Any Suggestions

[bnwt]

have a look at the belts on offer on ebay.com.au

http://shop.ebay.com.au/i.html?_nkw=mens+leather+belt&_sacat=0&_dmpt=AU_Men_Accessories&_odkw=d.g+leather+belt&_osacat=0&_trksid=p3286.c0.m270.l1313

if you start scrolling down you'll start to notice fake designer belts - all the well know labels ... while they have been listed by different chinese sellers they all have d.g in the title

so do a search for d.g leather belts  ..  http://shop.ebay.com.au/i.html?_nkw=d.g+leather+belt&_sacat=0&_dmpt=AU_Men_Accessories&_odkw=mens+leather+belt&_osacat=0&_trksid=p3286.c0.m270.l1313

at the time of writing this there are 95 of these fakes in a total of 856 belts .... that is to say over 10% of the belts listed are fakes

and if you question if they are real start looking at the prices .... genuine new Hugo Boss belt for $4.99 ... new Armani leather belt $7.49 .... yeah sure


so I have reported these sellers via the "report this item" and as you would expect nothing happened ... I have phoned the powerseller help line on 3 occasions were it was agreed they were obviously fakes and I was told a report would be done and assured they would be removed .... nothing happened

a week ago I called the eBay Sydney office and spoke to the Big Deal co-ordinator who also agreed the belts were fakes and they should be removed, he was startled to here that the "report this item" had no effect so he said he would notify Trust & Safety and have the belts removed

well of course the belts are still there

what do you suggest I do next

[*Brum6y*]

Aside from encouraging other members to consider also making reports, would there be any benefit in contacting the trademark holder and advising them?

Other options that come to mind are less than noble - so I won't go into those.

The last suggestion is to find that brick wall I'm sure you've used before and give it another few head butts.


Enjoy the relief when you stop.

[*Yibida*]

Send Hugo Boss & Armani an email....let them sort EBAY OUT...you gave them fair warning to do something about it .... unless you hurt them in the $ pocket they don't give a shirt...

[*CountessA*]

BNWT, it's time to roll out the big guns.

I'd focus on two approaches - the first is email, and the second is hard copies (letters) on letterhead. The more official the letter looks, the better. And throw in whatever qualifications you have as well.

(If, like Rimmer, you don't have a Bachelor of Science, a B.Sc. could stand for Bronze Swimming Certificate...  - I just want to add that MINE IS REAL and that I majored in biochemistry. But that's got nothing to do with the price of belts, so I will belt up on that subject.)

APPROACH No. 1: Send an email to as many eBay-associated addresses as you can.

Eidardis@nsw.gadens.com.au - Ian Dardis, Chief Operating Officer, Sydney Offices (Gadens Lawyers Sydney Pty Limited)
iclarke@nsw.gadens.com.au - Ian Clarke, Chairman, Sydney Offices
ootp@ebay.com (Nic Oliphant with eBay CEO's office)
exec.relations@ebay.com (eBay Executive Relations)
matthewb@ebay.com ( Matthew J. Bannick, President, eBay International)
government_relations@ebay.com (eBay Government Relations Department)
billcobb@ebay.com (President, eBay North America)
csme@ebay.com (Office of the eBay President)
pierre@ebay.com (Pierre Omidyar, eBay Chairman)
ulieberman@ebay.com (Usher Lieberman, Senior Manager Corporate Communications)
jcanfield@ebay.com (John Canfield, Sr. Director Trust & Safety Policy Management)
paypal.robert@ebay.de
paypal.nico@ebay.de
paypal.eva@ebay.de
paypaldamon@ebay.com
jdonahoe@ebay.com
john.donahoe@ebay.com
john@ebay.com

VERY IMPORTANT - cc the email to ACCC representatives (e.g., Shane.Chisholm@accc.gov.au) and the Ombudsman (info@fos.org.au), and if you have personal contacts there, use them by all means. If you want to add your own lawyer to the cc link, do so. If you have media contacts, add them as well. Make sure it's very obvious that this email is GOING TO MAKE A NOISE.

You know the sort of thing to write; very official, with unambiguous evidence that can't be disputed.

APPROACH No. 2: Send hard copies - a letter with attachments showing screenshots, include phone logs (which have resulted in zero action on eBay's part), and whatever else you can include as evidence. Send to as many people as is practicable - and don't forget John Donahoe, eBay CEO, 2145 Hamilton Avenue, San Jose, CA 95125.

In fact, why not fax it to him as well?

FAX NUMBER: 1-408-376-7414

Keep Australian eBay reps in the loop - you don't want them to feel left out, do you?

Good luck.

[*Brum6y*]

I like the Countessa's fact sheet. 

[tellomon]

[HellWest'nCrooked]

BNWT, it will be interesting to know how it resolves.

Hugo Boss and Armani could be kept in the "loop" as well ,like Yibs says.

[bnwt]

the fakes are still there

so this is what I have done .... step 1 - our friend Ina Stiener at AuctionBytes



Dear Ina


I am hoping you can offer me some advice as to what to do next.

Some years ago on an Australian current affairs television program about eBay, Elizabeth Beal the former director of the Communications Law Centre said, “There is no real motivation for eBay to stop fraud, they still benefit from fraudulent sellers because they still collect the fees”.

Over the last 3 to 4 months eBay.com.au has been flooded with fake designer leather goods, wallets and handbags but particularly mens leather belts. At any one time around 10% of the listings are obvious fakes.

It is always the same modus operandi, never mention the brand name in the listing title but show it in the photo. This could be the name on the buckle or on the box. There is every designer brand represented, Armani, Hugo Boss, Gucci etc etc etc. While a lot of these items sell as auctions with starting prices of 99 cents there are also a good choice of Buy It Nows .... for prices from $4.99 - $13.95. That’s right a brand new with tags leather designer belt that would nornally retail for $150 for just $4.99 - what a bargain! The listings, although from different sellers usually include ‘d.g’ or ‘n.’ in the title, so they are easy to find. Needless to say they are all Asian based sellers.

Should you require anymore proof that these belts are obviously fake have a look at the feedbacks, “Not Leather or Great Quality Like Auction States”, “this belt sucks and its FAKE”, “unsatisfied by material quality , thorn after first use”.

I started doing ‘Report This Item’ on these fakes and as expected nothing happened. I called the Powersellers Help Desk no less then 6 times to report the fakes, each time they agreed these belts are obvious fakes and was assured they would escalate my concerns. On two different occasions I was told I would be contacted by email to advise what had happened, that was over a month ago.

This has been going on for 2 months now and the fake listings continue and what particularly irks me because of the set up of Best Match, where low prices get better exposure, these belts get prime position in the listing pages.

What do I do next? .... Who do I need to contact to get these listings removed?

After all it is in everyone’s best interest that fakes are removed, although Elizabeth Beal may disagree.

Needless to say I would ask that you do not include my name should you publish this letter.



regards

[*Brum6y*]

By not using trademarked names in text, these sellers avoid being picked up by current scanning routines.  Scanning images for symbols that are recognisable trademarks is not at the stage of practical mass examination.  Well, not yet (and even if it was, one would have to question the incentive eBay would have to implement it.)

... and as long as those sellers can put enough content for their item to be brought up in searches, they only have to get a buyer to view the listing.  The human eye only works by interpreting images - so whether its generated from text or a photo, it doesn't matter a whole lot.


BNWT - all I can suggest is that you keep doing what you are doing.  Keep plugging away and rally as many troops as possible, look for ideas and get others to think about the problem.

While my thoughts on the subject may not occupy a conspicuous place in my day-to-day activities, the issue is well and truly implanted such that any relevant material or ideas that cross my path will trigger a response.

Don't let the issue die.



If I can ask - how interested are other sellers in the same market as yourself in a co-operative effort?  Or is competition too keen?

[*CountessA*]

Writing the letter to Ina Steiner will at least raise awareness of the shifty methods used by these sellers of fakes.

[tommy.irene]

Do you have trading standards offices in Australia...