Do you know a guy who can get you a great deal on an iPhone? Is the deal so great it doesn’t seem possible or make you wonder if your guy is actually a fence or an outright thief? He might be neither. Fake iPhones have been pouring into the United States for months now, most of them manufactured in China, and most of them pretty convincing at first glance. The profit margins on counterfeit Chinese electronics are so huge that factories have been springing up faster than the Chinese government can keep track of them.

Some factories, called “sticking factories” by the Chinese, actually manufacture fake designer stickers and simply place the logos over the real logos of existing Chinese products in order to make them appeal to American buyers. The saying “you get what you pay for” still applies, even in 2009, so if you really have your heart set on an Apple, bite the bullet and buy one from a reputable Apple dealer—unless of course you own stock in Chinese electronics