PLEASE READ: Let this be a lesson to you all

I

indiaink

Authenticator
O.G.
May 3, 2007
17,342
11,313
#1
I fell for something yesterday, and went head over heels down that quick road to perdition. I thought I found the real deal on e-Bay. I thought I'd checked on the authenticity of it enough and had good communication with the seller, she sent lots of photos. It was terrific! Yay for me! Oh boy! I'm so smart and so confident! I've got a new best friend, and she turned out to be a Scammer Deluxe, the High Quality Kind (except she did say "ha ha" a lot in her e-mails - I can only imagine the glee she was feeling as she reeled me in....)

Yes, she sent lots of photos. Lots of photos of a fake handbag, as I found out. After the charge had gone through. This afternoon.

I won the Balenciaga, but found out tonight in the Balenciaga forum that it was a fake bag.

I didn't wait to have it officially authenticated here, or anywhere else. I was given just enough information to make me think I knew the rest ('cause I'm so smart, you see, and so confident - heck, I been doin' e-Bay since 2001, bought and sold lots of things, I know!), without waiting to hear the rest or find out any more.

My downfall: Excitement; the thought of owning a Balenciaga for 60% off; my own addiction to handbags; the idea that I couldn't be swindled because I thought I knew what to look for.

It is indeed a true maxim: If it sounds too good to be true, then it is too good to be true.

ALWAYS check HERE if you've found a handbag you want but aren't sure if it's the real thing. If there's a forum here for it, post in that forum. If there's not, post it here.

I have been saved, just barely. My credit card company has placed a dispute on the charge, which means it won't go through (or will be reversed). I know that not everyone is as lucky as I have been.

Thank you to tPF and the lovely ladies who save us all in the Balenciaga forum (and elsewhere!) - you saved my bacon, for which I am eternally grateful
 
#2
I think if it were not for this site a lot of us would have had this experience. You will get it resolved and next time you will get a real B-bag!
 
#3
thanks for the heads up!
did you report this to ebay?
maybe you should tell the ebay forum the seller's identity and whatever you got from him/her!

good thing you can get the money back! be careful next time!
 
#4
I have reported it to eBay. The seller is insisting the bag is real, that she bought it at a Balenciaga boutique in 2005. I told her to come here to the Balenciaga forum and take it up with the experts. She hasn't volunteered to send me a photo of the so-called receipt she's got -:roflmfao:
 
#5
I am sorry that you went through all of that frusteration! That really does stink! I hope she gets in a crap load of trouble for what she's done!
 
#7
wow, indiaink! Good for you though, checking in with the Bal gals....It stinks to be taken in, but you did great and hopefully, those of us who are new to the higher-end purchases will take heed to your wise words and hard-won lesson....
 
#8
Wow. Very sorry this happened to you! I can so commiserate with you, as I'm sure many here can. I did the same exact thing but fortunately the seller was only about 20 minutes from me and we met to exchange the offending bag and refund. She was beyond apologetic and really unfamiliar with the line of bags and I had only just begun buying bags on ebay (online retailer or in store only before that). This was before I was really familiar with tpf.

Your words are wise. I hope all is resolved quickly and to your satisfaction!
 
#9
This has turned into a nightmare - she's insisting it's real, I've embarrassed her (she's posted in the Balenciaga Forum/Authenticate This thread, if anybody wants to go look -) I've gotten really crappy e-mail from her and I'm calling it a night.

Thanks all for your support. This is such a nightmare.
 
#10
indiaink, it is so unfortunate to have such an awful experience. This is exactly what stops me from getting something at ebay. I replied to a ebay forum thread - sellers are wondering why business is slow on ebay. Well, here is a perfect example. Rookies like us get turned off because of uncertainty, etc.

IF the seller truly bought the item at Bal NY, you can call the boutique and have them check their sales record. I've done this with LV boutique, and they were easily able to pull up the record.

Anyway, I hope WF gets the charge reversed. They have excellent customer svc.

Good luck.
 
#12
Thank goodness you paid by card. i was swindled on e-bay before i found this forum but i paid by cheque. managed to get some money back going through e-bay but still lost about £100! never again!!!!
 
#13
'Belleluna (tPF ID) is the seller (bailey*buttons on eBay) - she has conveniently failed to provide a copy of the receipt. She's said a whole bunch of stuff but not what I want to hear. She's going to 'keep the bag', because eBay is so horrid.

I have reported her to eBay for fraud, to Bidpay to get my money back, and of course, to my credit card company, who has already to started the dispute/chargeback process. I'm good to go. And I'm sticking with Hayden-Harnett.:wlae:

Such is life.
 
#14
Definitely a good warning for all of us; we have such an amazing resource here, with so many smart women (and men!) ready to help us just for the sake of helping. Sorry you had to deal with a fake, but I'm glad it will be resolved.
 
#15
I'm sorry this happened to you, but I'm glad you are fighting it. I was ripped off once. I paid good money for a "gently used" Marc Jacobs bag that was ripped and worn out.

It does make you doubtful about buying things on eBay, though. I feel bad for honest sellers.
 
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