What to do if you see fake MAC?

[numpylicious]

Hi, I've been seeing tons of fake MAC on ebay recently, and things that are blatantly fake, e.g. they'll say there's a mirror/applicator in the compact or something for eyeshadow..

I've been trying to report a few that are quite obvious as they have bids on them and I feel really bad that I can't tell the bidders it's a fake!

Is it worth reporting? Does eBay (UK) do anything about it!?

What do you do if you see a fake on ebay?

 

[gildedangel]

Try to report it, but most of the time eBay does nothing unless tons of people report it. eBay would rather ignore it than be involved. I personally have stopped trying to report it; it seems silly when eBay does very little to stop it. You can certainly keep on trucking and reporting; but you can't stop bidders from being ignorant and not doing their research. Sometimes I see things that are so fake it's like, "Have you ever even looked at the MAC website?!?". Sometimes I do feel bad when people buy really good fakes though, but most of the time I don't feel bad for the bidders.

 

[User27]

I'm totally in agreement with gildedangel. It's become a lost cause to report the majority of fake auctions on there because they continue on. I used to spend ages with bellaitalia and angi reporting the UK auctions but it takes teaming up to knock them down...like we'd all tag team them and the UK Ebay would take down sellers' auctions but they'd have a backup or new account. I gave up because sellers have too many accounts to try to shut down and you waste hours trying to do the right thing.

It sucks but Ebay lets it suck.

 

[stephlovesmac]

I have a friend that used to work for Ebay Trust and Safety when it was located in Vancouver. They handle all of the counterfeit/fraudulent item reports. She told me that a lot of the larger corporations troll Ebay looking for fake items to be removed. Tiffany & Co does this really well, they don't want their products real or fake sold on Ebay so they have auctions closed. They send a list to Ebay and the auctions are closed for these items, even if the seller can prove they are real.

I think in this case it isn't only a problem that counterfeit items are sold, its that MAC doesn't enforce their own trademark. They probably don't patrol online auctions to crack down on counterfeit goods. The other issue may very well be that Ebay has since moved its offices and has relocated this department. The new staff may not be interested in cracking down on counterfeit goods.

 

[User27]

Quote:

Originally Posted by stephlovesmac I think in this case it isn't only a problem that counterfeit items are sold, its that MAC doesn't enforce their own trademark. They probably don't patrol online auctions to crack down on counterfeit goods.

IUntil a Vero is filed with Estee Lauder, the goods are allowed to be sold and it's never been done. It sounds terrible but I've reported many a thing to MAC alone and they take the info yet you really never see a positive outcome to it. The thing that got their attention the hardest was a girl on IOffer selling that MAC employee guide aka MAC Bible and she's still selling despite ingredients being listed in there but I turned her seller name in and consistency of sales. MAC asked how I came to learn of her and I answered a half an hours' worth of questions for them to do nothing.

I used to wonder if they let this go on to keep interest in product...I mean after you get burned by fake than you run to their stores but that seems too farfetched. The warning is always there that you're never guaranteed to receive authentic unless you deal with them personally and the counterfeit market is too far advanced to really shut down now. Literally if it wasn't for panda bringing up a pigment in an older thread I would have been had because everything has a test run and can get perfected as it goes. Bottles had numbers instead of names and pour spouts, they learned the fake was wrong and dabbled until they got it right....I won't risk a pigment now past a charm or sample and I'm questioning certain charms now.

I think Ebay just realizes they would need an entire staff alone just to weed out counterfeit goods and they really are clueless about the goods listed. Instead people spend hours doing their job for them and then finally get disgusted by the process and turn places like this section. I was against listing counterfeit sellers before but hell those aren't little slip ups they're making...those are blatant lies repeatedly going on. Certain sellers know darn well what they're doing and Ebay's enabling them and I was just dumb enough not to know how to settle Paypal disputes through their system. I've learned never settle outside of the open claim but you're burned and you learn after a couple gos....it's like a toddler learning to walk.

Specktra sellers see the money that Ebay stopped being worthy of until they start protecting people like me better. No loss but it's irony...I come here without the Paypal protection and have never had an issue. Use Ebay and receive counterfeit...you would figure it would be the reverse but I'm happy it's not.

 

[1165Cheryl]

If it's a fake item like a pigment with a false name, number on top of the box instead of a color name, nozzle showing...something thats easy for Ebay to check out or appearent then I for sure report it. Many times after reporting an item thats a apperant fake I go back and it has been taken down. When I report a item I point out the facts that proves it's a fake. If it's a item that only a person with knowlege of pigment can tell then it's a different story and it takes many of people reporting it as people have said. If I see someone selling many fakes than I report them also even though with some I know it might not do anything but I feel better knowing I did what I could. I notice the more knowledgable you sound regarding the product the more impact it has. I don't know much about the Uk Ebay but this has been my experience in the U.S. If you have bought a fake and returned it and see it back up for auction or the seller selling other fakes then reporting it is the best thing you can do. They can see you bought from that buyer and will trust someone who has actually received and returned an counterfeit item. Sometimes I think it has so do with how we word our complaints, keep it professional & to the facts and keep our personal judgements or feelings about that seller out of it. Then we can come here and rant and rave about the person, lol.

 

[stephlovesmac]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Casadalinnis I think Ebay just realizes they would need an entire staff alone just to weed out counterfeit goods and they really are clueless about the goods listed.

That's the frustrating thing, Ebay is supposed to have a staff that looks for these items. That is what Trust and Safety is supposed to do. They patrol online auctions looking for fake items. I think they spend *most* of their time patrolling more 'high' profile fakes like Louis Vuitton.

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1165Cheryl When I report a item I point out the facts that proves it's a fake.

I have to say I totally agree with you here. You aren't going to get anywhere without stating what is wrong with the item. Ebay won't do anything until they are forced to do so by someone that knows what they are talking about.

The annoying thing about Estee Lauder/MAC's inaction over counterfeit goods is that the consumer is stuck with potentially dangerous products. For the life of me I don't understand why they don't protect their copyright. Since the fake products that are sold with their name on them make it look like MAC produces a really crappy product.