Such a deal!

Or is it?

Remember the old adage: "If it seems too good to be true, it probably is."

According to a survey commissioned by Microsoft Canada, 84 per cent of Canadians say they have not knowingly purchased a counterfeit product.

But that survey also suggests that most of us don't understand the risks of ending up with a counterfeit item.

For instance, more than half of Canadians appear to be concerned about their online purchases inadvertently landing them a sack of bogus goods as they wade through their Christmas shopping lists this year. And only one in three consider the possibility of picking up a proverbial bill of goods among their in-store purchases.

The range of counterfeits available is also mind-numbingly wide: from clothing to electronics, from medications to software.

While more than three quarters of Canadians maintain that they would not knowingly buy counterfeit products, the apparent lack of ability among as many as four out of five of us to distinguish real from fake is likely send the best of intentions astray.

If it matters to you that you are sliding the real McCoy into your shopping bag this Christmas buying season, there are a few tell-tale signs that can help keep you on track.

If the price is unreal, then likely, so is the thing you're buying.

Look for flaws, often simple ones, like spelling errors on labels or on the packaging.

But one of the best ways to ensure the great deal you're getting isn't going to saddle you with a piece of garbage is to develop a relationship with the people who sell the stuff.

Shopping local - and paying attention to word-of-mouth recommendations - helps you. and the local economy.