Fake Oakley Sunglasses and dealing with Scammers
Filed Under Fake Oakley Sunglasses |
EBay is a well-known place for all kind of scammers. I purchased a pair of “authentic” Oakley sunglasses, which have a Bluetooth module built-in. I’ve read a few articles and guides covering fraud vendors prior to buying. I’ve made a compilation of such guides on my blog. The general idea is to avoid seller with little to no reputation and watch out for an original box. These guides are very helpful, but that wasn’t enough in my case. The vendor had over 2k positive feedback and the sunglasses were packed in original package, also he had custom made photos.
Here goes my first advice. Prior to buying browse to Oakley website and check out the real looks. The model I bought has only three color variants on the official site, but when I opened the box I saw Black sunglasses. Guess what, that color isn’t listed on the site. That made me kind of worried.
My second advice is to have a couple of witnesses when you open a package arrived from eBay seller. Or else it’s pretty damn hard to prove that you were scammed.
In case you’re not 100% sure that your glasses are genuine, you should take a walk to your local Oakley reseller and ask them to verify. Usually they will tell you if it’s a fake Oakley sunglasses almost immediately. This service is provided totally free, and even if you were lucky to buy a replica, you going to get them back along with the letter confirming that. The letter is very important if you want to take legal actions against the seller.
Now, if you got scammed, make sure to contact the seller via eBay or paypal. I’d recommend to use paypal if possible. Selling fake Oakley sunglasses is contrary to eBay and paypal rules. Well, it’s actually illegal, so you might also call the police. Most likely the seller will offer your money back. But don’t fall for that; do not return your replica. It’s actually illegal to mail fake goods. Here’s the funny thing, paypal told me to return the glasses. I’d replied it wasn’t legal and they told me to destroy them. Well, it’s not legal either!
You have to remember that when a vendor’s auction states that the sunglasses for sale are authentic Oakley sunglasses and he accepts your payment at the end of the auction, he’s legally bound to provide you with the genuine item! So, when you get a fake, don’t return it immediately, ask for what you actually paid for. You’re not likely to get it though, but you will get your money anyway.
Lastly, either paypal or eBay are going to ask you to prove that you got a fake Oakley sunglasses. It’s their job to be objective, especially if the seller has large amount of positive feedbacks.
In the end you will get your money back. But you should be ready for a long and time consuming process.
I’m pretty sure there’s no definite way to be 100% sure of avoiding a scam. The least you can do is to ask the seller to provide you Oakley verification letter. Don’t bid until you get a positive response.
Oh, and don’t forget to report the scammer. We should keep eBay a safe place to trade!
