Need advice on how to handle my first FAKE purchase

Amber

Amber

Member
Aug 12, 2006
290
5
#1
I read all of these Ebay horror stories from time to time and I'm always so thankful that I haven't had a truly bad experience on Ebay yet...well it looks like I can join the club now.
:crybaby:

After 7 years of buying and selling on Ebay I have finally managed to spend nearly $600 on a FAKE Balenciaga First bag. I had emailed the seller the day before the auction ended asking for closer pictures. They never responded. Since they guranteed authenticity twice in their auction and they had 100% feedback (10 total feedbacks) I decided to go for it.

As soon as I received the bag I knew it was a fake. I own 11 Balenciagas in this style, so I would easily know. I contacted the seller immediately. They told me the following

[FONT=arial,sans-serif]"I can guarantee you that this bag is authentic, it was purchased on Avenue George V, the Balenciaga headquarters (where I worked when I lived in Paris). I do not accept returns, the only exception is if you can bring it to the Balenciaga boutique and have it certified as a counterfeit. It states in my listing that I do not accept returns. I have in the past and it turns out that the items returned are not the same as the ones I sent.
I'm sorry, but you must understand that I cannot be responsible for your assumptions, if in doubt you should not have placed a bid.
Please do not resort to negative feedbacks.
Happy Holidays and all the best for you and your loved ones.
Cheers"

I quickly followed up with everything that was wrong with the bag - the hardware on the handle and shoulder strap, the silver tag didn't match that particular color, the cards it came with were from 2005 (Balenciaga didn't make a yellow in 2005), etc. Also gave them the Bal NY # to call and confirm this.

Well, they have chosen to ignore my email, and what's even more frustrating is that they have now received 2 positive feedbacks since this transaction for roughly spending the $$ amount that I had paid them.

Other than venting, I guess what I'm asking is...is it worth it to try to go through Paypal for a dispute? I plan on hitting this person with a negative. I don't live anywhere near Balenciaga to get it authenticated by them, so is there another way to get documentation to prove it's a fake? I am just so angry about this. Even more than getting my money back, I really don't want this person to get away with this again.:boxing:
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#2
This is a tough one, what a terrible seller. Is there anywhere near you that sells Balenciaga...a department store, anything? Is there anything else that you could open a dispute about other than authenticity issues? Did you pay with a credit card?
 
#4
I couldn't remember exactly how I had paid, so I went back and checked the paypal transaction and I paid with my debit card. I've never tried to do cashback for anything before, so I'll have to look into that.

I think there is one store in my area tha does sell Balenciagas. However, my fear is that this person has already said that they have accepted returns in the past but that the items returned weren't the ones that were sent. I don't believe that for a minute, since they don't have any negative feedbacks and haven't given any either and only had a total of 10 transactions prior to this sale. But, even if I get the bag documented as a fake, it looks like she will play this card, and say that it's not the bag she sent me ....Grrrr...this is so frustrating.
 
#5
File a claim in PayPal, and don't hesitate on explaining the whole situation there. Just file and don't give her any warnings so she wont have time to remove the funds. After this communicate with the seller only thru PayPal. Keep us posted so we can continue the support.
 
#6
File a dispute through paypal. Then get someone from the Balenciaga forum, or someone who you know who is an expert, to write a letter (or email to you) detailing what is wrong with the bag, so when paypal asks for proof of non-authenticity you can fax the letter. In the meantime, maybe the seller will agree to a return if they see you have filed a paypal claim. If paypal doesn't find in your favor, do a chargeback.
 
#7
You need to set up a dispute with the seller through the dispute console. You need to set one up as - an item received but not as described. I am doing one at the moment because item I paid for hasnt been sent.

You can email her through the dispute console for up to 10 days to try and come to a solution (ie she refunds you). If she doesnt your dispute claim is then escalated and reported to the Ebay Safety Team.

You could also tell her that you own 11 bags already and upon receiving, you can tell straight away that it is not real. You could say you are going to report it to the police as selling fakes is an offence and she would not only be reported to ebay, but they could also investigate whether she has sold fakes before..... that may scare her into refunding you the money.

Could you not see if mypoupette will authenticate it (PM me if you want their website address) - tell her that seller guaranteed authenticity and that you will get it confirmed that it is fake through my poupette - and that once it is confirmed, you will not only expect a full refund but also a refund for the authentication procedure through my poupette.

How many feedbacks have you got. If seller only has 10 feedbacks and sells more than buys on ebay, I suspect that negative feedback would hurt her sales more that it would you! Perhaps she will just decide to give you a refund once she sees how determined you are to pursue this.

Good luck!
 
#8
neenabengal1 said:
You need to set up a dispute with the seller through the dispute console. You need to set one up as - an item received but not as described. I am doing one at the moment because item I paid for hasnt been sent.

You can email her through the dispute console for up to 10 days to try and come to a solution (ie she refunds you). If she doesnt your dispute claim is then escalated and reported to the Ebay Safety Team.

You could also tell her that you own 11 bags already and upon receiving, you can tell straight away that it is not real. You could say you are going to report it to the police as selling fakes is an offence and she would not only be reported to ebay, but they could also investigate whether she has sold fakes before..... that may scare her into refunding you the money.

Could you not see if mypoupette will authenticate it (PM me if you want their website address) - tell her that seller guaranteed authenticity and that you will get it confirmed that it is fake through my poupette - and that once it is confirmed, you will not only expect a full refund but also a refund for the authentication procedure through my poupette.

How many feedbacks have you got. If seller only has 10 feedbacks and sells more than buys on ebay, I suspect that negative feedback would hurt her sales more that it would you! Perhaps she will just decide to give you a refund once she sees how determined you are to pursue this.

Good luck!
Click to expand...

Thanks so much for your advice. My feedback rating is good - 373 - 99.2% I haven't had or given a negative in over 3 years. I also have bought and sold several $500-$2000 bags over the past couple years, so I'm not in the least bit worried if she hits me with a negative, my feedback speaks for itself. I've already told her about my Balenciaga collection and my knowledge of the brand. I even offered to give her the name of my SA at Bal NY. It didn't seem to scare her.

I like the my poupette idea for authentication. I've heard of that, and will look into that today.

Thanks again for the advice...it is much appreciated!
 
#14
Even if she does not have the funds in her account, paypal can still put her account in the negative. I am not sure that you can do a chargeback with a debit card, you may want to check with your bank on that.
 
#15
Definitely file a dispute in paypal, and list all the reasons why the item is counterfeit like you did in this thread. This will help strengthen your case. Keep us posted!
 
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