WARNING!!! FAKE Audio-Technica ATH-M50X Headphones NOW ALL OVER eBay!!!

All of a sudden, DOZENS of sellers have listed Audio-Technica ATH-M50X headphones for $100 or LESS!

These are COUNTERFEIT Audio-Technica ATH-M50X headphones.

The REAL ones have a serial number and these do not. These are ALSO made of subpar materials. AUTHENTIC ATH-M50X headphones are made in Taiwan, and retail for $179 (new) and around $100 used.

There are multiple sellers offering these headphones NEW for under $100. They are ABSOLUTE FAKES. EBay needs to look deeper into this before more people get duped!!!
There are literally DOZENS of new sellers listing this item!
I reported them to eBay, but they said they found "We looked into your report and didn’t find the listing to be in violation of our policy."

A LOT of people are going to be screwed and might not even know it!!!!

snowmancometh

232 View listings

Posted 4 months ago·Last reply 4 months ago

22 comments

mudshark61369

·4 months ago

"There is no such thing as foolproof, because fools are so darned ingenious" (unknown)3111 View listings

@snowmancometh ,

Not to rain on your parade, but you could have avoided being scammed if you had looked more closely at the listing and checked the seller's feedback profile before buying from them.

Red Flags:

First there was the price.

Then the Item location in Ca. v. the seller's country of registry H.K. China. in feedback profile,

In the Item specifics for Brand: Unbrand. Condition: in listing Brand New..., right across from that in the item specifics is another Condition: Open Box

The photos show the warranty card and instructions are all in Oriental Characters. Export versions come with Instructions in the main language of the countries they are being sold in. Ex: U.S./U.K., English first then French, German, Spanish.... etc.

Item description from seller = Mfr. advertising info.

About this seller: "Dear buyers,our shop mainly deals in auto parts, and also sells PLC...

Feedback Profile: Mostly for auto parts and a bunch of Private Listings, which considering the categories the seller lists their items in, There is no reason to have Private Listings.

Your reports fell on deaf ears because the seller used Audio-Technica stock photos and product descriptions. You fell for them and if a real person looked at the listing, who didn't know anything about the brand or stereo equipment, how would they know if the listing was for a fake item?

Hopefully, A-T will look into your Report, join ebay's VeRO program and get the listings pulled.

grann-4629

·4 months ago

44 View listings

join ebay's VeRO program and get the listings pulled.

Does a company have to be a VeRO member to get it's counterfeited products removed from eBay? If so, then that puts the reason for the program's existence in question.

mudshark61369

·4 months ago

"There is no such thing as foolproof, because fools are so darned ingenious" (unknown)3111 View listings

@grann-4629 wrote:
join ebay's VeRO program and get the listings pulled.

Does a company have to be a VeRO member to get it's counterfeited products removed from eBay? If so, then that puts the reason for the program's existence in question.

@grann-4629 ,

Yes, they have to become a VeRO member, otherwise competing companies could get the actual rights owner's products pulled. Verified Rights Owners are the only ones who have the right to get a provable counterfeit item listing pulled.

However eBay's A.I. could be programmed to look for contradictory information like a Brand Name in the title, and No brand name, Unknown, or Unbranded in the item specifics.

jonathanbrightlight

·4 months ago

0 View listings

@grann-4629 @mudshark61369

Companies do have to register for the VeRO program in order to file claims, but that does not mean anyone else has to know they registered. From the VeRO list page:

”Not all rights owners in the VeRO program have a participant profile listed here.”

https://www.ebay.com/sellercenter/resources/verified-rights-owner-profiles

mudshark61369

·4 months ago

"There is no such thing as foolproof, because fools are so darned ingenious" (unknown)3111 View listings

@jonathanbrightlight ,

I never said anything about a VeRO member having to have an ebay profile or store, or being known to anyone but ebay.

jonathanbrightlight

·4 months ago

0 View listings

@mudshark61369 wrote:
@jonathanbrightlight ,

I never said anything about a VeRO member having to have an ebay profile or store, or being known to anyone but ebay.

Sorry, wasn’t saying you did. I just felt that the question @grann-4629 asked needed more clarification to that answer. Edit: and when it says “participant profile”, that is referring to the information shown when you click on a VeRO members name in that list, not an eBay user account or store.

grann-4629

·4 months ago

44 View listings

@mudshark61369 @jonathanbrightlight

Thanks for the info. I understand the need to have a program like VeRO although I don't understand the secrecy part. I believe there is a cost for a company to become a member of VeRO and that alone provides a nice little income for eBay.

I do agree that eBay could train their AI to read things like Brand Name to detect counterfeits as long as filling in that field is mandatory for a listing to become active. It may be something they are working on and will be well received by buyers.

jonathanbrightlight

·4 months ago

0 View listings

@grann-4629 wrote:
@mudshark61369 @jonathanbrightlight

Thanks for the info. I understand the need to have a program like VeRO although I don't understand the secrecy part. I believe there is a cost for a company to become a member of VeRO and that alone provides a nice little income for eBay.

I do agree that eBay could train their AI to read things like Brand Name to detect counterfeits as long as filling in that field is mandatory for a listing to become active. It may be something they are working on and will be well received by buyers.

There’s no cost to join the VeRO program as a rights owner. They do have to provide some information showing that they hold the rights to whatever they are using the VeRO program to protect, and some other details (it’s in that link I shared above).

grann-4629

·4 months ago

44 View listings

@jonathanbrightlight

Thanks again. With the advent of AI generated images, I wonder if an AI Image Artist could trademark their art and become a VeRO member? I wonder if our forum meme artist could become a VeRO member ...

snowmancometh

OP4 months ago

232 View listings

I'm glad to see so many active members of this community! I thank you ALL for your input as you are ALL a part of the ultimate solution.

christworks

·4 months ago

1329 View listings

@snowmancometh Who are you trying to inform? Of the tens of millions of eBay buyers, relatively few are on these boards. Of those who are on the boards, most (likely all) are not going to buy that item. By the time someone shows up here about that item, it will be because they already got scammed.

Rather than let this worry you, just trust the process. eBay has a Money Back Guarantee for a reason. No buyer should ever get scammed and not be able to get their money back. If they fail to get their money back, it is because they did not do their due diligence and learn about eBay's Money Back Guarantee. You can’t make people educate themselves.

snowmancometh

OP4 months ago

232 View listings

Thanks for the reply! I'm just a "purist" and have reported DOZENS of these sellers, only to get the pre-programmed response: "We found nothing wrong..."

I HATE to see people get ripped off unknowingly, only to find out AFTER the fact that they've beed duped.

I just thought this would be a good place to air my grievence, but I guess I picked the wrong place.

BEST,

snowmancometh

grann-4629

·4 months ago

44 View listings

Great response, as usual.

Just to add that some people are not audiophiles, including me, and would not know the difference between the real ones and the fake ones even after getting the fakes. They would find out when the headphones stop working and they try to get warranty coverage, probably past eBay's 30 day MBG.

krazzykats

·4 months ago

5712 View listings

Notify the manufacturer.

ᓚᘏᗢ

snowmancometh

OP4 months ago

232 View listings

Done. Thank you VERY kindly for the reply!

Here's my report:

Dear Audio-Technica Anti-Counterfeit / Intellectual Property Team,

For over a decade I have owned six pairs of your ATH-M50X headphones (including the BT2 models) and have remained fiercely loyal to no other brand.

Your products have set the industry standard for me since 2014.

I am writing to report a serious and rapidly growing threat to your brand.

Dozens of eBay sellers are currently listing counterfeit ATH-M50X headphones for under $100 — nearly 50% below the legitimate retail price of approximately $159.

These are not borderline copies. They are blatant fakes with no serial numbers, visibly inferior materials, poor stitching, and substandard build quality that any experienced owner can immediately identify.

I personally reported dozens of these listings to eBay with clear photographic proof and detailed evidence.

eBay reviewed them and rejected every report, stating they found “nothing wrong” with the listings.

This refusal to act is allowing counterfeiters to openly steal your intellectual property, undercut your legitimate sales, deceive your customers, and damage the Audio-Technica reputation you have worked so hard to build.

This is not a minor nuisance — it is widespread, organized counterfeiting that directly harms your revenue and erodes consumer trust in your brand.

I urge you to investigate this immediately and exercise your rights through eBay’s VeRO program to force the removal of these listings.

I stand ready to provide complete details, active listing links, screenshots, and any additional evidence or assistance you require.Please treat this as the urgent matter it is. Your swift intervention will protect your customers, your revenue, and the integrity of the Audio-Technica name that loyal owners like me continue to trust and defend. I look forward to your immediate response and confirmation of action.

bonanza125

·4 months ago

8845 View listings

There really isn't much else you can do. You did your part and reported the listings. We get a bunch of concerns from people who know items are counterfeit. Ebay is not an expert. You would be considered the expert. The recommendation for buyers is not to buy those items if you know they are counterfeit. If you or any other buyer receive a counterfeit return the item within 30 days for a full refund.

snowmancometh

OP4 months ago

232 View listings

Thanks for taking the time to reply. I'm FUMING over ebay's inaction, but DO understand they are not experts.

lady_madonna

·4 months ago

Volunteer Ebay Mentor1040 View listings

@snowmancometh wrote:
Thanks for taking the time to reply. I'm FUMING over ebay's inaction, but DO understand they are not experts.

No reason to fume over ebay's inaction. Ebay cannot check millions of listings for authenticity. Ebay is just a venue.

bonanza125

·4 months ago

8845 View listings

"Thanks for taking the time to reply. I'm FUMING over ebay's inaction, but DO understand they are not experts."

I would lower expectations and look at it as it's Ebay's problem. They have a policy in place to deal with the issue as in the moneyback guarantee. This really isn't something to be fuming over.

simba6

·4 months ago

2315 View listings

Got to watch those too good to be true prices. They always are.

snowmancometh

OP4 months ago

232 View listings

INDEED they ARE! 😉