed device greets you with its first-time setup screens. It should not already be signed in to anyone's account.

If everything lines up, you have what you paid for. If something does not, we want to hear about it.

Why this matters more than it seems

A counterfeit charger is not only a disappointment; it can be a hazard. A grey-market phone may carry someone else's activation lock, a replaced battery or a screen that is not the original. A used device sold as new comes with a warranty that has already been running down in someone else's pocket.

The manufacturer's warranty is tied to the serial number of the product, which is exactly why the serial matters. Our products carry the manufacturer's warranty, not one of our own. We do not add a warranty, and we do not offer a blanket one-year store warranty. What we do is help you make a claim with the manufacturer when something goes wrong. That help is only worth something if the device was genuine, sealed and unregistered to begin with.

If something is not right

Tell us. If a device is not what the product page said it was, or the seal was broken before it reached you, we will take it back and refund you. That is not a goodwill gesture. It is what the law requires, and what we would do anyway.

If you receive the wrong item, or it arrives damaged or faulty, please let us know within 3 days so we can put it right quickly. Send your order number and, where it helps, photographs, the serial number and the packaging details. WhatsApp is the fastest way to reach us.

Once you have your device, it is worth attaching its serial number to your iVillage account where that feature is available. It keeps your purchase and warranty details in one place if you ever need them.

Kofi's earbuds looked right in every way that could be seen from across a counter. The serial number is the part that cannot be faked for long, so check it, every time, wherever you buy. Our Sealed and genuine page keeps the list of checks in one place.