Counterfeit scopes on EBay

[Casual Friday]

I did that with Trijicon and their reply was It's a fake. My reply to them was Yes no kidding it's a fake thats why I sent it to you. They were quite indifferent about the whole affair.

They've realized it's a losing battle. If an ebay account gets shut down for selling fraudulent goods, they just start a new one the next day.

[BillSWPA]

I did that with Trijicon and their reply was It's a fake. My reply to them was Yes no kidding it's a fake thats why I sent it to you. They were quite indifferent about the whole affair.

Different companies will handle these reports in different ways and there are no guarantees. I don’t know of any company that promises anything for reporting fakes, but I have read accounts of Surefire treating people who make reports quite well. Regardless, you did the right thing by Trijicon and ultimately all of us who prefer authentic, quality products.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[CS Tactical]

I'm saying this as me personally and not a Vendor (Other people here use Ebay), but I don't know how so many people are trusting of Ebay transactions. Especially of stuff that can be counterfeited. I've used Ebay maybe 12 times in my life but on nothing expensive or electronic.

[Poconnor]

This reminds me of credit card fraud. Counterfeit cards are common and the companies couldn’t care less. Ebay needs to Police it’s self. It’s not super difficult. Leupold could report counterfeits to ebay and ebay could shut down the account. I know it’s not going to stop but ebay should be making it more difficult. I arrested a crack dealer once who had 50 counterfeit dvds and cds. The recording industry sent a retired police officer- counterfeit expert to testify. He was great. It just added another felony (50 count). The guy was a also a bank robber- third generation full time criminal. But that’s another story. My Dept would search Craig’s list for stolen items and prostitution in our jurisdiction. My point is ebay is not even trying.

[Mr. Goodtimes]

I just don’t buy off of eBay in general. Saving $25 bucks isn’t worth the lost peace of mind.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[RoyGBiv]

Anybody know how to spot a counterfeit?

They're listed on Ebay and ship from China.

Pretty much this...

I'm in the import business... Spend a lot of time in China and other low-cost-manufacturing countries.

I don't know of any manufacturers that sell USA-spec items for less in China. There's no way a Chinese eBay seller is going to be selling you US-spec goods for less than you can buy them in the US. (OK, I suppose I need to allow for the possibility of some exceptions, but, I've not found any. YMMV).

In fact, the Chinese come here with empty suitcases and buy Chinese-made goods to take home, because they are cheaper to buy here than at home (local taxes, VAT, lower volumes sold domestically, etc.). If you have any Chinese friends or colleagues, you know this is true. I've taken visiting colleagues to the luggage store followed by the outlet mall, on the way to the airport for their flights home.

So... what is the Chinese eBayer selling?
-- Stolen goods (best outcome for you. not so good for the OEM)
-- Off-spec goods that the factory decided not to scrap. (Remember that the brand name OEM is probably contracting manufacturing to a third party and doesn't own the factory. Even if they do own the factory, off-spec stuff rarely gets scrapped if it can be sold for a few bucks in the local market with the OEM/home office none the wiser.)
-- Fakes. Some fakes work just fine... but if you want your Chinese eBay Streamlight to be watertight, better check the o-rings and threads before you expose it to water.

IMO, I'd much rather buy a cheap torch from a web site that is up-front about their sourcing. I pay less and get what I pay for. If it serves my purposes, win-win.
Example: https://www.gearbest.com/about/about-us.html (I am not endorsing this web site... just giving an example).

[scw2]

I don't know of any manufacturers that sell USA-spec items for less in China. There's no way a Chinese eBay seller is going to be selling you US-spec goods for less than you can buy them in the US. (OK, I suppose I need to allow for the possibility of some exceptions, but, I've not found any. YMMV).

The only gun-related thing I've found worth getting is unbranded bore snakes. They may be slightly poorer quality, but for ~$1 each it doesn't matter. Downside is it takes like 1-2 months to arrive. I was googling as to how they got the shipping to the US so cheap, and apparently anything they can send via regular mail out of Hong Kong is subsidized by their government and sent via cargo container, so that's probably how they're so cheap without having totally bad quality.

[RoyGBiv]

The only gun-related thing I've found worth getting is unbranded bore snakes. They may be slightly poorer quality, but for ~$1 each it doesn't matter. Downside is it takes like 1-2 months to arrive. I was googling as to how they got the shipping to the US so cheap, and apparently anything they can send via regular mail out of Hong Kong is subsidized by their government and sent via cargo container, so that's probably how they're so cheap without having totally bad quality.

China post does exactly this... ^^^^

There are also consolidation services that will put a domestic (US) DHL label on the package, pile it together with a ton of similar packages, and ship the ton via air as a single shipment. When it arrives to DHL in the US they sort it, distribute it to their US service centers and then hand it off to USPS for final delivery. It's amazing how economical and relatively fast this can be (1 week or so end to end). I spent some time trying to get into this business a few years ago with a Chinese partner, but the big guys have the cost advantage...

[ranger]

I buy a lot of stuff off ebay and I sell a lot of stuff on ebay. When I buy new items, I buy from the "dealers" with established reputations with thousands of positive feedback. I have good luck buying holsters used - especially models that are no longer in production or hard to get. I go through my "stuff" regularly and sell holsters and such that I no longer use. I am looking for a new or used hunting rifle scope now and watching ebay.