Counterfeit Whistleblower Claims Ebay Turns Blind Eye to Fake Product Listings

[[Coi] Mr.CLuBBeR]

Beware what you buy on Ebay

Can you spot a real product from a fake one simply by looking at its picture? In some instances, it's not as easy you think, and according to The Counterfeit Report, a consumer protection website, online auction site Ebay isn't doing enough to protect its buyers from falling victim to fake items being sold as the real deal. And that's not the least of the allegations.
The Counterfeit Report says it spent nine months investigating the prominence of fake items on Ebay, and during that time, it claims to have purchased 250 counterfeit products, all of which were promptly reported to the auction site. However, Ebay didn't respond the way the whistleblowing site hoped it would.
"Instead of adhering to their own standards, embracing the results and protecting the Ebay community, Ebay retaliated by blocking The Counterfeit Report’s corporate eBay accounts," The Counterfeit Report said. "Ebay altered feedback, changed resolved case dispositions and removed counterfeit comments and warnings protecting consumers. In contrast, the counterfeit sellers remained on Ebay, and transaction fees continued."
The site purchased a range of fake goods, from over-the-counter drugs to phone chargers and several other items. And there's more at stake than simply being swindled. When it comes to counterfeit iPhone chargers, for example, shoddy fakes can cause damage and pose a safety hazard.
In other cases, customers are simply being tricked into buying products that don't exist. Here's a look at a package labeled as a SanDisk 64GB microSDHC memory card:

It looks real enough, except that it doesn't exist in SanDisk's product line, something which SanDisk confirmed with The Counterfeit Report. If you look closely, you'll see it contains an SDXC card and not an SDHC as advertised. Nevertheless, it was one of the 250 fake items purchased on Ebay and reported to be counterfeit.

The moral of the story? As always, buyer beware and do your research before ordering a product.

Thumbnail Image Credit: Flickr (miss_millions)

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