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How to Avoid Fake Items From eBay

By Danielle Jacob

Republish: EasyPublish™
Published: 09Oct2009
Word count: 614
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One of the biggest risks about buying from an auction site is that some sellers would actually sell fake items and if you're not aware of what you are buying, you could easily become a victim of counterfeiting. From appliances to clothing, shoes, bags, jewelry, DVDs and almost every possible item can be faked and imitated to look exactly or seemingly like the original.

Common Fake Items at eBay

When it comes to internet buy & sell business, eBay is certainly a leader. However, eBay itself doesn't necessarily ban or prohibit people from selling what they want on the site. And because the auction site cannot monitor fake sellers from legitimate ones, the responsibility is left to the buyers. It is up to you to take precautionary measures and to do your own research to avoid being victimized by scammers.

Most product categories on eBay have their share of fakes and genuine items. Still, there are some product categories where fake items are particularly common and if you're going to purchase these goods, you need to be extremely careful. Here is a list of common fake items sold at eBay:

Computer Software Application. Probably one of the easiest items to fake is a software application. Thousands of programs and applications are being pirated and sold at very cheap prices.

Entertainment Media. CDs, DVDs and all forms of entertainment media are often faked or pirated much to the dismay of the artists behind them.

Designer Signature Products. From clothes, shoes, bags, watches to jewelry and other accessories, anything which has a designer signature on it can be counterfeited.

Antiques, memorabilia and vintage items. Some people are willing to pay more for an item that is considered to be a collectible. But watch out! Some of these items may very well be fake despite their expensive prices.

Appliances and Gadgets. Appliances and gadgets are definitely not a cheap purchase. Some people fall for buying fake items to save money when in fact, they're buying the same product but with poor quality.

Don't be Fooled!

Although fake items may appear to look the same as the original, don't be fooled. The cheap price of these items doesn't even make up for the poor quality that you'll get in return. So how can you avoid being a victim of counterfeiting? Here are some tips:

Know the signs. Recognizing the difference between a fake and a genuine item can be difficult if you don't know the signs. However, every product has specific indications to help you distinguish if you're buying an authentic item or not.

Is it priced to cheap? Sure, we all want to save money but if something that is normally sold expensively in the market is being offered at an incredibly cheap price, do you think it's worth the buy? Ask yourself, "what's the catch?"

Check out the seller's record. eBay sellers get comments from buyers who have made transactions from them. The seller's track record on eBay can tell you a lot about his/her reputation. However, don't rely on customer reviews alone.

The certificate of authenticity. It's important for an item on sale to include a Certificate of Authenticity with the serial number that you can check from the manufacturer IT should also come with a Warranty Card, certificate of license and other proof of authenticity.

eBay's Verified Rights Online (VeRO) program. There are a lot of legitimate sellers on eBay who are not members of the VeRO program. However, buying from a VeRO member gives you more assurance that you're dealing with a legitimate merchant. If you encounter a seller offering fake items on eBay, report it to the eBay's VeRO team right away.

Danielle Jacob is an established online entrepreneur who has maintained strong business relationship with Reputable Wholesale Dropshippers since 1990. Learn how you too can build homebased business empire and profit by dropshipping, the most creative e-commerce strategy. Copyright Protected

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