Las Vegas Authenticator - Buyer|Seller beware
Sharing my recent experience purchasing a hot commodity fashion item [a pair of shoes] and my experience with Authenticity Guaranteed.
I purchased my shoes specifically due to the authenticity guarantee check in the seller listing. I read up on on this guarantee but overlooked the fact it was an off site contractor doing this work, not eBay specifically.
On the day my shoe arrived to the authenticator I received an email stating the shoe could not be authenticated and indicated the shoe was on its way to me [which is opposite what the eBay policy states. The shoes should have gone to sender, not to me]. Copy of email, below.
I contacted eBay to look into this and they struggled making contact with anyone at the authenticator to provide specific information on why it was considered miscategorized. eBay offered me the opportunity to take receipt of the shoe and return them if I decided to as they shouldn't have been shipped to me. The following day the status was updated and the shoe was no longer showing shipped to me and that it is still at authenticator. After 10 days eBay has been unsuccessful in making contact with anyone that can help. They are in the process of refunding me and they have paid the seller.
I was told yesterday their hands are tied as the authenticators are contractors not eBay employees. The eBay customer service person shared with me they find this whole experience very "mysterious". I hope sharing this experience helps to inform everyone that the authentication guarantee may not be the comfort of purchase you are seeking.
"Your item is headed your way, but we couldn’t provide the Authenticity Guarantee you may have been expecting because, upon inspection, we found it to be miscategorized.
Unfortunately, miscategorized items aren’t eligible for Authenticity Guarantee.
We know this may be disappointing, and we've asked the seller to review and update their listings to prevent this from happening again. Check your order details to learn more about your item's shipping status and potential return options.
Please note that your shipment requires a signature for delivery.
If you have any questions or concerns, just get in touch. We’re here to help.
Thanks for being part of the eBay community."
beulah85
·1 year agoDespite the guarantee of authenticity, you still need to be vigilant when shopping.
albertabrightalberta
·1 year ago@meliss_743
Please post the item number. I'd like to see the category and listing.
albertabrightalberta
·1 year ago"I purchased my shoes specifically due to the authenticity guarantee check in the seller listing. I read up on on this guarantee but overlooked the fact it was an off site contractor doing this work, not eBay specifically."
Be happy that it's not "ebay specifically" who's doing the authenticating; ebay isn't the expert but they use experts to vet the items that offer the guarantee.
Although there have been issues with the AG (authenticity guaranteed) program, for the most part, the AG program works.
In this case, your problem is with the seller who possibly knowingly listed the shoes in the wrong category in order to purposely circumvent the authenticator. Did the seller know that the shoes are counterfeit? I don't know but it certainly raises red flags in my mind!
As a seller who has sold/listed items that were/are part of the AG program, I am happy to know that my items will go to the authenticator because I know they're genuine.
Note that some authentic items don't pass if there's an inconsistency in the condition vs. what the listing described or showed. But those aren't items that "fail" as far as authenticity goes.
The reason your item was sent to you (rather than back to the seller) is because of the way they were listed -- most items go to the buyer and not back to the seller.
Although you say you bought the item specifically because of the guarantee, I assume you didn't read the listing carefully enough because you didn't notice the miscategorized item nor did you catch the absence of the "authenticity guaranteed" logo.
I recommend that if you do receive the item, you verify authenticity (or inauthenticity) and if they aren't legit, open a NAD (not as described) return request.
The takeaway: This "mistake" is on the seller, not on ebay.