counterfeit goods - what action to take?

Cunning Stunt

Hi all,
I am expecting a baby and recently purchased a baby carrier (you know the ones that you strap around your shoulders so you can carry your baby in it) from an eBay store. It was advertised as a brande new ERGO carrier (which is a good brand). After receipt of it I became suspicious as it looked very flimsy for carrying a baby in, and there was bad grammar on the packaging etc. Now the original manufacturers of the baby carrier at ERGO have looked at some photos I sent them and have confirmed that it is a copy, most likely from China.
I contacted the seller who still claims it is original and has offered me a full refund if I am not happy with my purchase.

So technically the seller has done what he should and offered to refund me - but I don't know if I should leave it at that? He is still selling these baby carriers.

What is the best action to take in this case?

Beggared

Take the refund. You can't change the way they do things in China.

Cunning Stunt

Hi,
The seller is an ebay.co.uk seller and the item was sent from the UK. I would not have bought it if I knew it was coming from China. I was thinking perhaps I should demand he removes the other baby carriers from his store and threaten to report him otherwise?

Beggared

The seller may be operating in good faith, buying in goods and selling them on. It's equally possible that he is an intermediary for a counterfeit wholesaler in the Far East. Bogus goods are really big business. There's really very little you can do about it. You could report it to eBay and they may ban his account but if he is shady it's unlikely to be his only account. Just get your money back and move on.

jor el

Cunning Stunt wrote: »

I was thinking perhaps I should demand he removes the other baby carriers from his store and threaten to report him otherwise?

He'll simply ignore you.

Take the refund first. Leave feedback to say it was counterfeit (neutral would seem appropriate). Contact the manufacturer, and tell them the name of the seller that is selling bad copies of their products. They can take it from there.

If it's a case of the seller being conned by some unscrupulous supplier, then that will come out. Since it's eBay, I'd nearly guarantee the seller is doing this deliberately. 99% of branded items on eBay are fake, and the sellers all know what they are doing.

Cunning Stunt

Hi all,

I have contacted the seller and told him that it is a counterfeit item, that I expect to be reimbursed (plus postage) and that I would strongly advise him to remove these items from his store.


thanks for the advice

Retrovertigo

Cunning Stunt wrote: »

Hi all,

I have contacted the seller and told him that it is a counterfeit item, that I expect to be reimbursed (plus postage) and that I would strongly advise him to remove these items from his store.


thanks for the advice

Why bother asking for advice if you were just going to ignore it?

Beggared

Retrovertigo wrote: »

Why bother asking for advice if you were just going to ignore it?

She's a woman.

laughter189

Read #1 again ..........she has already contacted the original manufacturers and sent them photos , and they have confirmed that the item is a replica of the original .

What more can be done .......She needs to receive a refund immediately , or else lodge a claim with Paypal ( if used ) .

There is no need to take on the world and try to have him closed down .

Get your money back and learn from the experience AND she will probably still get to keep the item .

Cunning Stunt

Beggared wrote: »

She's a woman.

and you're an arsehole

I did take the advice - I am getting a refund and have not taken any further action.
Thanks again to the helpful posters.

Beggared

Cunning Stunt wrote: »

and you're an arsehole

I did take the advice - I am getting a refund and have not taken any further action.
Thanks again to the helpful posters.

Fair play to you, That was the thing to do in the circumstances.

I hope the "She's a woman" didn't offend, It was meant as a light hearted poke in the ribs. Please accept my apologies for any un-intended offence. I accept your comment in tha same light and ask that the moderator lift your infraction as no sleight was intended or perceived.

To my mind this was just a bit of innocent banter among friends who haven't yet met.

booboo88

jor el wrote: »

He'll simply ignore you.

Take the refund first. Leave feedback to say it was counterfeit (neutral would seem appropriate). Contact the manufacturer, and tell them the name of the seller that is selling bad copies of their products. They can take it from there.

If it's a case of the seller being conned by some unscrupulous supplier, then that will come out. Since it's eBay, I'd nearly guarantee the seller is doing this deliberately. 99% of branded items on eBay are fake, and the sellers all know what they are doing.

Thats a bit unfair, Ive bought a few things from ebay and non of it is counterfeit.

booboo88

Cunning Stunt wrote: »

Hi all,

I have contacted the seller and told him that it is a counterfeit item, that I expect to be reimbursed (plus postage) and that I would strongly advise him to remove these items from his store.


thanks for the advice

I dont know if it's intentional or maybe its my dyslexia, but I just read your name as stunning c*nt. Very clever if its intentional

rubadub

booboo88 wrote: »

Thats a bit unfair, Ive bought a few things from ebay and non of it is counterfeit.

What were the items and how did you go about checking authenticity?

Some items are far more likely to be fakes than others, e.g. big brand products like Ugg boots, GHD hair straighteners, any major brand T-shirts, perfumes. If its too cheap to be true its probably fake.

Some things do not matter much like a tshirt, but a fake baby carrier or electrical device is potentially lethal.

booboo88

rubadub wrote: »

What were the items and how did you go about checking authenticity?

Some items are far more likely to be fakes than others, e.g. big brand products like Ugg boots, GHD hair straighteners, any major brand T-shirts, perfumes. If its too cheap to be true its probably fake.

Some things do not matter much like a tshirt, but a fake baby carrier or electrical device is potentially lethal.

You kinda need your wits about you aswell at the same time,
if it sounds too good to be true than it probably is.
I checked with stockists, and they were legit,