i don't think item i purchased is genuine

[stellz80]

hello all..

i purchased a YSL bag and there's something not right with it.

the code's last three-four digits looks fudged..

i cannot go to the store (at this stage) and ask for authenticity..

how do i return an item that i 'think' is a fake... if the buyer cannot provide proof that it is actually real even though was not in original description on ebay listing,am I still able to return the itme?

HELP.. paid around £300 for it and so not just pocket change..

its seller's word against mine at the moment... I just want to return the itme and is still within time frame of return...

should i just open up a case in resolution centre as seller is getting p*ssed at me as was purchased for them as a gift from a friend and now I've apparently insulted her.... i can understand but at the same time, even if a friend buys me an  expensive item as a gift (items like this), I would;ve gotten a gift receipt, no?

[pizzadelfin]

As you bought the bag on Ebay and paid by Paypal : You should get the confirmation from a reliable source that the bag you received is a copy . Once that has been established file a complaint for " item received distinctly different to described " and you should have no problem to get your money back as soon you return ( with signed for proof of delivery ) the item to the seller . Ebay takes counterfeit serious , believe me I know what I'm talking about .

Tricky bit with some of these brands is that they could " confiscate " the item if it proves to be a counterfeit .

Comparing similar bags with google images may help you too ., there are several forums dedicated to high end luxury articles like these and usually have a section where they discuss counterfeit . Sign up and load up some detailed pictures and you'd be surprised of the feedback you may get .

[kernowlass]

Actually if you get proof the item is fake then paypal DO NOT expect you to return the item to the seller.

As its against the law to sell fake goods they are not allowed to ask you to return the item so the seller could potentially sell it again.........but you have to prove its fake first.

If you email the seller and state you believe the item is fake and you want a full refund or you will be contacting trading standards then somtimes the seller will refund you without having to even file a dispute.

[pizzadelfin]

The answer above is indeed the correct one when living in a perfect world . Practically ;I believe that the buyer has a better chance to retreive the money paid from the seller if he has recovered the item .

We must accept the possibility that the seller himself did not know that he held a fake / counterfeit item . In that case the seller would need the item back to be able to claim from where or whom he got it from  . 

How can the buyer get proof the item is fake without YSL keeping the item ? Admit that the seller obtains an official letter from YSL stating the item brought to them is a fake , but who can prove that the declared fake item was the one shipped to the buyer in the first place ? Catch 22 ! 

I have been personally involved for years in a program that can not tell its name . I can assure you that prevention/ detection of counterfeit items on Ebay is the best way to avoid nasty surprices with high ticket luxury and hence often counterfeit items . 

Ebay is a victim of its own succes  and that did attract the wrong sellers . Over the last years I have noticed that many reliable and professional sellers stopped using Ebay because since Paypal rules tend to overprotect buyers . We now see that the crooked sellers have reconverted themselves in crooked buyers .

[kernowlass]

Agree with some of that but not all.

By returning the item to the seller you are promoting the sale of fake goods as the seller may just re-list it or sell it at a car boot sale etc so some other poor soul will be scammed.

As a buyer I have only ever received x1 fake item and once i had got proof it was fake (via trading standards), I got a refund from the seller and as the seller was selling quite a few items I noticed a few weeks later he was NARU.......maybe trading standards or ebay acted??

If I had just returned it then he would have been free to con others.

[pizzadelfin]

Please don't get me wrong , I couldn't agree more with you on the fact that by returning the counterfeit item to the seller could result in being sold again .

I hate counterfeits with a passion and as a collector of vintage Rolex watches I come across a worrying amount of counterfeit objets on Ebay .

When detected / reported , Ebay will rapidly suspend selling priviliges to repeat offenders and will even go as far as close the account altogether .

I believe it is there where lays the difference : repeat offenders . I come across many fake Rolex items and most of the time it is blatant that the seller is aware that it is fake or either it is the poor **bleep** that genuinally thought he held an original objet and puts it up for sale .

Returning a fake to a genuine seller will not automatically result in him offering it up for sale again . He will most likely try and find out where it came from and get his money back from the source .

Returning it or not to the seller knowingly offering counterfeit objets will hardly make a difference as they usually have many more on hand . They change username or create new accounts all of the time .