Counterfeits on eBay

noonehere · May 18, 2014 6:13PM

Many people here and on other boards have complained about the existence of CCW, the Coin Community Watch program. This meant that when you reported a counterfeit or a crook, the report was sent to a small group of experts for consideration and if there was agreement the listing would be cancelled and in the case of repeat offenders, their accounts would be suspended. Those who complained about CCW were often the sellers of counterfeits or those who disagreed with a decision and demanded to know more about the CCW advisers' credentials. Some regarded the system as flawed but most agreed that it was better than nothing.

Now there is nothing.

eBay has systematically made it more and more difficult for honest but ignorant buyers and easier for unscrupulous sellers because it has worked out that few victims realise their ignorance until they try to sell the counterfeit they bought on eBay and by then they will be out of time to make a claim through eBay/PayPal and so eBay's profits will increase. These were the steps along the way

1. Stop bidders seeing who they are bidding against

2. Hide the winner's ID so that the victims can not be tipped off after a listing ends

3. Hide the item information in an individual's feedback so that you cannot tell them that they bought a piece of garbage.

and now:

4. Ignore every report that comes in about counterfeits and crooks.

Yes, number 4 is correct because CCW has been broken up and is no more: your reports are simply vanishing into a big black hole.

So, it's a free-for-all for Chinese scammers and all other seller's of counterfeits and it's buyer beware because nobody else is going to look after you.

If you, like me, used to bid up the rubbish to protect the unwary or ignorant and used to "win" items, expecting eBay to respond to reports and cancel the listing, you can now expect a reminder from the automated system or from an illiterate underpaid kid that you have to buy the item. If you used to email sellers about their problematic coin, expect a warning from an illiterate eBay kid, accusing you of "email abuse", with threats of account closure.

If you are an unscrupulous PNG member - eBay is in bed with PNG - or any type of crook, you will be welcomed on eBay and in time, you will achieve Top Seller status.

As the specialist eBay staff also dealt with stamps, philatelists are about to discover the latest strategy change and how it benefits eBay and nobody else.

So, for numismatists and philatelists, there is no SAFETY and nothing can be TRUSTed.

If you can talk to your local Congressman, do so, if you have any TV contacts, tell them, if you have any contacts in the National Press, tell them because eBay deserve to be named and shamed for the lengths they go to in the pursuit of profit and their complicity in the scamming of which they are well aware.

LanceNewmanOCC · May 18, 2014 7:34PM

<< 4. Ignore every report that comes in about counterfeits and crooks.

Yes, number 4 is correct because CCW has been broken up and is no more: your reports are simply vanishing into a big black hole. >>

i'm not saying corporations are beyond such tactics as history has more than proven otherwise but how did you come to this conclusion?

edited to add, if you spam that message, you will lose all credibility and your message will be a complete waste of time. i've seen it 2x now.
.

mbogoman · May 18, 2014 10:37PM

<< 4. Ignore every report that comes in about counterfeits and crooks. Yes, number 4 is correct because CCW has been broken up and is no more: your reports are simply vanishing into a big black hole. >>

I find this statement dubious without backup. Yes, the CCW may be gone, but most of my reports weren't going to them anymore. My reputation (as well as many others who also report on this board) had reached the point where Judith and her minions took my word that whatever I reported was in fact fake and was pulled rather quickly. Coins are one of, if not the biggest, categories in Ebay. The amount of fees brought in is huge. For Ebay to totally ignore counterfeits makes no business sense. If counterfeits were allowed to proliferate freely, the bad apples would destroy the good and the business would deteriorate. I am sure there are legal issues involved, too, as counterfeiting and selling counterfeit goods is illegal. Even though Ebay is not the seller, they do provide the market place, and as such, are responsible.

Having said all that, it is clear that something has changed in the way Ebay is handling reports of counterfeits. As many of us have reported, we're not receiving the canned auto-replies anymore and it has been at least a couple weeks since I have received a thank you note from Judith or Tiffany. Maybe they are on vacation or maternity leave? Who really knows. I do know this - the two fake 1893 S Morgans in fake PCGS slabs that we reported a couple days ago are gone. Most of the Trade dollars I reported last week are gone. I will say this, it seems to be taking a lot longer for these listings to be removed, more evidence that something has changed in how the counterfeit reports are being processed.

LanceNewmanOCC · May 18, 2014 10:47PM

<< 2. Hide the winner's ID so that the victims can not be tipped off after a listing ends >>

while i understand there is some legitimate reason(s) for doing this, i was quite perturbed about it and still am.
.

mbogoman · May 19, 2014 12:27AM

OK. I just spent about an hour on the phone with Ebay trying to get to the bottom of this. After about 5 transfers, I finally got to a rep in the backroom who understood what I was trying to report, chiefly:

1) Why am I no longer receiving the canned auto-replies from Ebay after reporting a counterfeit,

2) Why am I no longer receiving the "thank you, we're pulled the listing..." emails from Judith or Tiffany

3) Should I keep reporting fakes or am I wasting my time now?

The rep checked the system and was able to pull up the two items I reported this morning, confirming that the reports are being transmitted and getting through to Ebay. However, she had no idea why I am no longer receiving the auto-replies and thank you emails and was not aware of any policy changes that may have affected this. A problem report was opened and I requested that she please get back to me when an explanation is found. She also thanked me for sending the reports and asked that I please continue reporting as Ebay appreciates my help, yada yada yada.

It is evident that there was a major software change at Ebay a couple of weeks ago. Several board members, including myself, have identified a problem with listing BIN items for greater than $2500. This problem arose about the same time that the counterfeit reporting issues above surfaced. I wouldn't be surprised if they are related. Even though they are in completely different area of the software, the update likely dealt with many areas. I am ready to blame it!

291fifth · May 19, 2014 12:34AM

<< 

<< 2. Hide the winner's ID so that the victims can not be tipped off after a listing ends >>

while i understand there is some legitimate reason(s) for doing this, i was quite perturbed about it and still am.
. >>

About nine or ten years ago there was a very serious problem on eBay caused by scammers making second chance offers to underbidders. This was not a minor problem. eBay's action to hide the identity of bidders was a necessary move.

mbogoman · May 19, 2014 12:46AM

Just for kicks, here is one of the items I reported this morning. Let's see how long it lasts until taken down:

Fake 1795 $1

lostincoins · May 19, 2014 2:05AM

The fake Morgan I posted with the gun shot reverse was never pulled even though many reported it..... seems like we will be seeing a flood soon and the long history of floods has never been good.......

LanceNewmanOCC · May 19, 2014 3:21AM

<< Just for kicks, here is one of the items I reported this morning. Let's see how long it lasts until taken down:

Fake 1795 $1 >>

reported 5-19-14 1:21pm est. with the report item link on the page which i was to understand is the fastest per ebay.
.

mbogoman · May 19, 2014 3:38AM

<< reported 5-19-14 1:21pm est. with the report item link on the page which i was to understand is the fastest per ebay. >>

I'm sure that's the link I use, too. It goes straight to the Coin Selling dept. I've been using it for a few years now, ever since someone else posted it on this board...

lostincoins · May 19, 2014 3:45AM

That is the link
i use also and as of now the 1922 no D i posted has not been polled either and it is a fake most likely chinese.

noonehere · May 19, 2014 3:54AM

In reply to mbogoman, I believe that there are a number of eBay members whose track record is such that Judith accepted their reports. Unfortunately, Judith and her team have been disbanded, squandering her 7 years' experience and her own undoubted accumulated expertise.

Reporting from the link for numismatic listings went to Judith but not any longer!

I can assure you that everything in my original post is 100% accurate.

In case anyone has not seen it, here is the illiterate brush-off email that was sent to users of the highly effective CCW link that went straight to Judith:

"Dear valued member,

We are writing in regard to your participation in the following channel of communication: DL-eBay-CD-CCW@corp.ebay.com

We’d like to thank you for your active involvement and contribution to this program. We have undergone a recent shift in strategy. Effective May 9th, 2014 the use of this communication channel will no longer be used. If you would like to report listings that you believe are in violation, please use one of the channels found in our help pages: http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/questions/how-report-violation.html.

Once again, thank you for your efforts in improving the marketplace and being a respected member of the eBay community.

Sincerely,

eBay"

lostincoins · May 19, 2014 4:07AM

Some info from one of those on the ebay board that has now been disbanded would be helpful, you could still make up a sudoaccount to post to protect who you are. This would be helpful as many of us on this board use ebay in one way or another on a daily basis even though many complain ebay is still the largest source of numismatic items used by the educated and uneducated numismatist.

mbogoman · May 19, 2014 4:09AM

noonehere,

Thank you for the clarification and backup to your OP. If that is truly the case, it is sad. I wonder if she and her team were the sacrificial lambs for a policy and system that really didn't work as well as it could have. It would also explain why we haven't received any of the follow-on emails from Judith. But the reports are getting through as evidenced by my phone call this am, where the rep read back to me my description of the fake. Whether or not anyone is acting upon them is another story. I do know that the rep opened a report on the item using a different channel - I have received a follow-up email on it (the coin listing is still active)

As I posted earlier, I have filed a report on the change and am waiting for an explanation (I'm not holding my breath). In the meantime, I think I will use the "Report Item" link from the listing page. I have been told to use "Copyright and Trademark" category, with reason "Counterfeit item" and Detailed Reason "Counterfeit, fake or replica items".

DorkGirl · May 19, 2014 4:38AM

morgansforever · May 19, 2014 6:33AM

mbogoman, REPORTED! I'm not sure how many counterfeits I've reported, but it has to be more than 1000 over that last couple years. I hardly collect, spend my free time combing through Morgan and early dollar listings.

lostincoins · May 19, 2014 6:51AM

mbogoman I just used what you said to report the shot morgan and the 1922 no d I posted as they were not pulled and we will see what they do.

mbogoman · May 19, 2014 7:37AM

Methinks the response time is going to be a lot slower now. Since they threw Judith, et. al. under the bus, the reports are going to have to wade through the bureaucracy on a first come, first serve basis (at least this is what the rep told me). I expect a lot more listings to run to completion. I've started adding the fakes I report to my watchlist so I can keep track of them. If these (our collective reported items) start running all the way, we're going to have to escalate the issue with Ebay. They will want data and examples. I've just started collecting that data for my reports with today's activity. Jeez, what a screw-up! They keep finding new ways to shoot themselves in the foot!

lostincoins · May 19, 2014 7:54AM

They (ebay) are now facilitating the sale of fake/counterfeit coins, could this now be a Hobby Protection Act issue for them as they are notified of said coins and not acting to stop the delivery of those coins?

LindeDad · May 19, 2014 9:00AM

Wonder if Ali Express is going to be their newest Power Seller?

lostincoins · May 19, 2014 9:16AM

I might as well just order from Ali for some sales items, it's not like they will be pulled anyway,. I will just state they are raw and uncertified that should be good enough for ebay now, right?

Counterfeits on eBay

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