Also, when shopping online, always use a credit card that will give you maximum protection in case anything goes wrong. I swear by American Express. I have purchased a few counterfeit items on eBay (unknowingly, of course, until I received them and could tell right away), and Amex cheerfully refunded all my money, including shipping, every time.
lorimatthews - wow - good to know about amex! did the refund take a long time? what were the steps involved - i guess first is returning the merchandise? do you need to "prove" the item is counterfeit to amex? if so, how? TIA!