newbie needs info on buying Hermes on *bay-

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banania212

Member
Sep 2, 2008
13
0
#1
Hi-
I am contemplating buying a Birkin on *bay from what seems to be a seller whom most of you feel is completely reputable.
I'd like to hear from anyone who has done so; my concern is protecting myself despite their claims that the item is "100% authentic". Did anyone ask the seller to sign and send a notarized statement to that effect? My attorney tells me that that is the least I could ask for, since the seller will not meet me in person.
Also, the seller says she will not accept any other sort of payment than a bank wire transfer.
I know that despite sellers saying that they do not give refunds, one may always take them to civil court to get the money back if the bag is fake; I don't want to have to go through that, though!
What, if anything, did you do to keep yourself safe before parting with your money, besides authenticating on the forum here?
 
#2
My mantra is "Know Your Seller".
I have only bought from sellers with an outstanding track record of selling authentic Hermes. My reason: these sellers are often collectors of Hermes and have worked very hard to establish their reputation. They would not risk that reputation by selling fake Hermes which would be found out in no time at all.
If a seller accepts bank wire transfer only: for me personally it's not an obstacle if I trust the seller. For some people it is an obstacle and in that case they can try to check other payment methods with the seller. The bank wire transfer only method is a protection for the seller, because it's not only on the seller's side that there are frauds, there's a lot of frauds on the buyer's side too.
A notarized statement: I think if push comes to shove, it's not worth the paper it's printed on.
So - for me personally, it's really a matter of trust. There's a list of trustworthy sellers listed here, but it's by no means complete. A search of the ebay sellers list discussion thread is also a good method (once the search function is up again).
 
#3
hello2703 said:
My mantra is "Know Your Seller".
I have only bought from sellers with an outstanding track record of selling authentic Hermes. My reason: these sellers are often collectors of Hermes and have worked very hard to establish their reputation. They would not risk that reputation by selling fake Hermes which would be found out in no time at all.
If a seller accepts bank wire transfer only: for me personally it's not an obstacle if I trust the seller. For some people it is an obstacle and in that case they can try to check other payment methods with the seller. The bank wire transfer only method is a protection for the seller, because it's not only on the seller's side that there are frauds, there's a lot of frauds on the buyer's side too.
A notarized statement: I think if push comes to shove, it's not worth the paper it's printed on.
So - for me personally, it's really a matter of trust. There's a list of trustworthy sellers listed here, but it's by no means complete. A search of the ebay sellers list discussion thread is also a good method (once the search function is up again).
Click to expand...


well said: i have bought and sold Hermes on ebay for about 9 years now. Never had a problem. There are some reputable sellers that are difficult to deal with........doesnt mean the bags arent real though. You are permitted to post the seller's id (i believe) if you want input
 
#4
No matter what kind of statements you get from the seller, there is always a risk attached to buying 2nd hand. Even if the seller has a few thousand good transactions, it doesn't mean you won't get the first lemon, kwim, even thou it is very unlikely? We don't know where the resellers got their supplies from. Trust has to play a big part in these transactions, like what hello said.

I have recently bought from 2 lovely sellers, and I did go through a lot of stress before wiring the money over. Luckily both transactions went very well and I was very happy. If you are very uncomfortable, it is better to wait and buy direct from the boutique. You can go to the ebay subforum and read about the horror stories and learn from them.
 
#5
I've never bought a bag from a reseller. I bought a scarf and it was fine.

But to address the court issue. I think you should look at the state you are in and the state they are in and all the other legallities.

If you are in another country, you would have to hire an attorney in that country, maybe go to that country, stay in a hotel, and spend $$$$ to recoup your loss which might be more than the loss if there were to be a loss.

Also different states have different laws. So while I can't tell you what to do I will tell you to make sure if you are looking for legal action to think a lot and do a lot of research into what your legal recourse could be. Don't just assume you can go to civil court and get your money back with relative ease.

That's why I'm writing this. The rest others are giving great advice and I can't comment as I've only made one e-bay transaction and that was with Setons help.

Also while it was a good chunck of money to me, I also thought about it this way. If something goes wrong, can I afford to loose this amount? The answer was I'd be very upset but my world won't stop so I bought it and I bought with paypal so I think there was insurance up to $2,000 too which my purchase was maybe $400?

Good luck
 
#6
thank you, ladies, for all your kind suggestions.
Hello2703, and Hermesaholic, would you be willing to say whom you have purchased from on *bay? The seller I am thinking of using has always photographed the bags outside in front of a textured wall, and the other seller always has the bags on what looks like a white sofa.
 
#7
Banania - the seller with the textured wall would be luxwear and the one with the white sofa would be mightykismet.
I have only purchased from luxwear so far and she is outstanding. I would purchase from mightykismet as well without hesitation.
Both sellers have a super track record for selling outstanding bags that are true to description. No worries with either.
 
#8
hello2703 said:
Banania - the seller with the textured wall would be luxwear and the one with the white sofa would be mightykismet.
I have only purchased from luxwear so far and she is outstanding. I would purchase from mightykismet as well without hesitation.
Both sellers have a super track record for selling outstanding bags that are true to description. No worries with either.
Click to expand...


thank you!

may I ask your personal opinion-even though you have not purchased from them- of the bags offered nyfahionexpert and hermes**(store name onlythebest)? I do so appreciate this info; being new to this and quite nervous..:sweatdrop:
 
#9
Am I the only person who feels like buying on Ebay will always be a gamble? I know I am biased because I was burned once in the past, but the fact is that unless I bought my item directly from the H store, I would always wonder about the authenticity. I have not heard anything bad about any of the sellers you mention here, but for some reason, on a personal level, I would always worry.

As MissMargaux said, I would be asking myself if I could afford the gamble, and considering the resale markup, I don't think I would be up for it.
 
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