Bought a fake celine box...waiting for resolution

[mMmQ]

Hi ladies/gents,

I always thought I have good eyes in terms of recognizing authentic or fake bags on ebay as I have quite a lot of second hand bag buying experiences and never got a fake in the past... But this time I fell hard!

Here is the listing:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/191875999...7677a384b11&bu=44144850623&cp=1&sojTags=bu=bu

I was suspicious of several aspects of the bag when I purchased it to be honest, first of all the price is too good to be true as from my past experiences, second hand boxes usually range from 1200-1800 GBPs so I admit I was a bit blind to the fact that the tag does not even match the item as it says micro which I guess refers possibly to the luggage series of bag...Another warning sign was I checked the celine box reference thread before purchasing and this colour was not in the thread but again I just ignored it...Oh stupid me... spotted problems but did not give them second thought.

Anyways, I purchased the bag and the moment I opened the box I know I was scammed, the dust bag looks fake beyond what I can believe! The bag itself is actually not a horrible fake (maybe that's why I was fooled by the pictures) but on closer look the hardware and the leather are in much inferior qualities compared with my other box bags I have/had and the leather also has a very strong smell...

I have now done everything I can, contacted ebay, paypal and even a celine store through email which they will very kindly provide a letter for me saying they cannot guarantee the authenticity of the item. I just hope this can resolve as quickly as possible. The ebay/paypal guys I have talked to seem very optimistic about the situation saying they will get my money back. Fingers crossed it won't be a long process...Lesson learnt here. I will update progress as it develops.

 

[mMmQ]

Feel free to report this seller if you want to as this person is selling other bags at the moment and I don't want more people to be scammed of their money.

 

[mMmQ]

OK, luckily this seller is rather inexperienced and got really scared as soon as I told them there is a thing called eBay Money Back Guarantee.

However, despite becoming scared so quickly and gave me a full refund, they keep on insist it is a real bag, why refund me then?

My experience showed me that sometimes you need to go all the way, I guess normally people wait for the seller's response first but I just have no patience for that. I contacted everyone that I can so I am able to 'be rude' (based on the seller's account) and scare this person into giving me back my money as soon as possible. So I suggest if something similar happens to someone here next time, do not be nice and wait for the seller, if you know for sure you have been sold a fake item, take all actions immediately and at the same time let the person know that you understand eBay rules and also local law about selling counterfeit goods.

I hope this can help someone.

But I guess if it's someone who has been conning people for years and have all the experiences maybe you will need to try harder, I don't know, just my feelings. Anyways I'm happy now that I have my money back. I will send the item back to this person per our agreement and also I won't leave a feedback but if you have encountered this person on eBay just be aware.

 

[Love Of My Life]

OK, luckily this seller is rather inexperienced and got really scared as soon as I told them there is a thing called eBay Money Back Guarantee.

However, despite becoming scared so quickly and gave me a full refund, they keep on insist it is a real bag, why refund me then?

My experience showed me that sometimes you need to go all the way, I guess normally people wait for the seller's response first but I just have no patience for that. I contacted everyone that I can so I am able to 'be rude' (based on the seller's account) and scare this person into giving me back my money as soon as possible. So I suggest if something similar happens to someone here next time, do not be nice and wait for the seller, if you know for sure you have been sold a fake item, take all actions immediately and at the same time let the person know that you understand eBay rules and also local law about selling counterfeit goods.

I hope this can help someone.

But I guess if it's someone who has been conning people for years and have all the experiences maybe you will need to try harder, I don't know, just my feelings. Anyways I'm happy now that I have my money back. I will send the item back to this person per our agreement and also I won't leave a feedback but if you have encountered this ptherson on eBay just be aware.

Leaving feedback will warn others. It's important because another buyer(s)
shouldn't have to deal with a seller that doesn't sell authentic merchandise.

Had feedback been left by perhaps another buyer that had your experience, you
might not have gone through with the transaction, being forewarned by "feedback",IYKWIM

 

[mMmQ]

Leaving feedback will warn others. It's important because another buyer(s)
shouldn't have to deal with a seller that doesn't sell authentic merchandise.

Had feedback been left by perhaps another buyer that had your experience, you
might not have gone through with the transaction, being forewarned by "feedback",IYKWIM

Yeah I understand your point, but I worry that if I do not agree with such arrangement I will not get my money back as soon as in this case (which is important to me) as everything is part of an agreement, I know it sounds selfish but it's much easier to stand on a higher moral ground if it's not what happened to you. I can easily say the same thing about someone else, but I won't because I don't know what the other person is going through and maybe they have their own reasons. I will keep reporting this item if it comes up again and eBay has all the records relates to this sale. I agree the right thing to do is to leave a negative feedback but I can only be responsible for what I have purchased and to maximize my opportunity to get my money back.

 

[Love Of My Life]

Yeah I understand your point, but I worry that if I do not agree with such arrangement I will not get my money back as soon as in this case (which is important to me) as everything is part of an agreement, I know it sounds selfish but it's much easier to stand on a higher moral ground if it's not what happened to you. I can easily say the same thing about someone else, but I won't because I don't know what the other person is going through and maybe they have their own reasons. I will keep reporting this item if it comes up again and eBay has all the records relates to this sale. I agree the right thing to do is to leave a negative feedback but I can only be responsible for what I have purchased and to maximize my opportunity to get my money back.

Your comments are: However despite becoming scared so quickly & gave me a "full refund",
they keep on insist, it is a real bag, why refund me then?
"Anyways, I'm happy now that I have "my refund"

The moral ground here is to warn others about this seller who
may be selling merchandise that is not authentic.

You have your refund. The arrangement has been completed.
You can leave feedback & why you don't want to warn others,
is disappointing

 

[mMmQ]

You can leave your feedback after you receive your refund. Ebay allows
you to do that....

The moral ground here is to warn others about this seller who
may be selling merchandise that is not authentic.

OK I will do that after making sure the money has gone back to my account and also the seller is not going to harass me. To be very honest I see much more darker side of people than most people do and I tend not to trigger people unless I absolutely have to.

By the way I don't think I have the obligation to warn other people even though it is a nice thing to do. Like I said, I am only responsible for what I have purchased, in this case, I blame myself fully for my mistake. If you do it, great, but I don't think it's right to judge others.

 

[Love Of My Life]

You also mention that you would contact Ebay to report this item if it comes up again.

If you don't feel "obligated" to warn others through feedback, that is your decision &
that for me is disappointing. Many want to do what they can to warn others about
fake merchandise in the marketplace.

You came to the forum to share your experience, you put the listing up for all
to see, the bag is not authentic, you do what works for you.

 

[skimilk]

OK I will do that after making sure the money has gone back to my account and also the seller is not going to harass me. To be very honest I see much more darker side of people than most people do and I tend not to trigger people unless I absolutely have to.

By the way I don't think I have the obligation to warn other people even though it is a nice thing to do. Like I said, I am only responsible for what I have purchased, in this case, I blame myself fully for my mistake. If you do it, great, but I don't think it's right to judge others.

Yes, just leave feedback after you get your refund.

Of course you aren't obligated to warn others, but perhaps if someone else had done it, this wouldn't have had happened to you...

 

[BeenBurned]

Leaving feedback will warn others. It's important because another buyer(s)
shouldn't have to deal with a seller that doesn't sell authentic merchandise.

Had feedback been left by perhaps another buyer that had your experience, you
might not have gone through with the transaction, being forewarned by "feedback",IYKWIM

Wait one second!!!!

OP, do NOT leave feedback yet!

Unless and until you have definitive information from a skilled Celine authenticator, you haven't proven that the bag is fake and clearly, you aren't expert enough yourself to know for sure. (You've admitted that!)

*Sigh* WTF do some people automatically assume that a poster is correct in her assessment?

I have no experience with Celine and can't state whether the bag is authentic, good fake or obvious fake but I do know that NO SELLER deserves feedback to forewarn other buyers when the bag isn't proven to be fake!!

 

[gail13]

I would be surprised if PP or Ebay will take a letter from a Celine store as evidence of a fake etc. Are you sure you don't have to get a letter from an authentication service?

Did you post this in the Authenticate This Thread? I'm not a Celine expert but there are a few red flags with the listing and the seller. At least you should get a opinion from an expert to make sure...

 

[BeenBurned]

I have now done everything I can, contacted ebay, paypal and even a celine store through email which they will very kindly provide a letter for me saying they cannot guarantee the authenticity of the item. I just hope this can resolve as quickly as possible. The ebay/paypal guys I have talked to seem very optimistic about the situation saying they will get my money back. Fingers crossed it won't be a long process...Lesson learnt here. I will update progress as it develops.

I disagree with you that you've done all you can.

Have you posted on AT Celine? Have you purchased an expert/professional authentication?

If your answers to the above are "no," then you haven't done all you can.

Additionally, you say you've "contacted a Celine store through email" but how do you expert them to authenticate? ANY AND EVERY store will say they "can't guarantee authenticity" of an item that wasn't purchased directly from them. But that doesn't prove the un-authenticity of the item you have in hand!

Again, while you might have received a fake, you haven't proven it yet. I wish you'd done things in the right order before accusing the seller.

As for the refund, I do hope you'll return the bag to the seller since you've already received a refund.

 

[threadbender]

Wait one second!!!!

OP, do NOT leave feedback yet!

Unless and until you have definitive information from a skilled Celine authenticator, you haven't proven that the bag is fake and clearly, you aren't expert enough yourself to know for sure. (You've admitted that!)

*Sigh* WTF do some people automatically assume that a poster is correct in her assessment?

I have no experience with Celine and can't state whether the bag is authentic, good fake or obvious fake but I do know that NO SELLER deserves feedback to forewarn other buyers when the bag isn't proven to be fake!!

Yes, please do make absolutely sure before you leave feedback. It is so important! For your seller, of course, but for you, as well. If you leave a FB stating it was a fake and it is not, you could end up hurting your own reputation, in addition to theirs.
It is always best to get an authentication prior to permanent actions.
Good luck!!

 

[bunnyr]

I'm not sure you're so nice to "scare" the seller especially you can't prove authenticity.

 

[BeenBurned]

My experience showed me that sometimes you need to go all the way, I guess normally people wait for the seller's response first but I just have no patience for that. I contacted everyone that I can so I am able to 'be rude' (based on the seller's account) and scare this person into giving me back my money as soon as possible. So I suggest if something similar happens to someone here next time, do not be nice and wait for the seller, if you know for sure you have been sold a fake item, take all actions immediately and at the same time let the person know that you understand eBay rules and also local law about selling counterfeit goods.

If you have that much experience to say that it "showed me that sometimes you need to go all the way, I guess normally people wait for the seller's response first but I just have no patience for that," then clearly, you aren't aware of ebay's requested requirement that buyers should try to work out differences with the seller PRIOR to opening disputes (and spewing accusations).

You approached the seller in an emotional irrational way and "not to have patience" to do things in the right order says a lot about you.

Regarding the bold, I'll ask again, HOW expert are you? And if you're that expert, you shouldn't have been fooled so easily.

I know it sounds selfish but it's much easier to stand on a higher moral ground if it's not what happened to you.

*snip*

I agree the right thing to do is to leave a negative feedback but I can only be responsible for what I have purchased and to maximize my opportunity to get my money back.

You got your money and you still have the bag. That's moral?

The moral ground here is to warn others about this seller who
may be selling merchandise that is not authentic.

You came to the forum to share your experience, you put the listing up for all
to see, the bag is not authentic, you do what works for you.

Hotshot, are you an expert in Celine? How do you know the bag is fake, buyers should be warned?
And why is it moral to neg a seller who may be selling fakes but it hasn't been determined to be true?