eBay Fails To Keep Promise For Counterfeit Reform

Consumers at risk for dangerous products

November 17, 2014, Los Angeles, CA - Consumer vulnerabilities to counterfeit purchases from eBay^® (EBAY) were revealed last week. Allegations by The Counterfeit Report^®, a popular consumer protection website, identified retaliatory account manipulation, altered feedback and changed disputed case dispositions.

As part of a nine month investigation, over 250 counterfeit products were purchased from eBay sellers and reported to eBay, but the sellers remained and The Counterfeit Report's corporate accounts were blocked. An eBay Account Escalations Department Supervisor simply stated, “your account has more risk than we want to assume.”

Quick to respond to the media inquiries, eBay attempted to claim the whistleblower, The Counterfeit Report, was mistakenly identified as an "abusive buyer" when it blocked the corporate accounts, and even the publisher’s unrelated personal account. eBay admitted to reporters that The Counterfeit Report and eBay “are fighting the same fight” against counterfeits and eBay publicly vowed to work together with The Counterfeit Report, which works with companies to stop the proliferation of counterfeit goods on the internet.

With holiday season buying about to begin, at risk is the safety of eBay buyers who have, or who will purchase fake or hazardous counterfeit products and gifts online. Be warned, eBay does not notify buyers that they may have purchased a fake when counterfeit eBay sellers are identified.

These popular gifts, all sold on eBay, are counterfeit;

All Counterfeit Products – Clockwise from left; Monster Tron T1 Headphones were never made by Monster. Samsung SDHC 64GB micro memory cards are not in the Samsung product line.  This counterfeit Gerber Bear Grylls Ultimate Knife handle cracked, but counterfeits have no warranty. The ingredients are unknown in these counterfeit Ralph Lauren Polo and Chanel Mademoiselle fragrances. Counterfeit Rainbow Loom Kits are unsafe and untested for toy safety standards.  (Photo: TheCounterfeitReport.com)

A conference call with eBay Director of Global Policy, Gary Fullmer, and Senior Manager of Global Brand Protection, Daniel Shapiro concluded with commitment for a “proposal to work together” and other anti-counterfeiting resources by Friday of last week. However, there was no response from eBay and the proposal didn’t materialize. The corporate accounts were restored, but the altered disputed cases, cryptic return procedures and policy conflicts remain.

eBay’s public ‘we didn’t know’ facade is not supported by actions or fact.

• For months, over 25 hours and dozens of telephone calls were initiated by The Counterfeit Report to eBay supervisors to correct eBay account errors and manipulation, while clearly identifying The Counterfeit Reports activities and objectives.
  
  
• The Counterfeit Report’s e-mail tracking system revealed an October 8, 2014 Press Release, identifying the eBay counterfeit purchases, was received by eBay's Press Relations and viewed over 350 times.  Another Press Release in June warned consumers of hazardous Over-the-Counter (OTC) drugs being sold on eBay.
  
  
• A lengthy conversation in June with eBay’s Office-of-the-President Alynna Wesley including The Counterfeit Report's objectives and counterfeit findings resulted in an account block for consumer counterfeit product warnings on eBay.
  
  
• A Press Release after a January 2014 eBay conversation characterized the eBay counterfeit crisis as “really quite simple for us to find counterfeit products without much sleuthing, and we have yet to receive an authentic product when we set out to purchase a counterfeit from eBay”
  
  
• The Counterfeit Report inquiry in November 2013 received a written eBay response “We spoke earlier and you were inquiring about a statement regarding potential counterfeit items on the site. As far as issuing an official statement, as you might imagine such things are difficult to obtain as the subject is take (sic) very seriously”

Consumers should be very cautious with eBay website purchases and always retain the counterfeit product; it is the only proof of receiving a counterfeit. If returned, sellers will simply deny it is counterfeit, deny your claim and sell it to another unsuspecting consumer.

Consumers can easily submit information to TheCounterfeitReport.com website for the appropriate notifications.

Website: www.TheCounterfeitReport.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Counterfeit-Report/131568053660579
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