Fake Blades, what to do now?

liam8282

Hi,

I fell for buying some fake gillette blades on ebay.

I received the blades and I have done the checks to look for the serial numbers etc. and the blades are fake.

I have messaged the seller to tell them that I believe they are fake.

I won't be using fake blades and they will be disposed of.

What do I need to do next, do I report to paypal or wait for the buyer to respond?

shaun_from_Africa

Don't report to paypal. Open an ebay dispute instead.

With a paypal dispute you will be given 10 days to provide proof that the blades are fake, but with an ebay dispute, the onus is put onto the seller to prove that they are genuine.
If your buyer gives you a full refund without asking you to return the blades, you could then either report then to trading standards, or pass their details on to Gillette. (who may decide to take it further).

liam8282

Thanks, when opening an Ebay dispute is it just the significantly not as described option?

I have done this now.

liam8282

Now the seller has responded saying they will only refund if the item is returned. As far as I can make out it is illegal to post counterfeit items, and to tell you the truth I don't want to be put to the inconvinience of buying packaging, taking post office, paying for postage and then having to wait for the refund as it is the person selling fake goods that should be out of pocket by all this, not me.

I am not going to use the blades, if anything I wouldn't risk using fake razors and they will be destroyed (well binned anyway).

What should I do now, do I have to wait until 10 days have passed to escalate the claim for Ebay to make a decision on it, or will it go against me as the seller has offered refund if I return?

There is now a message asking me to submit the return details, should I just ignore this until 10 days have passed?

theonlywayisup

I hate EBay claims, they are not user friendly, but in the case of fakes they really are the only way.

I would be inclined to ring EBay, not live chat, and explain they are fakes and as far as eBay policy goes, the seller should be proving authenticity. Also add that you do not wish to return as it is unlawful to send counterfeit goods in the post, be persistent and hopefully they will sort the case there and then.

Clueless_in_Christchurch

Honestly I would post them back and get your refund, report them as fake to ebay and put it down to experience.
The seller will have his back covered as most rip off merchants do and will provide proof that he bought genuine blades to ebay, and then say you swapped them etc etc etc.
If he has had other complaints against him then ebay will do something about him, if not they will side with him especially if he is a power seller etc.
Basically on ebay you get what you pay for, buying stuff at half or less of shop price usually should get alarm bells ringing.

Barneysmom

Did they cost much, I would be more tempted to take then to trading standards.

macfly

Clueless_in_Christchurch wrote: »

Basically on ebay you get what you pay for, buying stuff at half or less of shop price usually should get alarm bells ringing.

While there are some ebay listings that are too good to be true, in general ebay is cheaper as the overheads are lower. Some of my infrequent buys are toothbrush heads. Exactly the same as sold in the high street, yet half the price. There is no rule of thumb to avoid fakes.

pinkshoes

Clueless_in_Christchurch wrote: »

Honestly I would post them back and get your refund, report them as fake to ebay and put it down to experience.
The seller will have his back covered as most rip off merchants do and will provide proof that he bought genuine blades to ebay, and then say you swapped them etc etc etc.
If he has had other complaints against him then ebay will do something about him, if not they will side with him especially if he is a power seller etc.
Basically on ebay you get what you pay for, buying stuff at half or less of shop price usually should get alarm bells ringing.

Although it is daft to buy cheap branded blades on ebay (which will obviously be fake), it's also unfair for the buyer to be out of pocket on return postage, and the seller shouldn't be allowed to just sell them on to someone else!

Liam, did you specify in the dispute that they were fake?

A friend of mine used to work for Gillette, and you wouldn't believe how much work and technology goes into those razor blades, hence the high prices.

It's an item that is only worth buying off a genuine reputable stockist, and not from ebay, or a market stall! (as the only genuine ones sold on market stalls are very likely to be stolen!)

liam8282

pinkshoes wrote: »

Although it is daft to buy cheap branded blades on ebay (which will obviously be fake), it's also unfair for the buyer to be out of pocket on return postage, and the seller shouldn't be allowed to just sell them on to someone else!

Liam, did you specify in the dispute that they were fake?

A friend of mine used to work for Gillette, and you wouldn't believe how much work and technology goes into those razor blades, hence the high prices.

It's an item that is only worth buying off a genuine reputable stockist, and not from ebay, or a market stall! (as the only genuine ones sold on market stalls are very likely to be stolen!)

The blades were not exactly cheap, but they are cheaper than in the shops. The item description specifically said the were genuine in bold lettering, with limited stock, so I thought maybe somebody had just bought a few packs on a special offer or something and stuck them on ebay.

In the dispute I had to go through item signinficantly not as described and then I selected the option for counterfeit and made it clear in the notes too.

I have only ever bought blades from the supermarket before, I didn't realise what a risky area it was until now. It is very difficult to spot a fake, from a genuine item on a listing, but once you have the item it is very easy to tell the difference.

I messaged ebay this morning to ask them what I need to do next.

liam8282

A quick update, the seller is now no longer a registered user but I can't escalate the claim until tomorrow. Does this mean I will not get my cash back now?

I emailed Ebay about this last week, but they would not do anything until the 10 day time frame they have.