Consumers Lose Counterfeit Product Alerts on eBay
eBay removes informative counterfeit identification guide.
Los Angeles, CA, July 17, 2014 - Consumers place their confidence in e-commerce giant eBay (EBAY), and eBay reaps billions in revenue and profit from these consumers. However, that confidence is often misplaced says The Counterfeit Report®, a popular consumer protection website providing a visual guide on identifying counterfeit products of over 250 global brands.
Counterfeit products are common on eBay, and other e-commerce websites. Consumers often unknowingly purchase these fake or counterfeit products, a $1 trillion criminal enterprise, some of which are dangerous or even deadly. Many of the deceptive counterfeits break or go undetected, and consumers lose billions.
The Counterfeit Report regularly purchases counterfeit products from eBay with ease, reporting the sellers and providing consumer tips for identifying counterfeit products on its free website. A Counterfeit Product Alert® bulletin is also published and listed on eBay with informative tips and pictures to help consumers with counterfeit identification. However, eBay has blocked the bulletins.
Could you identify these counterfeit products sold on eBay?
Clockwise from left: Novartis Lamisil, Ralph Lauren® Polo, Marc Jacobs® DOT, Chanel® Mademoiselle, Iain Sinclair® Cardsharp2, Choon’s Rainbow Loom® Craft Kit. (Photo Credit: TheCounterfeitReport.com)
The Counterfeit Product Alert® bulletins successfully hindered and aggravated counterfeit product sellers on eBay. Listings for specific counterfeit products were greatly reduced, while “fake” products – products that, in fact, did not even exist in the branded manufacturer’s product line, disappeared -- but, so did eBay’s transaction fees.
For months, eBay repeatedly removed the Counterfeit Product Alert® warnings or restricted the eBay user account. Listings in categories specifically at the direction and authorized by eBay staffers were removed as “Miscategorized Items,” and account passwords were blocked. One eBay supervisor acknowledged that while there was some confusion on behalf of eBay as to the correct listing category, she repeatedly defended eBay’s position stating;
“It is more important that products are in the correct eBay category, than to protect consumers from counterfeit products”
After months of conflicting instructions and non-productive resolution efforts, eBay’s Office of the President spokesperson, Alynna Wesley, finally responded and advised The Counterfeit Report’s publisher that the Counterfeit Product Alert® warnings “do not appear to be in the spirit of eBay’s policy.” Ms. Wesley was unable to reference a specific section of the User Agreement to help guide The Counterfeit Report into compliance with the subjective and elusive policy adding “we’re not calling out a policy specifically, …but the spirit of the policy.”
Ms. Wesley offered that “eBay receives 1000’s of item reports a week,” and that the removal of counterfeit or prohibited product listings on eBay could take months. “Once through the system, we’ll get to the listings as soon as possible” said Wesley. Yet, eBay felt it was appropriate and “looking out for the eBay community” to remove the immediate resource offered by the Counterfeit Product Alert® bulletins to help consumers identify and avoid counterfeit or dangerous products. The Counterfeit Product Alerts® have been banned from eBay will no longer be available to eBay users.
Consumers will continue to be duped into buying counterfeits on eBay. The feedback on the eBay website of little help, and counterfeit peddlers often go undetected or unidentified. Dishonest sellers may simply change their account or offer refunds to unsatisfied buyers, thereby keeping a positive reputation and re-selling the fake product. For instance, eBay removed a counterfeit feedback comment from The Counterfeit Report for refusing to return the counterfeit product to the seller. The Counterfeit Report always retains products as physical proof for any claim or refund, and it protects and prevents resale to an unsuspecting eBay buyer.
eBay must solve their counterfeit problem before it becomes a consumer purchase, requiring a tedious and time consuming dispute process. The eBay community would be much better served if eBay put consumer protection before profits with aggressive proactive research, harsh penalties for sellers and appropriately staffed anti-counterfeiting efforts.
Consumers need to understand the dangers inherent in buying online and question the authenticity and safety of any product they purchase. It’s buyer beware.
The Counterfeit Report offers these recommendations for consumers. When in doubt, retain the product and compare it with an authentic product at an authorized retailer. Always buy with a credit card, (never cash, PayPal withdrawals or wire transfers). Notify your credit card company that you have retained the counterfeit product and are disputing the charge. Notify eBay and authorities that you received a counterfeit. You can easily submit the information to TheCounterfeitReport.com website for the appropriate notifications.
Website: www.TheCounterfeitReport.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Counterfeit-Report/131568053660579
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The Counterfeit Report® is the first and only website to provide consumers a free and informative visual guide to detecting counterfeit products and promote consumer awareness. Manufacturers can immediately list and update their counterfeit product information in a central venue for the greatest mass-consumer exposure, and benefit from enhanced brand protection and direct consumer education. The Counterfeit Report uses thousands of authentic and counterfeit product photos to show consumers the sophistication of counterfeiters and their ability to create visually identical counterfeit products and packaging specifically designed to deceive. Consumers can also report seeing or purchasing counterfeit products and the source directly to the manufacturer on the website.
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