Scammed on eBay - Fake YSL Bag - Please Help!

[cleocat08]

Hi Everyone,

Long post - I've included pics to make up for it See attachments for pics of the fake bag and authentication result.

I have become another eBay statistic. I purchased a YSL Baby Monogram Cabas bag from eBay about 2 weeks ago. Seller claims she received it from her ex-husband after cheating on her (yeah, I know, I'm such a sucker). Anyway, I got the bag authenticated by a UK-based handbag reseller and authenticator called Handbag Clinic after I received the bag. They have decent reviews so I thought that they'd do a good, impartial job.

Surprise, surprise - they concluded that the bag was unauthentic.

I processed the return on eBay as 'Item not as described' (INAD) as the seller was trying to pass the bag off as authentic. After calling eBay to report the issue, they stated that INAD was not the most optimal option because that implies that I'd need to send the bag back to the seller. Given that the bag was fake, they said it may actually be illegal to send the bag anywhere. Anyways, they advised that the seller will still need to issue the refund given that the bag is fake and I've got proof that the bag's a fake. If seller refuses to refund after 8 days, I can escalate by opening a case with eBay where they'll change the return reason as counterfeit item and process an immediate refund.

Here comes the problem - seller insists that the bag is authentic and refuses to issue a refund (shocker). She's accusing me of trying to scam HER and sending fake photos to the authenticator. She claims that she called eBay as well and they advised that she should not issue a refund until she receives the bag back. Now this conflicts with advice given to me. I don't want to send the bag back if I may be breaking the law. On top of that, I don't trust that she won't deliberately destroy the bag and claim that the bag was returned damaged to avoid issuing a refund.

I've since replied saying that I'd happily forward her and eBay the correspondence with the authenticator (including photos of the bag I sent) and close the case if she can provide me proof to support her claims of authenticity (such as a receipt...maybe she can ask her ex ha). I also called eBay to check on the advices received and they confirmed that the advice provided to me (entitled to full refund, don't return fake bag as it's illegal) was accurate.

Seller has since replied saying that she is still NOT processing a refund until she receives the bag. So it looks like I've got a painful 8 days ahead of me until I can open a case with eBay to report item as a counterfeit because I chose the reason for return as INAD -.-

Anyways, if there's any PFers who have gone through or witnessed similar experiences, would you be able to share tips on how best to handle the situation and what the most likely outcome will be? Appreciate any help I can get!

I'm no YSL expert but the details on the bag looked so real to me! I posted a poll here as well to get your views on whether you think the bag's real or fake. Whatever your choice, please let me know why you chose real/fake as I'm keen to observe how people go about self-authenticating to avoid this hassle in the future.

 

[Vlad]

Bumping since this was stuck in the moderation queue.

 

[BeenBurned]

I'm not sure why you've posted a poll because a majority vote isn't going to prove anything. And according to Vlad's post on the YSL subforum, "Unfortunately we do not have any active authenticators for this forum any longer, please look for a paid service," you can't get an opinion there.

How long ago did you purchase it from ebay? Would you post a link to the listing?

If it's within the timeframe, you can open a SNAD dispute which would require the seller to respond. And for SNAD, you WILL win the dispute as long as you abide by the timelines.

 

[JenJBS]

I would follow the eBay advice not to return this fake bag. But if you have to return some other bag in the future I would use your phone to make a video of the bag, and you putting that bag in the shipping box. That way you have evidence of the condition the bag was in when you boxed it up for return so they can't say you sent it back damaged.

 

[cleocat08]

I'm not sure why you've posted a poll because a majority vote isn't going to prove anything. And according to Vlad's post on the YSL subforum, "Unfortunately we do not have any active authenticators for this forum any longer, please look for a paid service," you can't get an opinion there.

How long ago did you purchase it from ebay? Would you post a link to the listing?

If it's within the timeframe, you can open a SNAD dispute which would require the seller to respond. And for SNAD, you WILL win the dispute as long as you abide by the timelines.

I already engaged a paid service who told me the bag was unauthentic. So I KNOW the bag is fake. I created a poll on the off-chance that people here who know better than me might be able to share their opinion or knowledge if they're able to spot straight away whether the bag was real or fake. I'm not forcing answers here so not sure what's with your curt question..

I purchased the bag about 1.5 weeks ago. Link to the listing here: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SALE-YSL...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

I raised the return as 'Item Not as Described'. Is that what you mean? If so, then yeah that's already in progress. eBay says seller needs to refund me and told me not to return the item. Seller is REFUSING to refund. So my question here is what should I expect next? Will eBay really force a refund and I can rest easy knowing the case will be decided in my favour?

 

[cleocat08]

I would follow the eBay advice not to return this fake bag. But if you have to return some other bag in the future I would use your phone to make a video of the bag, and you putting that bag in the shipping box. That way you have evidence of the condition the bag was in when you boxed it up for return so they can't say you sent it back damaged.

Thank you for your response. I will sit tight and not return the bag. Itching to cut it up and bin it for being a fake, but I'm holding myself back until I receive my refund!

 

[cleocat08]

Hi Mod. Don't think this thread is particularly helpful for getting any insight and answers are making me more upset really. Can you please close? TIA

 

[BeenBurned]

I already engaged a paid service who told me the bag was unauthentic. So I KNOW the bag is fake. I created a poll on the off-chance that people here who know better than me might be able to share their opinion or knowledge if they're able to spot straight away whether the bag was real or fake. I'm not forcing answers here so not sure what's with your curt question..

I purchased the bag about 1.5 weeks ago. Link to the listing here: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SALE-YSL-LEATHER-BAG-BRAND-NEW-GENUINE/133287434417?ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

I raised the return as 'Item Not as Described'. Is that what you mean? If so, then yeah that's already in progress. eBay says seller needs to refund me and told me not to return the item. Seller is REFUSING to refund. So my question here is what should I expect next? Will eBay really force a refund and I can rest easy knowing the case will be decided in my favour?

I would follow the eBay advice not to return this fake bag. But if you have to return some other bag in the future I would use your phone to make a video of the bag, and you putting that bag in the shipping box. That way you have evidence of the condition the bag was in when you boxed it up for return so they can't say you sent it back damaged.

^^^Inaccurate and misleading. Ebay gave bad info and if you don't return the bag, you'll lose the case.

Also, ebay and paypal don't accept video evidence as proof of anything.

Thank you for your response. I will sit tight and not return the bag. Itching to cut it up and bin it for being a fake, but I'm holding myself back until I receive my refund!

If you read the forum or ebay's discussion boards often, you'll find that calling ebay rarely results in getting accurate answers and the advice they gave you is another example.

In this case, you did get bad information from ebay unless you misunderstood them. Because there have been cases where buyers claimed "fake" on authentic items and got refunds PLUS got to keep the item, ebay has learned (correctly, IMO) that allowing a buyer to keep an item isn't appropriate.

If you file SNAD (significantly not as described), you won't win the case if you refuse to return the item.

Only in cases where the seller refuses to accept the return, insisting that she won't take it back would you be allowed to keep (and presumably destroy) it.

If you haven't done so already, open a case for (in ebay's words) "doesn't seem authentic" and if the seller doesn't respond and agree to accept the return for a refund, you can escalate and let ebay resolve. They will find in your favor, require the seller to prepay for a return shipping label and on proof of return, you'll get the refund.

 

[BeenBurned]

Hi Mod. Don't think this thread is particularly helpful for getting any insight and answers are making me more upset really. Can you please close? TIA

???? Just because you aren't hearing what you want to hear doesn't mean no one is helping you.

It's a Sunday and on top of that, Father's Day!! Members have lives separate from TPF and may not respond as quickly as you'd like.

But you did get a few responses from people who were willing to take time from their personal lives to help!

Thank you for letting me (personally) know that I'm wasting my time offering what I think is good ACCURATE advice.

 

[Suntaurus]

I’m no expert in any of this but I just wanted to add eBay has its own authentication service- maybe they have an option where you would be able to send them the bag and have them verify the authenticity and take it from there?

 

[BeenBurned]

I’m no expert in any of this but I just wanted to add eBay has its own authentication service- maybe they have an option where you would be able to send them the bag and have them verify the authenticity and take it from there?

You're thinking of Ebay Authenticate and that's a whole different animal. They don't authenticate purchases from sellers outside of the EA program.

 

[JenJBS]

Also, ebay and paypal don't accept video evidence as proof of anything.

I specifically said "in the future", meaning not the current purchase. Good to know that at the moment eBay and PayPal don't accept video evidence. But not all purchases are made with eBay and PayPal, and policies can change.

 

[northerndancer]

The difficulty is that authentication is not an exact science and many times authenticators don't agree with each other and many times they get it wrong. It is possible that the seller is right and that the authenticator is wrong. It would be a shame to have a real bag destroyed based on a wrong authentication. I would just return the bag to the seller for a refund.

 

[Laila619]

Just send it back. As long as you send it back, you will win the case.

 

[resplendent]

The difficulty is that authentication is not an exact science and many times authenticators don't agree with each other and many times they get it wrong. It is possible that the seller is right and that the authenticator is wrong. It would be a shame to have a real bag destroyed based on a wrong authentication. I would just return the bag to the seller for a refund.

I agree 1000%!

@cleocat08 this whole thing sounds stressful and I think the best way to go about it is to return the bag. Let eBay / other careful buyers deal with the bag in case it is relisted...and we need to provide allowance for the possibility that it really is authentic.

I think all of us want you to get your money back. @BeenBurned also provided some truth, that eBay customer service agents are not always reliable and I have experienced this myself; I've had disputes where I contacted eBay multiple times and their reps contradicted each other. Most of them seem like underpaid contract overseas workers (English not being their primary language of fluency) who have less experience with eBay than many, many users who have bought/sold on eBay for decades. Plus, s/he also explained why it was poor eBay policy in the past to allow dishonest buyers to claim that authentic items were fake, and to allow them to get their money back AND keep the items.

Please return the bag and happily you will get your refund soon.