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Does eBay care about counterfeiting? (rhetorical question) - Seller is e_Cell

E

eshroom

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Oct 18, 2006
292
4
I bought this replacement glass back way back in July when I smashed mine - http://tinyurl.com/fakebay - bought from reputed seller e_Cell.

This broke on day 1 just by being in my pocket. Cheap glass, the camera didn't even align. eBay naturally refunded since the item was fake, but I needed proof from Apple it was so. Apple Covent Garden very kindly replaced the back and told me they should really void my warranty for putting such a dodgy, badly made, piece of kit on my iPhone. They also gave me a note explaining the item is counterfeit.

eBay, despite acknowledging the item is fake, still allow the seller to sell the item, and they sell a lot! I contacted eBay again in October, but they still have not acted.

The seller has a feedback rating of 632,840 and up until July I had bought several product from them.

Poor or what?
 
There is a way to report counterfeit goods, takes a couple people to report something for them to take it down. On the rolex forum I am on we had a report counterfeit sub fora where someone would report something and everyone would band together and get it taken down. I don't know if this forum has something like that as I haven't passed the SIX month wait to see it.
 
eBay "cares" about this stuff but, at the same time, doesn't really care about it that much. From their POV, the more that seller sells, the more profit eBay makes from that deal. Now, were Apple to step in and tell them to stop letting sellers sell these kinds of items, i.e. the White iPhone, then eBay would actually make an effort to stop these sellers from peddling their goods.

Since iPhone backplates aren't on the same level as a counterfeit Rolex or Louis Vuitton handbag, not a whole lot of attention is paid to those. Basically, if the manufacturer, Apple, steps in and causes a stir, then that's really the only way stuff like this would stop. As it is eBay, it's always on the buyer to beware so stuff like this is just the norm for eBay these days unfortunately. And since you are installing an item that voids your warranty with Apple, I sincerely doubt they'll care one bit if the product you bought breaks your phone since you are voluntarily voiding your warranty. And, if your phone becomes unusable for whatever reason, that means you have to buy another phone which will increase Apple's bottom line...for the most part.
 
Last edited:
h1r0ll3r basically said it all. It'll only be enforced if it implies bad publicity... or if more than one party reports the same issue... pretty much to save face if anything.

It's also along the same lines as counterfeit goods on Canal Street in NYC... sure there's some policing around... but if cops were to make it their priority, there'd be a bust every single day. It doesn't take a genius to find them... they're trading out in public in the same spots.
 
Oh BTW eBay does about zero checking for counterfeit stuff, they rely on reports.

I got an iPod auction killed by them because I had a tom-tom app visible on the home screen picture of the item. Tom-tom reported it and hey killed my auction. Again no verification that it was a legitimate counterfeit claim by tom-tom, they just acted on it.
 
Many manufacturers do, makes some sense because it's heir stuff people are stealing.
 
eshroom said:
I bought this replacement glass back way back in July when I smashed mine - http://tinyurl.com/fakebay - bought from reputed seller e_Cell.

This broke on day 1 just by being in my pocket. Cheap glass, the camera didn't even align. eBay naturally refunded since the item was fake, but I needed proof from Apple it was so. Apple Covent Garden very kindly replaced the back and told me they should really void my warranty for putting such a dodgy, badly made, piece of kit on my iPhone. They also gave me a note explaining the item is counterfeit.

eBay, despite acknowledging the item is fake, still allow the seller to sell the item, and they sell a lot! I contacted eBay again in October, but they still have not acted.

The seller has a feedback rating of 632,840 and up until July I had bought several product from them.

Poor or what?
Click to expand...


EBay or paypal doesnt really care.

Best bet: open a paypal case under item not as described. It will take a couples of weeks but you will get refunded ( you probably have to return the item back)

Do not open a case under the reason Counterfeit Item because paypal will ask you to go to a shop and have a specialist to authentificate that this item is a fake.

/edit: just saw that you got refunded. Grats, now you know !
 
MaxBurn said:
Many manufacturers do, makes some sense because it's heir stuff people are stealing.
Click to expand...

so Tomtom go looking for images of their software on items in auction pictures?
how do they even filter a search for that? They would have to look at nearly every picture on ebay? or did you have tomtom in the item description?
 
MaxBurn said:
Many manufacturers do, makes some sense because it's heir stuff people are stealing.
Click to expand...

I found this out when selling a Sky viewing card, relisted it 6 times and every time Sky reported it the auction was taken down. Honestly couldn't work out why as it was a genuine card. Turns out that when you have a Sky TV subscription YOU own the box but the viewing card remains the property of SKY and can't be re sold.
Changed the wording in the auction listing to omit any mention of "Sky" and hey presto the scanning software they use went straight past it.
 
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