When a potential buyer asks about authenticity

[jrandleww]

If a buyer sends you a message asking you if the high risk name brand item you are selling is authentic do you even answer them? If so what do you say?

I'm not talking about selling a *ake, I'm talking about selling items you can't prove to the buyer let alone to Ebay is not *ake.

If you don't answer the buyer and they receive the item and are not happy with it they are more likely to report you because they will think you avoided answering them.

If you do answer and say that you can't be certain it is authentic, because of how you acquired it, and they are not happy with it they will assume it is not authentic and report you.

If you do answer and say yes i know it is authentic and they are not happy with it you won't have proof to back it up but maybe this gives them less incentive to report you because they will think it is their opinion over yours.

What do you think works best besides not selling high risk items?

[james13v]

sounds like you arent able to prove it to yourself......

[MM78]

If you can't make sure the item is 100% authentic then you really shouldn't be selling the item(s).

[jrandleww]

Originally Posted by james13v

sounds like you arent able to prove it to yourself......

thank you mr obvious. The lady at the garage sale I bought my vintage red wing boots from didn't give me the original receipt. Troll on.

[jrandleww]

Originally Posted by MM78

If you can't make sure the item is 100% authentic then you really shouldn't be selling the item(s).

answer the question then.

[dealagreeproceed]

block that buyer fast as the speed of light. n if they already purchased well then just tell them your not sure and refund them.

[wtfebay]

If you aren't sure, don't reply....things will go bad for you. One of two things will happen. They will bid anyways and you will screw yourself if they aren't authentic OR they just won't bid and will move on to another item. Block them if you are worried about them buying the item.

[jeffweico]

I would always say that the item IS authentic and if they complain, refund them.

But the others are correct, if you cannot be sure that your item is authentic, you could be risking your account by selling it on eBay.

There ARE ways to authenticate an item besides an original receipt. You could find a guide on how to spot phakes online. Just google "How to spot a counterfeit _______" with the item name instead of the blank space. These guides will tell you what to look for.

Sometimes sellers can accidentally sell a phake because they did not realize their item WAS a phake. eBay does not usually cancel your account over ONE complaint, but if you get a string of them, you WILL lose the account - even if you are selling hundreds of items a month and get just 1% of the buyers claiming they are counterfeit.

I would NEVER tell a potential buyer that the item is a replica or that "I don't know" - I would just say that you would never KNOWINGLY sell anything that was not authentic and tell them they have 14 or 30 days to return it if they are unhappy with it.

Remember, EVERYTHING you put into eBay or Amazon's messaging system is there forever!

[jrandleww]

Originally Posted by wtfebay

If you aren't sure, don't reply....things will go bad for you. One of two things will happen. They will bid anyways and you will screw yourself if they aren't authentic OR they just won't bid and will move on to another item. Block them if you are worried about them buying the item.

If you block a buyer and they try to buy from you what happens? do they get a message saying you have blocked them from buying from you? Wouldn't that upset a buyer and cause them report you as selling phakes?

I'm going to go with what jeff suggested and offer to pay for return shipping.

[desikanjar]

if you block the undesirable buyer ebay will block your account. so you cant win

[muzzie]

I say that "I am not a big specialist, bit it seems legit to me" (so if something goes wrong, I still look good in the eyes of the buyer), and "if you don't like something you receive it, you will get an instant refund, no questions asked" (makes buyer confident that the transaction is zero-risk).
Usually it works without issues.

[dealagreeproceed]

Originally Posted by desikanjar

if you block the undesirable buyer ebay will block your account. so you cant win

am I reading this wrong or does it literally make no sense

[MM78]

Originally Posted by desikanjar

if you block the undesirable buyer ebay will block your account. so you cant win

Where in the World did you get this idea from?

[unkown5454]

OP brags about being a Gold Aliexpress member and selling count.erf.eit razors then asks how to get away with customers questioning authe.nticity of items.

Oh yea, totally legit.

[Twocoolt]

Originally Posted by desikanjar

if you block the undesirable buyer ebay will block your account. so you cant win

Not true, you can block a buyer. I have done it before and eBay never blocked any of my accounts.

You just need to be careful any potential buyer can report you and they don't need to buy from you to do it.

[jrandleww]

Originally Posted by unkown5454

OP brags about being a Gold Aliexpress member and selling count.erf.eit razors then asks how to get away with customers questioning authe.nticity of items.

Oh yea, totally legit.

I have never had proof anything I was selling was not authentic.

[james13v]

Originally Posted by jrandleww

thank you mr obvious. The lady at the garage sale I bought my vintage red wing boots from didn't give me the original receipt. Troll on.

I'm not being a troll. I'm being honest.

I've had to deal with sooo many sellers over the years. I've been able to instantly find the ones that don't know their item is authentic, or they DO know they are selling phakes and are tryign to hide that fact. They word things a certain way in their listings. They respond with certain kinds of messages. I guess your typical ebay buyer might not notice these nuances. But, to me they are clear as day.

So when I read what you say, my warning lights come on. It's not my fault.

You have only ONE thing you are currently selling that you aren't certain about?

They always tell me " I"m not an expert, so I'm not sure" " as far as I know based on my limited knowledge". Or some nonsense as that.

If you aren't sure, don't sell it. If you aren't sure, and are willing to risk the account, then go right ahead. If you are sure it's ⊗⊗⊗⊗, and do it anyways, then also go ahead. I don't report phakes. I message the sellers letting them know. It's " always' and " honest mistake".

So yeah, the only way to go about this, is to either not sell it, or to learn more about the product you're selling. If you do research and can't tell it's ⊗⊗⊗⊗, then the buyer probably can't either. But the only response you can give, is to say "I bought this from a reliable source, and am confident it is authentic. if for some reason you are not happy with your purchase, I will refund you. "

By the way, my first account ever, was suspended because ebay said " we aren't sure if you're sure that your products are authentic". I knew for a FACT they were.

[james13v]

Originally Posted by jrandleww

I have never had proof anything I was selling was not authentic.

Ignorance is bliss, eh? That's why I like messaging sellers. It forces them to delete their listing, because they can no longer claim ignorance.

I didn't SEE the stuff fall off the truck.