US Customs Seize 2,000 OnePlus Buds alleging that they are counterfeit Apple AirPods

The US Customers and Border Patrol (CBP) have confirmed that they have seized 2,000 OnePlus Bubs at JFK airport, alleging that they were “counterfeit Apple AirPods”. 

The CBP has alleged that these “Apple AirPods” would have been valued at $398K had they been genuine, forgetting to investigate whether or not these OnePlus devices were legitimate products. The reality is that these sets of OnePlus Bugs cost $79 each and are therefore valued at $158K. 

Troy Miller, the Director of CBP’s New York Field Operations, stated that “The interception of these counterfeit earbuds is a direct reflection of the vigilance and commitment to mission success by our CBP Officers daily.” Allegedly this vigilance includes seizing the property of OnePlus by alleging that they are selling counterfeit goods.   

It is worth noting here that OnePlus is a Chinese company and that these AirPods-like products are designed for the OnePlus ecosystem, however, these buds do work on other devices with a more limited feature set. 

THE CBP has made a mistake in classifying these OnePlus products as “counterfeit Apple AirPods”, and should therefore return the property to its rightful owners immediately. Whether or not this will happen remains to be seen. These AirPod-like devices do not claim to be Apple products or market themselves as such. OnePlus’ US Twitter account has responded to a CBP Tweet on the seizure to say “Hey, give those back.”