Ebay Fake perfume - no refund offered.

jazzy

I purchased some perfume from an Ebay seller just before Christmas, which was a gift for my wife. When she opened the perfume on Christmas day it was very apparent that the item was a fake, it was a different smell than the genuine perfume the colour was also different. I reported the problem to Ebay who informed me that it was a Paypal dispute because I was out of the Ebay guarantee seller period.


The case has been going on for a few weeks and Paypal informed me today that they are refusing to make a refund under the grounds "This decision was made because if an item is materially similar to the seller's description, we do not consider it to be significantly not as described."


This decision can only promote the selling of fake perfumes on Ebay. I am absolutely disgusted with Paypal's decision.


Does Paypal have a complaint process for rejected claims?

bris

jazzy wrote: »

This decision can only promote the selling of fake perfumes on Ebay. I am absolutely disgusted with Paypal's decision.

Ebay has been selling fake everything since it started over 20 years ago, nothing is going to stop that.

Designers (that includes perfume) have strict distribution and pricing pricing policies ( a few pounds here and there) and the retailers who fall foul of this lose their accounts. Ebay is not a marketplace they allow.

The chances of buying genuine perfume on Ebay are slim, there will be some gray market sellers but if it's a significantly cheaper its fake.

There are some very good counterfeiters out there though, you just need to go to Turkey to see that so not all fakes are as easy to spot.

meer53

I would never buy perfume on Ebay for that reason. I've bought perfume in Turkey though, many times, the difference is they don't market them as genuine ! Their copies are indistinguishable from the originals and a fraction of the price.

RFW

Contact Trading Standards via your local council and ask them what to do. They may provide you with a letter to show to Ebay/Paypal or take it further than that.

Just being a temporary devil's advocate, what's the seller's feedback like? Are they a pro seller of perfume. There's always an extreme possibility that this is a mistake on their part. Have you tried contacting the seller?

RFW

bris wrote: »

The chances of buying genuine perfume on Ebay are slim, there will be some gray market sellers but if it's a significantly cheaper its fake.

That's probably a bit harsh but I agree I wouldn't buy perfume on Ebay unless it was a reputable seller.
I have a friend who deals in grey market and redundant stock perfume and he wouldn't touch fake stuff.
Perfume fakes have been getting better for years. When I was in a different business we bought a massive stock of perfume and had it checked by Trading Standards and some other professional who agreed it was genuine. Just to be extra certain we took it to a department store that sold the same product. The assistant there said it was fake as soon as she opened it. Everything was correct, smell, bottle, box, etc, the fake bit was a gold band that tied a tassle to the bottle!

jazzy

RFW wrote: »

Just being a temporary devil's advocate, what's the seller's feedback like? Are they a pro seller of perfume. There's always an extreme possibility that this is a mistake on their part. Have you tried contacting the seller?

The seller is a private seller with a 98% feedback. Checking their feedback ratings the seller deals with many perfume sales. I did contact the seller who refuses to refund because I reported that there was a problem after 30 days.

Looks like I will have to put this down to just a bad experience and to never purchase perfume from Ebay again.

RFW

jazzy wrote: »

The seller is a private seller with a 98% feedback. Checking their feedback ratings the seller deals with many perfume sales. I did contact the seller who refuses to refund because I reported that there was a problem after 30 days.

Looks like I will have to put this down to just a bad experience and to never purchase perfume from Ebay again.

I'd still take it to Trading Standards. I wouldn't let any party get away with it.
If you want a shortcut try Tweeting Ebay asking then why they won't refund a fake that was sold to you on their site. Make sure you make the tweet public. You might find you get a refund quite quickly following that route.

dj1471

Take the seller to small claims court for the cost of the perfume, assuming they’re UK-based.

hollydays

Did you ever approach the seller, what did they say?

jazzy

hollydays wrote: »

Did you ever approach the seller, what did they say?

No refund being issued because it was out of the 30 day Ebay Buyer Protection

RFW

dj1471 wrote: »

Take the seller to small claims court for the cost of the perfume, assuming they’re UK-based.

Without knowing how much is involved (and I'd wager it's well under £100) that's not great advice.
Small claims court costs extra money with no guarantee of getting any money back.

If this is someone selling fake perfumes, they're doing it regularly on a private seller account. They're already running under the radar, I doubt that a court summons will particularly bother them. Trading Standards can prosecute on the buyer's behalf and/or offer a report that the court would accept should it go forward with a small claim.