Problems with a seller,

[5063roberts]

1 purchased collagen powder advertised as genuine Ellavate collagen powder 240g. I received a different 220g product missing the company trademark. 

The item was shipped from China although the seller address was listed as Essex. The ingredients were different from the genuine product. The original contains cocoa, while the product received contained coffee. The ingredients label was not shown in the listing.

I reported the issue to eBay with comparison photos of the genuine and counterfeit products, but the case was closed stating there was no violation.

I believe this is a serious concern because customers could unknowingly consume incorrect ingredients. The seller also copied photos from another genuine seller.

[arkwebus]

You should simply have opened a case for "not as described".   The seller would have had to send you a label to return and then refunded you. The system is automatic!  You do not speak to eBay nor to the seller.

"Contacting eBay" rarely seems to work.

@5063roberts 

[lucy_farmer]

'I reported the issue to eBay with comparison photos of the genuine and counterfeit products, but the case was closed stating there was no violation'

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It's A.I. making the decision, not humans. So when 'computer says no' , you've had your chips.

Ebay have a pretty bad reputation for leaving up fakes, and taking down some genuine articles.

(The one thing they are hot on is 'vero' cases.  Which means the trademark holder will not allow their goods to be sold on ebay, and ebay will then take the listing down)

From a personal point of view, I would never buy anything edible, or otherwise ingestible, on a site like ebay. You have no idea what you're getting.

Stick to real retailers. You paying that little bit more basically for reasons of safety .

[arkwebus]

never buy anything edible - "you've had your chips!"  😀

Love it!

@lucy_farmer 

[neovass0]

   I believe you should still be able to open a 'not as described' case (if you haven't done so specifically), irrespective of any correspondence from ebay so far. Ultimately, it is not the pictured item. You can point out the difference in ingredients if they are specified in your purchased listing, as well as the packaging. State you are worried about an adverse health effect, etc. Cocoa and coffee are not the same, they come from completely different plants and have different chemical compositions.

[*vyolla*]

Request a return via the guidance page below.

Select 'doesn't match description or photos'.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/help/buying/returns-refunds/return-item-refund?id=4041&from=EBAY_AI&origin=EB...

The seller has 3 business days to provide you with a returns label, or you can ask eBay to step in.

You can also leave a well worded feedback to warn other potential buyers.

[penster04]

Same here. The listing said it was genuine and the photo was of the genuine product but its not. The seller has disappeared from ebay now anyway and presumably just set up under a different name.

[ett1954]

"The ingredients label was not shown in the listing." - If that was the case then the listing was illegal for not following UK food labelling legislation.  Selling a drink online requires the full ingredient and allergen contents (if applicable) to be present in visual or descriptive means in the prescribed format.

If you are getting nowhere with eBay and are too late to open an INAD case then contact your local environmental health office with your concerns or send details of your experience to Elavate Superfoods at Canterbury Court, 1-3 Brixton Road, London, England, SW9 6DE; who I am sure will be interested in what is going on.

Unfortunately if the seller has misrepresented his location it is difficult, but the lesson here is NEVER purchase anything, that you or any of your family may put in their mouth, from China.