What are your thoughts? counterfeit goods from eBay.

Did the seller return your money, or was it PayPal or something? Cause if it was the seller, and they didn't ask for a return, don't.

It bothers me from eBay or anywhere for that matter. I have had to return obviously misrepresented products in order to get a refund from eBay. Then I see the same listing go up again. There does not seem to be a downside for the thieves. Reporting fakes does not seem to help either. I get really frustrated with eBay sometimes.

I would not return the item unless eBay or PayPal requires it for the refund. Unfortunately they probably have a huge box full and do not care about getting them back since it is cheaper to have you toss them.

Good going, Goat. You got me fired up. It will be me making your ears warm when the alarm goes off in a few hours.

If you don't report it, then there's no way they'll be stopped. Even if your 1 report doesn't shut down that crap, maybe you and 5 other people can get that seller booted.

eBay has really sucked for awhile, but on something like this I'd say it's situational, mainly depending on whether the seller should have known better or not. Not everyone is necessarily an expert on items they sell, and everybody has the right to make an honest mistake--I'm not sure if I'd know a real Samsung cable from a fake one either. On the other hand if the seller primarily deals in cables, or has a large inventory of this particular cable, then they probably did know and they deserve to be reported for trying to misrepresent their goods.

Counterfeit Apple earbuds - awesome. 5 for $3? Yes please. Who cares if they break after two weeks. Five for $3.

Counterfeit everything else - awful. I pay full price to only buy from sellers I know and trust for cables and chargers. I've seen counterfeit Motorola chargers explode, counterfeit Anker batteries explode... I don't take the risk. I pay for OEM prices. I just bought a $79 Macbook charger direct from Apple for the same reason.

I vote no return, but refund. IIRC PayPal tells people to destroy counterfeit goods.

If you got the $ and they didn't request it, don't return it. If you think it could be an honest mistake (see what else they sell and what their feedback is like) then give them the benefit of the doubt that they didn't know. If you get even the slightest hint that they were pulling a fast one, report them to ebay! Definitely! We sell on eBay and we want the scammers out! We also try our hardest to make sure something is authentic. We would be horrified if someone accused us of selling a counterfiet item and would be SO apologetic! And we would be devastated if someone turned us in for it if it was an honest mistake. So please be careful how you proceed from a seller perspective...it's amazing how ebay sides with the buyer in all cases and it is very hard as a seller to keep an excellent reputation. Sometimes mistakes happen. If you think there's a chance this was a mistake let it go. Report and let ebay investigate it if you think there is a chance. They will consider your history and the seller history to evaluate their next move.

Not seeing the judgement call here. If the goods are so clearly counterfeit, report the heck out of them and downrate them. Clearly say why in your rating. Doesn't take much effort.

If you don't want to report them to eBay you could maybe report directly to Samsung and the Feds. If the seller made a legitimate mistake they would probably pass on who their supplier was. If they were being intentionally deceptive they're criminals and will sting someone else, perhaps someone who wouldn't recognize that they've been swindled. http://www.stopfakes.gov/consumer-tools/report-fake-goods

@sohmageek Leave negative feed back at least saying "The item received was counterfeit. Seller refunded money asap."

If you were able to tell, the seller more than likely knew as well. It's dishonorable, and you should warn other potential buyers. If they still choose to buy, they are at least making an informed decision.

Sadly I can't imagine anything will happen if you report them. I've done this in the past and nothing ever happens. More trouble than it was worth IMO. In my situation it was a brick and mortar doing a bait and switch. I reported them to BBB, spent almost 3 months dealing with stuff. In the end, they got a small ding on their accreditation.

Hello, is this USB Samsung charger real or fake ?
Samsung ETA-U90EWE
(iffy link removed ~TC)

Bought a "genuine Casio G-Shock" once on Ebay that was clearly counterfeit when received. Msg'd seller. Seller responded by admitting (thru ebay internal msg system) that watch was fake, and then accused me of being a bitch, "How dare you expect me to send you a real one?!"

So called ebay, reported seller for knowingly listing fakes, then filed dispute. Got $ back, seller insisted on being a total constantly whining pain. Returned fake watch because seller insisted, part of process. Left neg fb.

Bizzarro Land. I called Ebay after all was done and asked them to take action re seller knowingly listing fakes. They said "Yes, we care about that, thanks for report." I suspect they did nothing, seller still there 1 year later.

Wish i had reported seller to Casio.

Fwiw, have bought several excellent vintage G-Shocks on Ebay, v happy w them.

Bought a copy of Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 back in the day off eBay. Bootleg cartridge. It worked, but threw an error message up when I turned the system on. I raised holy hell on eBay and the seller sent me a legit cartridge.

That's the only bootleg item I've ever knowingly purchased on eBay. Mostly i just buy clothes, these days.