Best way to avoid my high end item being returned for a fake?

[8899hazel]

I have a high end designer item to sell.  It's brand new, never been used. I'm concerned in case someone buys it but then returns me a shoddy fake, saying they want a refund. How can I prove that my item is genuine, if this was to happen? I'm very cautious & wondering about selling via a boutique shop locally, in order to avoid this, but I'd like to get as much for it as possible & the boutique take a much higher percentage of the sale than ebay. Advice would be much appreciated - many thanks.

[red_magpie · Accepted solution]

How can I prove that my item is genuine, if this was to happen?

You can't. You would have to prove that the item the buyer received was genuine, which is impossible.

This is what eBay reportedly told one seller who had a valuable item switched for a worthless one: "As we didn't see the original item that you sent to the buyer and we didn't see the item the buyer returned to you, we are not in a position to take sides in these situations and verify who has the valid complaint". EBay's idea of not taking sides was to make the seller refund the buyer. We regularly hear from sellers who have had the same experience.

EBay has become an absurdly risky place to sell anything of value. Its money back guarantee policy is effectively a toolkit to defraud sellers, with eBay supporting the buyer and enforcing refunds even when they admit they don't know who's telling the truth. The user agreement requires us to accept their decisions and, as eBay is unregulated - which is a disgrace - there is no right of appeal to any independent authority.

[8899hazel · Accepted solution]

Thank you, this is the conclusion I was leaning towards-Ebay is potentially losing out on hundreds by me not selling my high end items here. It's their loss though, for always siding with the buyer & not protecting the seller from being scammed.

[red_magpie · Accepted solution]

I'm in the same position. I'm at the age when I have a number of reasonably high value collections that I'd really like to sell on eBay, but it's too unsafe to do so. Basically anyone who wants to steal a seller's item can do so for the asking. EBy will assist them by enforcing a refund, even while admitting that they have no idea who is telling the truth. What other business could get away with this? I'd very much like to see a hard hitting media exposé of the powers that eBay has taken upon itself to decide disputes between its members, often without any evidence, and its indefensible lack or any accountability or oversight.

[john1297576]

There is no guaranteed way to avoid being scammed, bearing in mind that ebay always favours the buyer.

Why worry about the fees, on ebay you can still pay fees and lose the lot if you try disputing a case.

[8899hazel]

Thank you, this is the conclusion I was leaning towards. Ebay is potentially losing out on hundreds by me not selling my high end items here. It's their loss though, for always siding with the buyer & not protecting the seller from being scammed.