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Post Info TOPIC: "When an eBay Steal is a Fake"
Maven


BCBG

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"When an eBay Steal is a Fake"
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June 29 Wall Street Journal has an article in the D Section (Personal Journal) called: "What Happens When an eBay Steal s a Fake?" In order to read the WSJ online you need to have a paid subscription, which we no longer have.

WSJ staffers bought five items on eBay: A Gucci wallet for $120, a Burberry scarf for $32, a pair of Tiffany earrings for $35, a Fendi handbag for $260 plus $40 shipping and a Choe Paddington handbag for $213. When the items arrived, two were obviously fake, two were pronounced fake by sales people, and the Chloe salesman were not permitted to comment, but if it was counterfeit, it was the best fake of the group.

A couple of the sellers refunded the money when notified, but two more disappeared and only part of the buyer's loss was recovered from the eBay buyer protection plan. Even with refunds, the buyer suffered partial losses as well as shipping fees.

Tiffany has filed suit against eBay, claiming that only 5% of the Tiffany items sold on the site are authentic.

Despite safeguards on the site, "buyer beware" still seems to be the rule on eBay.

My own comment is: all the more reason to educate ourselves by doing extensive pre-shopping and window shopping at our favorite retail stores, as well as seek advice from other posters here.



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honey


Gucci

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RE: "When an eBay Steal is a Fake"
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i've never really bought anything high end on ebay with the exception of my chloe boots, but my general rule of thumb is if something is in season then i won't buy it on ebay b/c it's obviously fake. of course there are exceptions, like right now you could probably get a good deal since there are a lot of sales in regular stores. but like when fall rolls around, and people are trying to sell fall 2006 marc jacobs stuff then i feel like chances are it's fake.



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shopgirl82


Chanel

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i would buy a kooba, or botkier right now because i know they just had a sample sale in which girls bought armfuls of things to sell on ebay, so right now i'd be pretty sure i'm getting the real thing on those items, but LV, Chanel, Designer denim, most high end handbags, i would be very weary of.



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JoceyBaby23


Gucci

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I have bought several high end handbags on ebay in the past few years. I have never had a problem. I think you just have to do your research and know what you are looking for.


Go examine the item in a store first... ask the seller for tons of pictures and always be sure they have a good return policy.


I've never been burned and I have always found great sellers.


Basically what is comes down to...


a Chloe for $200 (highly unlikely).. a Chloe for $600 (could be authentic. but do the research first!)



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Cortney1982


Chanel

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There are even fake Coach keychains and Lacoste polos.  I'd never spend a large amount of money for any ebay item.

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Drew


Gucci

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RE: "When an eBay Steal is a Fake"
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I think I was burned once on a Coach bag off Ebay.  I'm certain I have bought fake T&Co items, but for the most part I am very careful about what I buy off of Ebay.  I recently bought a pair of Chanel sunglasses for $100 less than retail.  If they are fakes they are so darn good that they have everything the original's have; the sales person at the store thought they were real and I do too, so that's good enough for me.  I find it interesting that the Chloe bag had for $200 in that article that may or may not be fake is an exact replica (if not the real thing).  For me that would be good enough too. 


Basically, I try to avoid sellers that have a whole lot of designer items on the cheap, or sellers that are from Asia.  I mean I have bought what I assume to be a fake MJ dress that came from Asia, but I knew what I was in for before purchasing (although the sale did list it as authentic I still don't feel cheated or anything). 


Generally speaking I don't mind the fakes on Ebay, it's a good alternative for those of us that don't have a Canal Street nearby!  I saw a lady at a store recently and commented on her great bag.  I want to say it was  Botkier, anyway, she told me it was a fake and that she paid about $250, but the real thing was over a grand.  I felt the leather and thought it was nice quality and the bag reaked of being expensive, it just wasn't really.  I thought she did well on her fake. 


I guess it all goes back to how we as individuals feel about buying fakes.  For me, if the original is way too far out of my price range, I'm all set to go for the fake, but I'm not looking for the label, I'm looking for the style so that's what I'm mainly in it for.  If I'm looking for something on Ebay if I am the least bit skeptical I'll skip the auction and wait, or save for what I know is the real thing.  If I don't care, then I'll bid.


 



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travelgirl


Kate Spade

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RE: "When an eBay Steal is a Fake"
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Drew wrote:

I think I was burned once on a Coach bag off Ebay.  I'm certain I have bought fake T&Co items, but for the most part I am very careful about what I buy off of Ebay.  I recently bought a pair of Chanel sunglasses for $100 less than retail.  If they are fakes they are so darn good that they have everything the original's have; the sales person at the store thought they were real and I do too, so that's good enough for me.  I find it interesting that the Chloe bag had for $200 in that article that may or may not be fake is an exact replica (if not the real thing).  For me that would be good enough too.  Basically, I try to avoid sellers that have a whole lot of designer items on the cheap, or sellers that are from Asia.  I mean I have bought what I assume to be a fake MJ dress that came from Asia, but I knew what I was in for before purchasing (although the sale did list it as authentic I still don't feel cheated or anything).  Generally speaking I don't mind the fakes on Ebay, it's a good alternative for those of us that don't have a Canal Street nearby!  I saw a lady at a store recently and commented on her great bag.  I want to say it was  Botkier, anyway, she told me it was a fake and that she paid about $250, but the real thing was over a grand.  I felt the leather and thought it was nice quality and the bag reaked of being expensive, it just wasn't really.  I thought she did well on her fake.  I guess it all goes back to how we as individuals feel about buying fakes.  For me, if the original is way too far out of my price range, I'm all set to go for the fake, but I'm not looking for the label, I'm looking for the style so that's what I'm mainly in it for.  If I'm looking for something on Ebay if I am the least bit skeptical I'll skip the auction and wait, or save for what I know is the real thing.  If I don't care, then I'll bid.  
I agree with all of this.  I also think that if a seller has a lot of designer goods there is a very good chance they are fakes.  I always try to buy from people with great feedback and great return policies.  I just sold an authentic Tiffany necklace that I decided I didn't want anymore.  I offerred a satisfaction guarantee and included the box and original bag.  I hope the buyer felt she got a good deal.  Again, since I have no record of ever selling any other kind of Tiffany items, that probably let credibility that my item was real.  One way or the other, you do have to be educated about purchasing anything from ebay-especially high-ticket items...

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