Ebay Tips

G

gro3602

EX TPFER DONE HERE
Apr 17, 2006
7,519
3
#1
Ladies!!!!!!!!

I've read over and over on this eBay thread the same stories.

So many of you are being ripped off w/ fake designer handbags!

Please please read this and take these points seriously BEFORE bidding.

1. Do not buy a high end item from a seller newly registered or with low feedback! Too suspect.

2. Designer Houses DO NOT SELL wholesale to the general public. Individuals can NOT by directly from the manufacturer.

3. Be extremely suspicious if the seller is in US or UK etc, and the handbag is being shipped direct from Asia.

4. Research seller before bidding! Use google. Read all feedbacks left and given. Some sellers will sell many cheap items just to build up feedback before listing expensive items.

5. Be aware that reputable sellers will only sell pre-owned designer handbags from their own collection or family/friends.

6. Some sellers will purchase handbags on sale at department stores and outlets to make money. These are usually last season's handbags. Look for sellers that do this.

7. Check out seller's previous and current auctions. IF they have sold or are selling several of the same handbag............... SUSPECT!

Hope this helps!!
 
#2
^^ so true - I am one of the burnt people, and I can't say anything other than watch out.

One mistake I made, I asked after I received the bag where the seller had gotten it from- otherwise I would have known not to buy it.... so ask before.

Thanks Gina - I hope I will not fall again into the too good to be true trap....
 
#3
I forgot another tip!

Sometimes I see fake bags for sale and there are 47 bidders with 5 days left.
I have to laugh at these.
Obviously the seller has family / friends bid on the item to make it look like so many bidders want the item. (Illegal - shll bidding).

Be careful of those as well!

And finally Report Report Report these to eBay!
 
#6
Excellent tips, gro3602! I would also add the following:

1. Do NOT pay with money order! If you receive a fake bag, you have no recourse. Do not do business with sellers who require money order.

2. Do not accept an offer outside of eBay and pay with money order. (Yes, I found this out the hard way. I sent my money order, and guess what? Never received anything. eBay would not back me up since the transaction occurred outside of eBay.)

3. Receipts do not guarantee that the bag is real. Some sellers have the real bag, and then use the receipt with the fake they're selling to you. Also, some internet sites actually sell receipts.

4. Be wary of people who say they received the item as a gift but they don't want it. This is how they can play ignorant. ("Oh, I got the $2K bag for my birthday, but I already have 12 like it ..." Yeah right!)

5. If possible, pay with a major credit card. I prefer American Express because they have an excellent consumer protection program. They just reimbursed me $500 that I lost because I had a bag delivered to my office and it was stolen before it arrived on my floor. My company wouldn't take responsibility for it because it was a "personal item."

Thanks everyone for letting me add my 2 cents!
 
#7
1. Don't just rely on feedback percentages, as they can appear far better than they actually are. Particularly when the seller has a high feedback score.*

2. Always check through every feedback left by buyers, particularly the negatives and neutrals, including ones that have been removed/withdrawn. If two, or more (and definitely 3 or more!) of them say the same thing, trust their judgment and move on.

3. Check for shill bidding. Not only is it illegal and therefore, against eBay rules, but it also may mean that many of the positive feedbacks a seller has received mean nothing, as they have been left by the seller for themselves (from another eBay account), or by a friend. Not by a genuine customer.

4. Be wary of second chance offers, as some sellers shill bid their own auctions, by nibbling up the price, after you have bid your maximum amount and then pretend that the buyer was a Non Paying Bidder. They then know what your maximum bid was and can offer you a second chance offer for that amount.


* If a seller with a low number of feedbacks receives a neg, it will dramatically affect his/her feedback score. Whereas, if a seller with thousands, or tens of thousands of feedbacks receives a neg, it will barely lower their percentage and may very well not show on their feedback score at all!

This is because feedback scores are only shown to 1 Decimal Place (i.e. 99.4%, not 99.3595791%).

This means that a seller with 100 feedbacks would lose a whole 1% if they received just 1 neg, even though, as I'm sure you'd agree, it would often be unfair to judge a seller with 99 positives and 1 negative on that 1 negative, alone.

Whereas, assuming the percentage rounds up, or down, to the nearest decimal place, until they have received 6 negs, a seller with 10,000 feedbacks wouldn't lose their first 0.1% and they would then have to receive 10 more before another 0.1% loss showed on their feedback score and so on!

If a seller with a high feedback score is unreliable, or downright dishonest, they may feel they can 'afford' to receive a neg, every now and then, as it won't show on their score.

This (along with stringing buyers along until it's too late to leave a neg) is how monaco-babe/paparrazzi-girl/moda-da operates her scams.

IMO, this is a major flaw in the feedback system and one that we should all be aware of.
 
#12
^ One of them was yours originally, Gina! :yes: So, thank you! :flowers:

Thank you for starting this thread, too! :biggrin:


Another tip:

If a seller is selling a BNWT, current season bag for below retail, it is very likely to be fake, damaged, stolen, or the seller doesn't intend to send it to you. This is regardless of whether the pics of the bag look good, or not; as some sellers employ bait & switch.

This is because eBay and Paypal charges add up to around 10%, so generally expect to pay at least 20% above retail on eBay for a current season bag.

Possible exceptions include someone who works in a store using their staff discount to buy bags and then selling them on at a profit and unwanted gifts.

But please note that in both instances, it is common for fraudulent sellers to claim that this is the case, when it, in fact, isn't.
 
#13
gro3602 said:
6. Some sellers will purchase handbags on sale at department stores and outlets to make money. These are usually last season's handbags. Look for sellers that do this.

7. Check out seller's previous and current auctions. IF they have sold or are selling several of the same handbag............... SUSPECT!

Hope this helps!!
Click to expand...

I agree with all the very good advice given here it is so important to stay safe on ebay, there are so many rogue sellers there.
However I just want to comment on the two points above.
Point 6. There isn't anything wrong with a seller selling a last season bag to make some money. Most buyers know the bags production date, if they like a bag & as long as the bag is authentic then buyers are free to negotiate on price or bid what they are prepared to pay for the bag.
Point 7. It is not an indication that the bags are fakes if sellers have several of the same bag. I have sold many of the same bags.
Most experienced bag sellers will know the highly sought after bags & buy several from different stores.

One point I would like to add on how to recognise the fake bags, a lot of them are pictured with a white cloth background this is the factory pic. Sellers of authentic bags will photograph the bag in their own home to prove that they have it & will provide detailed pics of all angles of the bag for the buyers convenience.
& always remember if the price is too good to be true it usually is!
 
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