AWESOME NEWS Ebay Authenticate

[theshoppingmom2]

Amazing new program check it out!!

http://pages.ebay.com/authentication/?rmvSB=true

[fashionclubgurl]

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@albertabrightalberta wrote:
I wonder which company/companies they'll be using. Some are good but others are awful!

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I agree. Just because someone calls themselves a professional authenticator or service doesn't mean theyre qualified to actually authenticate, Ive seen a LOT of complaints at other places where persons or services have made HUGE mistakes and cost buyers money or sales.

Some services may be good with some brands and not others. I know of several long-running and well-known service names where a change in ownership or over-aggressive expansion has meant a complete collapse of the services reputation, because they either lost their best experts or they tried to expand to other brands and turned out to be completely incompetent and just plain dangerous with those brands - some of them even seem to be using those disastrous and totally unreliable "authentication guides" on the internet instead of qualified experts who actually knew the brands!

And using ANY service where the service lists themselves on Ebay or any of the owners or management SELL on Ebay is REALLY dangerous, the chance of conflicts of interest and "authenticating" their own listings makes it impossible for any individual or company in that position to have ANY credibility with me. And I KNOW there are "authenticators" in that position here at Ebay,and who I would never trust to give an unbiased or honest opinion where either their own items or even items being sold by a competitor were involved.

IF WE DONT KNOW WHO THESE AUTHENTICATORS ACTUALLY ARE SO WE CAN RESEARCH THEIR REPUTATIONS AND HISTORIES, WHY SHOULD WE BELIEVE THEYRE QUALIFIED TO DO THE JOB ???

[albertabrightalberta]

Another concern is whether they'll be using computer software that supposedly determines authenticity. It's my understanding that at least one other online venue is using Entrupy software to authenticate.

Call my skeptical but I can't imagine a computer being able to be as accurate or dependable as someone who has actually handled, studied, compared and authenticated a brand for years.

[mupcycledcouture]

I had no idea that a software was being used to authenticate. That is..... interesting. But makes sense that Ebay would do something like this.

[theshoppingmom2]

Interesting

[petals_and_vines]

Scary, indeed. 

Word has it that one such "authenticating" company did work (or still works) with Tradesy, and this company has a LONG track record of mistakes across all brands. Better yet are the one-size-fits-all-one-man-band authenticators who "know" many high end brands. OR the reseller who decided to become an authenticator and is also known for her mistakes. There are even posters here on this board who have proven themselves to knowledgable, reliable authenticators - and some, well, not so much. 

How the h*ll is eBay going to determine who is trustworthy and who isn't? Would they even know where to vet such authenticators? The authenticating world (for lack of a better description) is quite small and many of us know who does what and who is associated with which third party service, or forum (such as PF). Something tells me eBay will NOT either A) put the time and energy into researching the most trusted authenticators or B) even know where to look.

Moreover, even some of the best authenticators won't even touch certain styles of bags without actually having the bag in hand, as the superfakes are THAT good. How are we supposed to trust that eBay will hire people with that level of knowledge? 

As stated before....this has the possibility of being a good thing, but most likely it will be a very bad thing.

[fashionclubgurl]

Amen to that! If I was looking for a high-end purse Id do my own research and hire my own authenticator. If someone doesnt know where to look for that information they dont have any business buying expensive purses. I see a bunch of angry buyers AND sellers and probably a few lawsuits in Ebays future.

[fashionclubgurl]

As for Ebays abiliity, or lack of it, to know or act on whos honest and who isnt, how about this example.

There have been a bunch of stories in the local, national, AND international news in the last 8 or 9 months about a counterfeit handbag scammer living in Virginia who scammed stores like Nordies and TJ for about a million dollars in highline counterfeit handbag switches over the last few years. She was finally nailed with the evidence of an FBI investigator through a bag sold on Ebay. The scammer had at least 2 accounts here, and one is still active.

Shes been convicted, sentenced, and is currently serving a 33-month stretch in Federal prison. But "the venue" still hasnt removed that second account, even though a simple Google search would give them the ID, which they probably have already. So its hard to see how effective any choices made about trustworthy authenticators or potential counterfeits can be when convicted felons involved in massive fraud in designer purses are still allowed to be members.

[bobbiede]

I've actually seen the device and it's a game changer. It's a microscopic camera that works with your iPhone so you have to have the item in hand. It scans the exterior, interior, hardware, stitching, logo and anything else for that specific brand. I had a chanel and LV authenticated and knowing that it wasn't someones opinion (and they stand behind each certificate) made it way easier to sell my bags for more money and faster!

[jsales0]

So done by scanner? OMG. What about lines with tons of variance? Thinking FCLV right off the top, scanning uneven stitching and cut off LV's... I see a potential nightmare in the making.

[alli*kat]

Jsales, I agree with you this is a total nightmare and disaster just waiting to happen.  

[mupcycledcouture]

I also agree, a scanner authenticating is going to cause problems.

[albertabrightalberta]

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@bobbiede wrote:

I've actually seen the device and it's a game changer. It's a microscopic camera that works with your iPhone so you have to have the item in hand. It scans the exterior, interior, hardware, stitching, logo and anything else for that specific brand. I had a chanel and LV authenticated and knowing that it wasn't someones opinion (and they stand behind each certificate) made it way easier to sell my bags for more money and faster!

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Someone's "opinion?" Authentications you get here and other forums call their authentications "opinions" because they usually aren't enough proof to hold up in the case of a dispute.

But I'd trust authenticators who work for the dependable professional authentication services (good ones) that have real experts who know their brands and items way before I'd trust the opinion of a computer or a scanner.

And standing behind each certificate? I've seen certificates posted in listings for counterfeit handbags. While there have been cases of forged authentications, those I refer to were authentications actually done by companies that claim to "stand behind" their service.

An authentication service -- ANY ONE -- is only as good as the authenticator(s) they employ and unless there's a real human being who knows what to look for, there are going to be mistakes made. I can't even imagine the mistakes an inanimate object like a computer scanner would make!

No thanks! No Entrupy for me!

[albertabrightalberta]

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@jsales0 wrote:

So done by scanner? OMG. What about lines with tons of variance? Thinking FCLV right off the top, scanning uneven stitching and cut off LV's... I see a potential nightmare in the making.

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Exactly! Potential nightmare is an understatement.

[kh-leslie]

Hello Everyone,

Due to the age of the thread, it has been closed to further replies.  Please feel free to start a new thread if you wish to continue to discuss this topic.

Thanks for understanding!