The Fake Ink Stink

Ink for my Canon MX310 (PG-40) comes in 13 mL cartridges at 24 bucks a pop. A little math reveals that each mL costs around 1.80, or an astounding $1,800/liter.

Printer manufacturers depend on their ink sales, in a business model usually referred to as captive-product pricing (like replacement blades for mens’ razors). Companies like HP, Epson and Brother make very small margins on the sale of their printers because they make back their profits selling compatible ink.

When anything is profitable as a brand name, profit can also be made by counterfeiters. Similar to the infamous trickery associated with fake Coach bags and Rolex watches, there’s been a recent assault of fake printer ink cartridges.

These fake ink cartridges are far more insidious than a fake Rolex watch, however, when you consider that these counterfeit ink cartridges are prone to leaking, explosion, illegibly smudged pages and ink jams. This often puts consumers out of not only the cost of the fake ink cartridges, but the cost of a new printer after their old one is ruined.

These fake ink cartridges are usually manufactured in China, Malaysia or the Philippines, then shipped overseas to buyers eager for a discount. Then, they are usually distributed to midsize ink distributors to unwittingly pass them on to consumers or smaller distributors. They use midsize ink distributors because they’re too large to trace any individual ink cartridges and too small to have top-notch buying and processing standards to catch the counterfeits.

In Latin and South America, the problem is far worse than in the US, where authorities estimate that as much as 50% of all ink cartridges sold are counterfeit. Thankfully, 5% is the amount commonly cited in the United States.

The best way to counteract this problem and eliminate your risk of a counterfeit cartridge is probably to buy from a reputable third-party distributor. Their products are almost always refilled and recyled manufacturer cartridges. Their margins are lower and aren’t necessarily branded, so the counterfeiters aren’t making fakes for them (not yet at least).

If you got brand name ink at a significant discount, you should check the packaging and ink cartridge itself for anything that looks out of the ordinary like misprinted labels or weak seams.

Try inkcartridges.com for good deals on cheap ink cartridges.