Why does eBay allow counterfeit and cloned items on their site, against their policies?

[7rattlesbushcraft]

When I search the word clone I come up with over 78,000 items for sale but per our user agreement we aren't suppose to use the word clone in our titles. When I search clone knife everyone of the 60 current items are counterfeit...  I advised eBay of this a week ago. In regards to timeline,  I listed a Push Dagger which is a Legal Item in most the United States, I had a eBay representative call me within one hour of me listing the dagger and removed my listing. So why does eBay have all the tolerance in the world for counterfeit items even after I spent 3 hours on the phone with them going over the 200 sold counterfeit cloned knives they made money from?

[skatesave]

I have reported several Chinese counterfeit clothing and hat sellers that are active right now.  eBay pays no attention to me, because the sellers are moving upwards of 400 items per month with each account.

Their feedback profiles are full of Negatives due to the items being  Countefeit.  They make too much money for eBay, so eBay looks the other way.

[7rattlesbushcraft]

I went to the FBI and they sent me to Customs.....

ebay is aiding and abetting counterfeiters and I'm going to make sure that at least the law enforcement community will be informed! All you ebay members should do the same!

[maltzhu]

Easy.  They make money on the number of  fees these thieves bring in.  Whether or not they are bogus, legit or anything in between matters not.   Listings = fees =bottom line = $$$.

If they kicked every one of these sellers off the sit for having counterfeits, they'd lose 1/3 of their income overnight. 

THAT is why.  They go through the motions to satisfy VERO and their big brand/big box partners but it's all window dressing.

I agree with you but nothing is really going to change unless buyers stop buying this kind of stuff.  No deman, no supply. 

Wish eBay would also crack down on businesses that claim to be in the US but are really far, far east.  This matters when you want to get something within a week or two and it turns out to be a month or more.    It's one thing to know that's the case up front, you can't complain then.    Otherwise, it is misleading and wrong.

[coolections]

Apples and Oranges. Yours is illegal in many states.

[7rattlesbushcraft]

So are sex toys in many states but hey you buy them here on eBay. Counterfeit items are not legal anywhere in this country buy you can buy them on eBay!

[sharingtheland]

You answered your own question:

they made money

[luckythewinner]

Why does eBay allow counterfeit and cloned items on their site, against their policies?

For the same reason that the police "allow" people to speed when it is agains the law. They cannot possibly watch everyone, so they try to do enough enforcement  to provide a deterrent knowing they cannot stop everyone. 

I listed a Push Dagger which is a Legal Item in most the United States, I had a eBay representative call me within one hour of me listing the dagger and removed my listing.

The fact that it is legal item has nothing to do with eBay policy.  Their policy prohibits it, and you violated the policy. 

Not allowed
You cannot list:
Push knives—also called push daggers, punch daggers, punch knives, push dirks, and T-handled knives

The fact that other listings were not caught does not change that. 

[bubbleman2010]

I listed some obsolete USPS priority tape and got busted by ebay for impersonating a postal employee.....

[mistwomandancing]

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7rattlesbushcraft wrote:

I went to the FBI and they sent me to Customs.....

ebay is aiding and abetting counterfeiters and I'm going to make sure that at least the law enforcement community will be informed! All you ebay members should do the same!

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I'm pretty sure the law enforcement community is already aware that a lot of counterfeit merchandise is sold on eBay... and all over the internet, for that matter.  lol  It's sold on the street corners in our cities and from booths at flea markets.  INFORMING law enforcement agencies isn't revealing any secret that they aren't already very aware of.

Apparently prosecuting for this is pretty low on the totum pole of crime fighting. 

NOT supporting the sellers of counterfeit merchandise would go a long way to slowing it, BUT.. sellers who claim they want the Real Thing still are strongly attracted to those low prices.  And often bite.  We even get buyers on the discussion boards who have made their purchase and then come here asking, "do we think their item might be a fake?"    And to be perfectly frank, there are one big ton of buyers who don't CARE if the purse, sunglasses, shoes, etc. IS a fake... if it's reasonably close, they're happy.  They could never afford the real thing, but they enjoy this 'close enough' version.

And, of course, "eBay" is aware that this site is loaded with counterfeit stuff.  I couldn't tell you how or how much they fight against these listings, but I do know that the instant one is closed down two more spring up.  The best way to fight is buyer education, but then you get into the truth of it on another level:  lots of buyers don't want to know their low-cost item is a fake.  They just want to be left alone to enjoy what they just bought.

[yuzuha]

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@mistwomandancing wrote:And, of course, "eBay" is aware that this site is loaded with counterfeit stuff.  I couldn't tell you how or how much they fight against these listings, but I do know that the instant one is closed down two more spring up.  The best way to fight is buyer education, but then you get into the truth of it on another level:  lots of buyers don't want to know their low-cost item is a fake.  They just want to be left alone to enjoy what they just bought.

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Indeed.  You can lecture people all you want about how if it comes from China, it's probably a fake, but the simple fact is that a lot of them don't care and often buy it BECAUSE it's fake and therefore cheaper than the real thing.

[7rattlesbushcraft]

Well they seem to keep the evil push daggers off of here! Search Push Dagger and look how many are on here search Push Dagger sold items see how many have sold.

Now search cloned knife 60 items now search cloned knife sold 200 items. They seem to care a lot more about my LEGAL Push Dagger then they are the 100% illeagel cloned reproduced knives. They pulled my item in 1 hour and called me to tell me.  So eBay's priorities are what they make them to be.

[avalee113]

i totally understand..i got an item removed awhile back and put on suspension..but other of these items r still on there.ive reported same issue and they r still selling them..i got told by ebay rep that some of these foreign stores have special setups that they can..so why bother us small people

[thenobletuckylife]

Evening,

Because they opened "Pandora's Box".

Mr C

[coolections]

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@7rattlesbushcraft wrote:

So are sex toys in many states but hey you buy them here on eBay. Counterfeit items are not legal anywhere in this country buy you can buy them on eBay!

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@7rattlesbushcraft

Really ? I never hear of that. Which states ? By the way, those are not counterfeits, they are just as advertised , clones.  People who are buying them love them and they are not being mislead as the title tells them upfront that they are clones. It should not hurt your business at all as those are cheaper priced. Not everyone wants to pay the bucks for the real deal.  If you truly want them removed from Ebay you need to contact the manufacture, they decide if they want those items cloned or not.  If they do not want them sold they will contact Ebay and those items will immediately be removed after going through the correct procedures to do so.