Why does eBay allow fraudulent Limited Edition listings?

[robertgrahamfan]

Some unsavory sellers list non-limited items as Limited Edition, probably to get it sold faster or to get a higher price.  eBay takes no action when you report these listings, which I would think would make them legally complicit in the fraud.  Anyone have insight as to why eBay allows this to go on?  How can sellers combat this?  It seems the only option right now is for us to also partake in the fraud by also listing our non-limited items as Limited Edition.

Here is an example of an item which has been fraudulent listed for a couple months:

RARE Robert Graham FIELD OF GOLD Shirt Mens M Floral Long Sleeve LIMITED EDITION

This item (in size large) has sold with tags attached twice since November for under $100 each time.  This listing is pre-owned and the seller is offering a "deal" at over $200.  This would not be a crazy # if this were truly limited edition but this item is not embroidered with "Limited Edition", is unnumbered, was not limited in production, and does not have the high quality buttons or level of embroidery/pattern an educated buyer/seller would expect of a limited edition shirt.  However, this is a scam that might just work on an unsophisticated buyer.

[bonjourami]

I expect, because you also sell shirts, that Ebay sees your reports as just another disgruntled seller trying to get rid of the competition. Buyers are protected by Ebays thirty day MBG, and if enough of them complain and open a snad case, the seller will eventually be suspended. Its not up to you to protect prospective buyers.You could try reporting these sales to the mgfr, but they would have to join VERO to get the listings removed.Theres nothing else you can do.

[tobaccocardyahoo]

It is unlikely that any action will be taken if it was not sold and multiple INAD claims against the seller were not made.

Too many listings to determine whether listings are accurate in advance, and AI is never doing to know enough to handle this either.

Ebay has learned it is too expensive to listen to tattle-tails and they may not be correct.

[robertgrahamfan]

Thank you for that insight.  In the past year+ (since i started collecting them) I have sold 138 shirts.  However, I have bought ~350 Robert Graham shirts on eBay (plus other brands of shirts).  I've also purchased that same # of shirts off eBay as well and have definitely been much more of a buyer than I am a seller.  I would hope that eBay would take all claims seriously regardless of the fact that I've chosen to sell most of these shirts on eBay rather than directly to other collectors.

[onefootflippers]

I didn't even know limited edition shirts were a thing. 

I don't think you can fool anyone into buying $200 shirts.

Issue could just as easily simply be the seller hitting sell similar off another listing.

Worrying about what your competition does will not make you one dime.

[tobaccocardyahoo]

Ebay's chosen means of enforcement is not the means you have chosen to use.

The size of this site is such that this method is economically not feasible. It is also not feasible on larger marketplaces, and not used.

No change is likely to occur. Even in the day when such actions were performed, the seller who reported the problem was not told what if any action was being taken.

[1786davycrockett]

@robertgrahamfan 

One of the main problems with what you are requesting, is that there is NOBODY at eBay qualified to determine the differences between a LIMITED EDITION shirt, and a regular edition shirt.

As has been mentioned previously, it is up to the manufacturer to file a VERO complaint through eBay.

In addition -- the Chinese markets are FLOODING eBay with counterfeit merchandise, and eBay can't keep up with the daily avalanche of new phony listings being added on an hourly basis.

If a buyer is dissatisfied with the the description of a purchase, they can always open up a NAD case against the seller.

[robertgrahamfan]

There is nothing wrong with buying a $200 shirt.  Yesterday I bought a shirt for over $1000 and then I bought 3 more for $400/each.  If all are authentic then I paid fair market value for each of these shirts, and potentially even got a good deal.  The issue is using false information to drive the price of an item higher.  Limited Edition RGs are far more collectible than shirts that aren't limited.  There's really no argument to be made against that.

People making fraudulent listings are not my competition.  I am not a business.  I am just a guy that collects shirt.  I have purchased shirts from all of the top RG shirt sellers on eBay and I haven't seen any of the top sellers partake in such fraudulent activity.  The poster mentioned in OP, while a big seller overall, is only selling this single RG item.  Most of these scammers are smaller accounts and hardly competition for anyone, but they are ruining eBay for us buyers.  I have searches setup to send me notifications when Limited Edition shirts are posted.  In the past year+ I have purchased over 100 Limited Edition shirts on eBay alone.    These fraudulent listings make that process much more difficult.  This is the sort of thing I expect on non-reputable selling platforms, not eBay.

[robertgrahamfan]

Why wouldn't they have someone qualified to tell the difference on staff?  It literally takes less than a minute to figure out.  If it doesn't say Limited Edition and isn't #'ed then it's not a Limited Edition Robert Graham shirt.  That shouldn't be difficult for a multi-billion dollar company.

[robertgrahamfan]

and by "doesn't say Limited Edition" what I'm referring to is that Limited Edition Robert Graham shirts literally have Limited Edition embroidered on them.  All of them do except for cross promotions with other brands like Marvel, Star Trek, etc and those shirts are numbered.

[1786davycrockett]

@robertgrahamfan 

"Why wouldn't they have someone qualified to tell the difference on staff?  It literally takes less than a minute to figure out.  If it doesn't say Limited Edition and isn't #'ed then it's not a Limited Edition Robert Graham shirt.  That shouldn't be difficult for a multi-billion dollar company."

What you are asking is unrealistic -- for eBay to hire an individual to somehow examine whether each and every Robert Graham shirt listed on eBay is authentic.

Why stop there?  How about eBay hiring another individual to examine each edition of Ernest Hemingway books?  Or another individual to examine Beatles records?  Or another individual to examine Beanie Babies?  Or another individual to examine Spiderman comic books?  

And so on, and so on, and so on -- eBay will take care of the unemployment problem across the United States, by simply hiring individual "specialists" for each and every item on eBay -- and, no doubt, fly them around the world at eBay's expense, to verify the description of each item in foreign countries.  

Oh, well -- it would certainly give eBay more reasons to raise seller fees, wouldn't it?

[onefootflippers]

---

@robertgrahamfan wrote:

There is nothing wrong with buying a $200 shirt.  Yesterday I bought a shirt for over $1000 and then I bought 3 more for $400/each.  If all are authentic then I paid fair market value for each of these shirts, and potentially even got a good deal.  The issue is using false information to drive the price of an item higher.  Limited Edition RGs are far more collectible than shirts that aren't limited.  There's really no argument to be made against that.

People making fraudulent listings are not my competition.  I am not a business.  I am just a guy that collects shirt.  I have purchased shirts from all of the top RG shirt sellers on eBay and I haven't seen any of the top sellers partake in such fraudulent activity.  The poster mentioned in OP, while a big seller overall, is only selling this single RG item.  Most of these scammers are smaller accounts and hardly competition for anyone, but they are ruining eBay for us buyers.  I have searches setup to send me notifications when Limited Edition shirts are posted.  In the past year+ I have purchased over 100 Limited Edition shirts on eBay alone.    These fraudulent listings make that process much more difficult.  This is the sort of thing I expect on non-reputable selling platforms, not eBay.

---

I never said there was anything wrong with buying $200 shirts, I said I don't think you are going to fool anyone into doing it. A $200 shirt is a very niche market with expert customers. 

[robertgrahamfan]

Not true at all though.  You said it yourself that you didn't even realize that Limited Edition shirts were a thing.  That's the case with many people before they start collecting.  Then they go out and meet someone wearing a limited edition shirt and it's the most amazing thing they've ever seen, and then they go on eBay and start adding Limited Edition shirts to their watchlist expecting a similar level of quality and exclusivity to what they saw IRL, but it's only sometime after they receive their purchase that they assumed they were buying at a very reasonable price that they realize they've been duped.  Sadly they may never realize that they paid a full 3x market rate for their shirt simply because they thought it was Limited Edition.

[robertgrahamfan]

What you have posted is indeed unrealistic but not what I'm asking for at all.  All I'm asking is that when someone reports an obviously fraudulent listing as fraudulent that eBay has supplied a staff member with under 1 minute of training OR appropriate reference material, so that the staff member (who is already employed, and already handles reported items) can properly handle it.

Why is that too much for a reputable platform to handle?  Reminds me of a shirt I bought covered in stains.  The listing didn't mention the stains.  I returned the item and the seller relisted the item again without mentioning the stains.   I reported that listing and eBay took no action and so another buyer ended up buying a stain covered shirt.  How is this ok?  It's ok because it cuts into eBay's margins somewhat?  eBay is a 22 billion dollar company and should have the resources necessary to handle obvious cases of fraud like this when they arise.

[bonjourami]

'they go on eBay and start adding Limited Edition shirts to their watchlist expecting a similar level of quality and exclusivity to what they saw IRL, but it's only sometime after they receive their purchase that they assumed they were buying at a very reasonable price that they realize they've been duped."

Buyers have long term protection, besides Ebays thirty day MBG, they then have six months to file a case at PP or their cc.