You aren't allowed to sell something if it isn't authentic. It is as safe as it has ever been. You've never been allowed to sell things that weren't authentic. If a buyer claim your item isn't authentic, you could be forced to take a return or risk losing your item. Ebay isn't in the authenticity business so the buyer doesn't have to prove the item is fake for them to be allowed to return.
eBay, etc. General Question/Answer Thread
- Thread starter Japster
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So as a seller, we ship our item to an eBay address first then they will ship it to the buyer after they authenticate it?
@Chanel4Eva is talking about this program:
eBay Authenticity Guarantee for Handbags
Shop designer handbags and accessories with confidence—just look for the checkmark.
pages.ebay.com
For the brands included in this program, I believe (but am not sure) that it covers any of the handbags over $500.
When the purchase is made, sellers ship to ebay where they have an unnamed team of experts who supposedly examine the bag and if confirmed as authentic, it's subsequently shipped to the buyer.
The problem is that no one knows who the "experts" are and ebay refuses to disclose.
There's a similar authenticity guaranteed program with sneakers and there have been many threads on ebay's discussion boards where mistakes have been made.
A huge problem is that if ebay's experts deem the item to be fake, the seller loses the item and the money. Not knowing how skilled the authenticators are, I think it's a scary thought to consider that authentic items can be mistakenly determined to be fake and the sellers lose.
Thank you so much for the explanation. That’s the part that makes me nervous, who is authenticating these items? I’ve been selling on eBay for many years and just noticed the “Authenticity Guarantee” stamp on my listing when I listed a pair of Golden Goose sneakers. But that’s scary that I can lose my item if the Authenticators make a mistake.@Chanel4Eva is talking about this program:
eBay Authenticity Guarantee for Handbags
Shop designer handbags and accessories with confidence—just look for the checkmark.
For the brands included in this program, I believe (but am not sure) that it covers any of the handbags over $500.
When the purchase is made, sellers ship to ebay where they have an unnamed team of experts who supposedly examine the bag and if confirmed as authentic, it's subsequently shipped to the buyer.
The problem is that no one knows who the "experts" are and ebay refuses to disclose.
There's a similar authenticity guaranteed program with sneakers and there have been many threads on ebay's discussion boards where mistakes have been made.
A huge problem is that if ebay's experts deem the item to be fake, the seller loses the item and the money. Not knowing how skilled the authenticators are, I think it's a scary thought to consider that authentic items can be mistakenly determined to be fake and the sellers lose.
Definitely! VERY scary. And as shown below, I've pasted copies of Q&A from ebay's boards. I don't think TPF allows the links to the thread so I'm copying.
The questions pose very reasonable concerns, NONE of which are answered directly. And as I'm reading the reply, it sounds to me like the packaging and props are among the items used to determine authenticity! (GMAFB!)
I don't think so.
They aren't clear and since my items don't qualify, I don't have first hand experience.
I make it a point to never sell anything over $500. I would worry too much.
Someone asked for clarification and it has been clarified. If a bag is one of the brands listed and $500+, there are no options. It's in the program and at the mercy of their experts, whoever they might be.
There are very strict rules regarding the sale of digitally delivered item, starting with the fact that only pre-approved sellers are authorized to list them.
Electronically delivered items policy
Electronically delivered goods can only be listed by eBay approved sellers and must follow our policy.
Don't do this. I remember a lot of people getting scammed selling this kind of thing in the past. Buyers use the item, and then report it as "not as described" to get their money back.
Ebay will side with them and you will lose your money since they have no proof you sent it to them unused. It is risky and dangerous to resell digital products.
Hoping someone could help me and shed some insight!
I'm a newer buyer on eBay when it comes to buying vintage/ secondhand handbags. I decided on a relatively new (since 2020) Japanese reseller with >90% rating on feedback. Before purchasing, I paid for a third party to authenticate the bag. The handbag was not listed as an auction, but as "buy it now".
After receiving confirmation from the authenticator, I proceeded with the purchase using my CC, and shortly received an email from eBay confirming the order and payment received.
The seller's original listing says to give them approximately 3-10 days after receipt of payment to ship out the item. That's fine, and so I have not reached out to the seller and thought I'd just give them the time that was stated.
However, since paying for the bag, I also noticed another Japanese reseller (older account since 2011, also >90% rating) had listed the bag I purchased at a higher price, using the exact same pictures as well!
And then 2 days later, I noticed the same seller I bought from had re-listed the bag at a slightly higher price than what I purchased. The entire listing and pictures are the same, only the title has been changed.
I'm confused at this point, and also just concerned. Reading in past threads, it seems that some seller accounts have been guilty of re-listing the same handbag on multiple accounts to increase visibility and drive up the price. But my concerns at this point are:
-Is this a common scamming tactic? Or a common strategy used to continue to drive up the value of a wanted item?
-Am I potentially going to be a victim of a bait and switch?
-Is the seller just going to cancel my order if they're not satisfied with the price point for which their item sold for?
I spent a lot of time looking through other eBay listings before committing to this one. I had seen duplicates of other posts and pictures, but at the time, no other account had the same exact pictures of the one I wanted until after I had paid for it.
What gives?
Thanks for your help!
I'm a newer buyer on eBay when it comes to buying vintage/ secondhand handbags. I decided on a relatively new (since 2020) Japanese reseller with >90% rating on feedback. Before purchasing, I paid for a third party to authenticate the bag. The handbag was not listed as an auction, but as "buy it now".
After receiving confirmation from the authenticator, I proceeded with the purchase using my CC, and shortly received an email from eBay confirming the order and payment received.
The seller's original listing says to give them approximately 3-10 days after receipt of payment to ship out the item. That's fine, and so I have not reached out to the seller and thought I'd just give them the time that was stated.
However, since paying for the bag, I also noticed another Japanese reseller (older account since 2011, also >90% rating) had listed the bag I purchased at a higher price, using the exact same pictures as well!
And then 2 days later, I noticed the same seller I bought from had re-listed the bag at a slightly higher price than what I purchased. The entire listing and pictures are the same, only the title has been changed.
I'm confused at this point, and also just concerned. Reading in past threads, it seems that some seller accounts have been guilty of re-listing the same handbag on multiple accounts to increase visibility and drive up the price. But my concerns at this point are:
-Is this a common scamming tactic? Or a common strategy used to continue to drive up the value of a wanted item?
-Am I potentially going to be a victim of a bait and switch?
-Is the seller just going to cancel my order if they're not satisfied with the price point for which their item sold for?
I spent a lot of time looking through other eBay listings before committing to this one. I had seen duplicates of other posts and pictures, but at the time, no other account had the same exact pictures of the one I wanted until after I had paid for it.
What gives?
Thanks for your help!
I've seen this before with Japanese sellers. I don't think it is necessarily a scam. You are protected by ebay buyer protection. Some of these sellers have large operations and some of their employees may not have realized it sold. This happened to me once with a large American seller and everything went smoothly. Most of the Japanese sellers I've dealt with have shipped quickly.
When you get the bag, examine it carefully and verify that it's the identical item you saw in the listing and that the pictures match (pattern placement, etc.) exactly as shown.
If it differs, you can file a dispute for not as described.
Watch the timeline so if a dispute is necessary, you're within ebay's guidelines.