A Nelson-based outdoor gear retailer is warning shoppers to be on the lookout for fake online sites when buying gifts this Christmas.

Hamish Pirie from Gearshop was recently asked if he would match the price of a product on a website with a ‘.co.nz’ domain name. Gearshop is the NZ distributor of the advertised product. 

Pirie investigated the site and believed it was fake. It’s not the only fake site he has come across.

Pirie said sites had popped up recently copying Gearshop’s look and layout. There is the same branding, logo and products, but everything is “heavily discounted”. The sites look professional, are well-written and appear to be based in New Zealand.

“The first red flag is: if the deal seems too good to be true, it probably is,” he said. “When you start investigating further, looking at terms and conditions, you see shipping times are really long – two to three weeks – with customs charges. That’s when you realise the stuff is based offshore and you’re unlikely ever to see the product.”

Shops in New Zealand are already stocked, and shipping times are usually two to five days.

To avoid getting scammed, Pirie recommends double-checking the domain name and seeing where it is registered, as well as making sure there is clear contact information. Also, watch out for unknown brands.

“That’s another red flag. If they are selling Chinese brands, then someone is just pulling stuff off the internet,   putting it on a website and making it look like a legitimate NZ-based site,” Pirie said.

“This is a good reminder to shop local.”