Fake Isabel Marant Shoe, to open ebay resolution do I need to prove inauthenticity?

missty4

missty4

Sofa King Banned(jk)
Jan 19, 2009
2,484
82
#1
I tried doing a search and maybe I'm not good at this, but couldn't find anything.

I bought a pair of Isabel Marant poppy suede heels from ebay germany a month ago. Received them fine and never really thought about them again since I've been busy. Just recently, I compared them to my other IM poppy suede heels and they are different! The shape of the heel/arch is wrong, the bow tie is a little off (noticed this at first but never gave more attention) and the sole is not like IM's.

I emailed the seller to see if we can work things out, and of course, she is outraged saying that it comes from her private collection (from a friend, and her husband's friend would never purchase fakes) and request that I get a certificate of authenticity from the manufacturer and she'll forward this information to her attorney and in that case, will refund.

I'm not sure if Isabel Marant would provide authentication services like this (doubtful the NY boutique would, I'm located on the west coast). And I'm not entirely sure if CarolDiva does shoes, Isabel Marants on top of that.

I have 45 days to open a case through ebay and it's been 30 so far when I found out about the shoe. Usually, I thought ebay/paypal favors the buyer side for SNADs... but would I really need proof i.e. certificate of authenticity? For some reason, I thought SNADs are usually open and shut case for buyers (unfortunate for sellers though), but I could be wrong.


Thank you for all your help and expertise tips!
 
#2
I know that a lot of boutiques won't do authentication services, but in a case like this, it won't hurt to try. I'd take clear photos of all parts of the shoe and try sending them to customer service at one of the Isabel Marant flagship stores. Tell them that you believe the shoes to be counterfeit and are hoping to get confirmation. They may not reply/be able to help you, but again, it won't hurt to ask.

From her response, I also suspect that the seller knows that these are fakes, and she's trying to drag out the 45 days. I'd wait to file a claim - see if you get a response from I.M., or if there's somewhere else to authenticate. But if it gets closer to the 45 days, whether you've heard from I.M. or not, I'd file the SNAD claim.

I've never had to deal with fake shoes, so perhaps someone else knows if there's another site that authentication for them.
 
#3
^agree here.. send pics & see if they can be authenticated... this seller leaves

much to be desired in her comment about her "attorney"..

wonder how she might feel if your "attorney" said they were fakes with

appropriate documentation...gimme a break here...
 
#4
IrisCole said:
I know that a lot of boutiques won't do authentication services, but in a case like this, it won't hurt to try. I'd take clear photos of all parts of the shoe and try sending them to customer service at one of the Isabel Marant flagship stores. Tell them that you believe the shoes to be counterfeit and are hoping to get confirmation. They may not reply/be able to help you, but again, it won't hurt to ask.

From her response, I also suspect that the seller knows that these are fakes, and she's trying to drag out the 45 days. I'd wait to file a claim - see if you get a response from I.M., or if there's somewhere else to authenticate. But if it gets closer to the 45 days, whether you've heard from I.M. or not, I'd file the SNAD claim.

I've never had to deal with fake shoes, so perhaps someone else knows if there's another site that authentication for them.
Click to expand...

Thank you for your insight and reply :smile: I just called the NY boutique and they said they don't really do any sort of authentication, but if I like, I can email them photos and they can give me their opinion of what they think. I'm not sure if that's good enough as proof (how can one really get a certificate of authenticity?), but they were kind to offer their opinion. Just shot them the email with photos.
 
#5
well, let's hope for the best... perhaps you can reach out to the design studio/
corporate office as well.... if there are fakes in the marketplace besides knowing
the, sometimes they can learn from looking at the shoe.. to me, everything is
worth a shot because you just never know...
 
#6
hotshot said:
well, let's hope for the best... perhaps you can reach out to the design studio/
corporate office as well.... if there are fakes in the marketplace besides knowing
the, sometimes they can learn from looking at the shoe.. to me, everything is
worth a shot because you just never know...
Click to expand...

Agreed. Also, even if you get an informal e-mail back from I.M., you can forward that to the seller, along with some language like,

"After sending them photos of the shoes, I just received word from the Isabel Marant flagship store in New York confirming that they are, indeed, counterfeit. I'd like to start on the return process as soon as possible, so if you could confirm your return address as _________, I'll get these back to you as soon as possible."

Something like that is stern, but also non-confrontational, and hopefully she'll agree to take them back. If she still gives you a hard time about it, just file SNAD and submit all of the info from I.M. If she agrees to the return, make sure to send them back with a method (USPS Express International works) with signature confirmation and insurance.
 
#9
IrisCole said:
Agreed. Also, even if you get an informal e-mail back from I.M., you can forward that to the seller, along with some language like,

"After sending them photos of the shoes, I just received word from the Isabel Marant flagship store in New York confirming that they are, indeed, counterfeit. I'd like to start on the return process as soon as possible, so if you could confirm your return address as _________, I'll get these back to you as soon as possible." In its fight against counterfeits, I.M. has requested that I forward the seller's ebay ID and contact information so that they might take action against those who sell fakes of their products. At this time, I haven't given them your information. But I do hope we can resolve this amicably.

Something like that is stern, but also non-confrontational, and hopefully she'll agree to take them back. If she still gives you a hard time about it, just file SNAD and submit all of the info from I.M. If she agrees to the return, make sure to send them back with a method (USPS Express International works) with signature confirmation and insurance.
Click to expand...
I might even consider adding the line in red above as a way to call her bluff.
 
#10
Thank you IrisCole, BeenBurned for a well-written template on how to go about with the seller. I just received a reply from the Isabel Marant boutique in Soho and this is their reply:

-----------------------------
Hello,

It is hard to say from the pictures, but indeed, the bottom of the shoe looks quite different.
Would you like to bring them in for us to have a closer look?
Please let me know if you have any questions

-----------------------------


Except I live on the west coast :sad:
 
#11
I'd let the seller know that you want to return them and if she declines, file SNAD with ebay as fake. If they request an authentication, you can cross that bridge then. Sometimes, they don't request letters; they just advise you to return and when you prove return, you get refund.

And depending on how cooperative or uncooperative the seller is, you can leave appropriate feedback.
 
#12
BeenBurned said:
I'd let the seller know that you want to return them and if she declines, file SNAD with ebay as fake. If they request an authentication, you can cross that bridge then. Sometimes, they don't request letters; they just advise you to return and when you prove return, you get refund.

And depending on how cooperative or uncooperative the seller is, you can leave appropriate feedback.
Click to expand...


It's too bad, we both left each other positive feedback already. I only realized the differences well after the feedback was written. She still won't budge for a return, and needs to see written certificate of inauthenticity. I'm debating if I need the aid of mypoupette (it looks like they do shoes too). It's $45 for the service, and I may need to ship them there as well?

I just reread your comment again and it looks like the best course of action is to go ahead and open an ebay case? And if ebay requests authentication, provide it then (but not now)?

It seems like the seller is cooperating and looking forward to what I have to say about the authentication, so should I wait off on opening an ebay case and just try resolving this with the seller using mypoupette?
 
#13
missty4 said:
It's too bad, we both left each other positive feedback already. I only realized the differences well after the feedback was written. She still won't budge for a return, and needs to see written certificate of inauthenticity. I'm debating if I need the aid of mypoupette (it looks like they do shoes too). It's $45 for the service, and I may need to ship them there as well?

I just reread your comment again and it looks like the best course of action is to go ahead and open an ebay case? And if ebay requests authentication, provide it then (but not now)?

It seems like the seller is cooperating and looking forward to what I have to say about the authentication, so should I wait off on opening an ebay case and just try resolving this with the seller using mypoupette?
Click to expand...
You can add a comment to the feedback you left for her. You can say that "I learned shoes are counterfeit and seller is refusing to refund."

As for authentication, I'd wait till ebay requests a letter. You might also email Caroldiva and ask whether she does IM shoes.
 
#15
missty4 said:
It's too bad, we both left each other positive feedback already. I only realized the differences well after the feedback was written. She still won't budge for a return, and needs to see written certificate of inauthenticity. I'm debating if I need the aid of mypoupette (it looks like they do shoes too). It's $45 for the service, and I may need to ship them there as well?

I just reread your comment again and it looks like the best course of action is to go ahead and open an ebay case? And if ebay requests authentication, provide it then (but not now)?

It seems like the seller is cooperating and looking forward to what I have to say about the authentication, so should I wait off on opening an ebay case and just try resolving this with the seller using mypoupette?
Click to expand...

I could be wrong, but IMO it sounds like the seller is trying to drag things out past the 45 day mark. I'd file a claim at this point. After you file a claim, even if she then agrees to the return, make sure not to cancel the claim until you have your money back. Once you close a claim, it's incredibly difficult, if not impossible, to have it reopened.
 
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