Counterfeit Item Policy

[kuriouskeepsakes]

I just had a listing for a sports collectible item with a CoA from what appears to be a legitimate authenticator taken down for "violation of counterfeit item policy".  The eBay notice doesn't give any real information other than "don't relist it".  No mention of my CoA or that it came from a charity auction for a for a highly respectable national hospital. 

Is there any appeals process? 

[kuriouskeepsakes]

I've got another similar item authenticated by the same company.  Should I be concerned? 

I noticed two similar items to my listing that was pulled, but both are at a considerably higher price.  I'm guessing one of them turned me in to try to raise the value of their items.  Would eBay accept their word without even looking into it? 

[rugerskick]

See this is exactly a concern I have.  Sellers acting as a vero right holder sabotaging another sellers listing of the similar/same item.  Ebay just pulls them.  If anyone reading this doesn't think this could occur, I believe you are incredibly naive.

[coolections]

Did you know that most charity auctions have counterfeit items? Those charities want the most $$ for their charities so they really do not care about COA or where the item comes from, they just want that stuff sold. Anyone can print a COA. I have a collectable on my wall from a charity auction. Paid big bucks and it is not worth a thing. Makes me mad but I still like it so there it hangs.

[coolections]

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@kuriouskeepsakes wrote:

 Would eBay accept their word without even looking into it? 

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NO

[fashunu4eeuh]

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@rugerskick wrote:

See this is exactly a concern I have.  Sellers acting as a vero right holder sabotaging another sellers listing of the similar/same item.  Ebay just pulls them.  If anyone reading this doesn't think this could occur, I believe you are incredibly naive.

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@rugerskick It could occur, but is not likely to occur.

Whose naive? If eBay took down every reported item based on one person’s say-so, it’d be the wild west here. It would put way too much power into the wrong hands. Dishonest competitors would run amok reporting their rivals. Any listing could be disrupted easily and livelihoods threatened. Chaos would ensue. Ok, that may sound like an exaggeration, but i think the point is made.

The most likely single-report counterfeit takedown, if not Vero, are bonafide buyers complaining about purchasing fake items. EBay will pull those reported sellers’ remaining listings quickly if there are violations. 

Otherwise, since eBay is not transparent on what prompts takedowns, we can only guess at the actual criteria. Now if what you are saying is that Vero members might abuse the privilege, that i’d be more inclined to believe.

[theteamsetguy]

Who was the COA issued by? Scoreboard?

[rugerskick]

I think vero abusers would be significantly more prevalent than other sellers imitating vero rights holders.  But I would not rule this out from occurring, just like I wouldnt rule out sellers working with their friends with other accounts to buy from their competitors with the goal of leaving negative feedbacks.  People like that exist and they are here.  Look at the ebay upper mgmt folks and what those multiple people did to the targeted seller.  All the people here would say that never would have occurred.  Well it did.

[dnasilver]

Highly respected hospitals are respected for medical performance not for determining what is a real COA. If a COA comes from anyone other than a nationally recognized company, odds are it is a worthless COA. Same for grading companies.

[kuriouskeepsakes]

CoA was issued by SignatureDreams.  They're small, but appear to be nationally recognized.  I tried researching them on the Internet.  I found some whining about them from about ten years ago, but nothing more recent, and nothing with any facts.  Even if they question the validity of the CoA (which I have no reason to question), how could they tell whether or not the signature is real based on a picture in my post? 

I've been selling on eBay for over 20 years with well over 30,000 sales.  Not a new seller with zero feedbacks.  I bought two items at the charity auction to help a good cause with the intention of reselling to cover my cost.  If my item had sold, after eBay fees, shipping, etc., I would have made about $20.00.  It wasn't about making money.  However, if I can't sell them, I'll be out hundreds. 

It still leaves two question.  What is the appeals process?  What about the other item, eBay hasn't pulled it.  Should I let it run, or pull it myself? 

[farmalljr]

The answer you don't want to hear, that is the correct one, is sell it someplace else. Doesn't matter if eBay is wrong or not, they pulled the listing. Meaning if you relist it again, they can ban your account. Doesn't matter who is right.

I would take that lessoned learned on step farther: 

If eBay is pulling certain items as "fake", then I would find someplace else to sell ALL of those items of that type. If eBay wants to risk your account and not allow the sales, someone else will. 

At one time, eBay stopped allowing "adult" items, after years of allowing them. Those sellers didn't just dumpster the inventory, they move on to someplace else to sell it. It seems, from someone observing from the outside, eBay wants only "graded" and certified cards. I don't know why. It's probably in line with their $500+ item sales vision. If they want to ruin that category too, I guess it's their platform, wrecking ball away!

As a seller, you need to do what's best for you. eBay is not your "partner". They have their own interest at heart, you should too.