Buying through Ebay and counterfeit products

[Scotland blue]

I know I know I know if you buy through Ebay you could get stuck with a counterfeit item. 

If you think that Ebay will help you be sure to raise a case before their 90 day period from the date of sale or they will do nothing.

Question:  How do you know an item, say driver, is a counterfeit if you do not contact the manufacturer withing that 90 days?  Most of us do not have the expertise to determine a counterfeit from examination and it usually is only when it is returned to the OEM for repair/replacement that we get the sad news.  Ebay is not concerned with sellers pushing counterfeit products if the sale is over 90 days.

I know I know you take risks so don't complain, right ?  I agree....however you might think that Ebay even though the 90 day period is over, would be interested in a seller pushing bogus goods.  I know I know its the sellers that generate the revenue to Ebay, not the buyers, hence their position.

If you do buy from Ebay and there are concerns be sure to address them early.   Lesson learned

[rkj427]

I do know for a fact, that if you get the serial number from a Titleist product, or Mizuno product and email their respective customer service department BEFORE you complete your purchase, they usually will respond within a few days if it is indeed legitimate or not.

 

Titleist will also provide the original build specs. if the serial number is valid.

[Aikmac]

I couple things to do is make sure that the seller has a good review/reliability rating. Often times I’ll trust guys with above 96% buyer approval. Those guys aren’t trying to counterfeit. 

[Scotland blue]

The guy I bought from had 583 reviews and stood at 100%

What I bought from him wasn't a golf club, but the principle is the same, and when I returned the item to the Manufacturer for repair/replacement the Manufacturer responds back to me "COUNTERFEIT".

I love the seller's response ......basically was I didn't know it was a counterfeit so take it up with Ebay or the manufacturer.  Ebay says again if after 90 days.....no can do.  Seller is an idiot and when I said it's your responsibility to know if you are selling counterfeit goods fraudulently.  We exchanged emails and I told him I have the letter from the manufacturer if you want proof.  Crickets.......probably some young idiot.

[GolfSpy_APH]

Ping is another with the serial numbers which you can check into. 

When I lived in Canada I purchased a fair bit through ebay with a good amount of success. It really isn't a thing here in Switzerland so I can't say how it is now vs a couple years ago. 

I think there are always a certain risk, but also believe there are certain products that are more likely be subject to counterfeited vs others. 

[cnosil]

6 hours ago, Scotland blue said:

The guy I bought from had 583 reviews and stood at 100%

What I bought from him wasn't a golf club, but the principle is the same, and when I returned the item to the Manufacturer for repair/replacement the Manufacturer responds back to me "COUNTERFEIT".

I love the seller's response ......basically was I didn't know it was a counterfeit so take it up with Ebay or the manufacturer.  Ebay says again if after 90 days.....no can do.  Seller is an idiot and when I said it's your responsibility to know if you are selling counterfeit goods fraudulently.  We exchanged emails and I told him I have the letter from the manufacturer if you want proof.  Crickets.......probably some young idiot.

Unless you are buying from an authorized reseller, you are responsible for why you buy.  
 

1. The product broke after a 90 day period, how long do you expect eBay to mange these purchases?   How does eBay know it was the same product that you bought?  
 

2. if you believe the seller is intentionally selling counterfeit products, file a police report in the sellers city.

3. yes, if it was determined to be counterfeit, the seller probably should have refunded your money.  However, you didn’t know it was counterfeit until you sent it to the manufacturer, how was the seller supposed to know? 

[RickyBobby_PR]

If the deal is to good to be true it’s probably fake.

Compare pictures of the products against the manufacturers website.

If unsure ask someone who is familiar with the product their thoughts 

If you can’t tell or have doubts don’t buy it.

Doing research will go a long way in saving headaches and hassle of buying counterfeit products.

It’s on the consumer as much as it is the seller.

[GolfSpy_KFT]

I have used eBay as a buyer and seller multiple times with golf clubs. This was before I knew classified forums on pages like MGS existed, and before the Facebook marketplace really became a thing. Whenever I purchased a golf club, I always started with looking at seller reviews, as stated above, and then I would request a picture of a serial number, if available. I have stopped using eBay lately though because of their fees. Too high for my liking!

[TR1PTIK]

I've made a good number of purchases from eBay over the years and never had any major problems.

For starters, I never buy internationally - everything is sold and shipped from the same country I live in to reduce shipping time and potential headaches.

Second, the seller rating is an important tool and equally as important are the reviews BUT more important than either of those (IMO) is how long the seller has been on the platform and how many ratings/reviews that person has. That information will tell you what kind of seller you are dealing with: an individual who sells on occasion or as a side hustle; an actual business; or a potential hustler. It's not difficult to set up a seller profile on eBay or generate fake ratings/reviews, but if you see that someone has been on the platform for a long time and has good ratings/reviews, there's a decent chance they are legit. If they've been on for a long time and don't have a ton of ratings/reviews, but they are highly positive, it's likely you're dealing with an individual.

Another thing to pay attention to are the photos. Where are they taken? How's the lighting? Do they show every angle that you'd want to see? No? Ask for additional photos/info and see how they respond.

Also, how do they describe the product? Do they just use the general description provided by eBay or manufacturer or do they give a description of their own? Do they state why it is they are trying to sell the item? Do they use a bunch of hyperbolic words and phrases to drum up the sale? How does the listing read if you ignore those words and phrases? 

Outside of what I look for in regard to the listing and seller, I also look at the manufacturer's website as @RickyBobby_PR mentioned above. I also look at authorized retailer listings, photos, and descriptions.

[Mike Z]

9 hours ago, Scotland blue said:

The guy I bought from had 583 reviews and stood at 100%

What I bought from him wasn't a golf club, but the principle is the same, and when I returned the item to the Manufacturer for repair/replacement the Manufacturer responds back to me "COUNTERFEIT".

I love the seller's response ......basically was I didn't know it was a counterfeit so take it up with Ebay or the manufacturer.  Ebay says again if after 90 days.....no can do.  Seller is an idiot and when I said it's your responsibility to know if you are selling counterfeit goods fraudulently.  We exchanged emails and I told him I have the letter from the manufacturer if you want proof.  Crickets.......probably some young idiot.

Have run into a similar situation.  I had success letting the customer (returned his old item he was replacing instead of the item he purchased)know that I was going to make a police report and a report with the postal inspector general if the situation was not cleared up within 24 hours.  I got a phone call with payment soon thereafter.  In this case it was outright fraud with intent.

In your case there isn't any proof of intent.  That said, you should stand behind what you sell.  If you have a counterfeit product and don't know and sell it, its not right to make that your buyer's problem.  Its yours and you can deal with the person/company you got it from.