How to spot a fake viral gadget before you buy it

Viral product videos are optimised for one thing: the first three seconds. That is not the same as being optimised for arriving intact and still working in six months. Here is what we check before a product makes it into our catalogue.

1. The demo is shot in one continuous take

Cuts hide failures. If every impressive moment happens across an edit, assume the effect took forty attempts.

2. There are photos from angles the marketing avoids

Nobody photographs the seam, the charging port, or the underside of a product they are embarrassed by. If the only images are three-quarter hero shots on a gradient, that is a choice.

3. The specs are specific

"Long battery life" means nothing. "1800mAh, 9 hours at 50% brightness" means someone measured it.

4. Reviews mention the same detail unprompted

Fake reviews praise the product in general. Real ones complain about the manual, mention how it handled a specific situation, or note something the listing never claimed.

5. The return policy is short

A long, conditional returns policy is a seller planning for disappointment. Ours is one paragraph because we don't expect to use it often.