Tiffany Jewellers loses court case against eBay

Tiffany & Co, world famous jewellers challenged eBay several years ago over claims that eBay engaged in false advertising and the selling of counterfeit goods. This lawsuit was made in 2004. The federal court judge indicates that there were no evidence found against eBay to prove that eBay listings were either misleading nor confusing. Between 2003 and 2006, Tiffany claimed that hundreds and thousands of listings selling counterfeit Tiffany jewellery were sold through eBay and that eBay should have done more to prevent these sales from taking place.

UK eBay shill bidder fined £50k

Fresh warnings come after Paul Barrett of County Durham became the first Briton to be fined for faking bids on his own auctions. He set up two separate accounts in order to deceive hid bidders.

Trading Standards of North Yorkshire stated that by bidding on your own items or getting friends and family members to bid, you are breaking the law. 39 year old Paul, who works owns a minibus hire firm will be sentenced in May next year and will face a fine of up to £50,000 after admitting to ten breaches of trading standards regulations, each carrying a maximum fine of £5,000.

Pilates for gardeners

We now sell lots of different workouts for gardeners.

The onset of spring

With the onset of spring finally appearing n the UK is it time to change to change your eBay selling techniques or is it time to stick to the tried and tested. I notice always around this time of year that lots of people get the summer bug and try and sell off all there summer gear from last year to prepare for that inevitable summer holiday.

Last year I saw some funny things appearing on eBay like giant inflatables that have obviously been bought on holiday, no doubt because of the expenditure buying them, they were dragged back to the UK and the mistake was realised, so that’s why in 2009 we saw eBay flooded with blow up animals and floatation devices.

Buying Gifts on eBay

eBay provides a unique opportunity to browse through a wide range of products without having to spend time searching various websites/shops. Below I have written a few tips on choosing the right gift and getting the best deals on eBay.

#1 – Read the description
I cannot emphasise enough- reading the description will allow you to find out what the product is exactly, what condition it is in and why the item is being sold!

#2 – Compare the price
Although many bargains can be found on eBay, you should check to see if you can buy the product elsewhere for cheaper. For example I was looking for some scented candles to decorate my house on eBay but I found them much cheaper on a website.

#3 – Check postage
It’s great finding a bargain but make sure the postage isn’t a rip off!

#4 – Check the delivery time
Purchasing gifts is usually a time-critical task, make sure you check how long it will take for your present to arrive.

#5 – Check the returns policy
Make sure you can return the gift if it is unwanted- you don’t want to be stuck with something neither you or the recipient want.

Tips for buying antique furniture on eBay

Buying anything on eBay can be tricky, increasingly people are buying larger items on eBay including antique furniture. When purchasing these items from eBay it is a good idea to check the auction description carefully. I have written a guide/checklist (below) to make sure you check the important aspects of the items details:

#1 Read the item description carefully

Read the items description thoroughly, if they mention damage, scratches or marks stay well-clear unless you are in the business of restoring old furniture- in that case this is probably what you are looking for!

#2 Check the delivery options

Furniture is heavy and therefore costs a lot to post so it is important to check the cost (if postage is necessary) preferably it is advisable to collect the item from the seller as it will reduce costs significantly.

#3 Seller feedback

Check the feedback of the seller, feedback is a good way of seeing how reliable and accurate a seller is. If you’re spending £5,000 on Antique Dining Tables, you want to make sure the seller is reliable.

Australian woman takes revenge on eBay

An Australian woman has listed a photo of her ex-husbands lover’s knickers on eBay. The item has been described as ‘humongous’ and the seller is also selling the empty condom wrapper that led her to discover her husbands affair. The bitter seller had originally tried to sell the actual underwear on the auction site, however eBay informed here this was against their terms and conditions and the item would have been removed so the seller decided to sell a picture of the knickers instead.

The auction has attracted a lot of attention in the media and on social networks. So far there have been 92 bids and the current highest bid is $21,500 with just under 3 days to go.

The seller has also stated the next item she will be listing will be her ex-husbands “Harley Hogg” at 99 cents with no reserve.

Tiffany appeals in counterfeit case

Tiffany, the jeweller has started an appeal against April’s court ruling that eBay was not responsible for removing fake goods from its website. Tiffany sued eBay in 2004 when it found that 73% of Tiffany goods on eBay were counterfeits, however a US court ruled that the responsibility for protecting brand identities lies with the brand owner and not eBay.

eBay does however remove any counterfeit auctions that are reported to it, however Tiffany believes that eBay should also investigate all auctions without having to have them reported. If this ruling had passed then it would be very likely that eBay fees would have risen as eBay would have had to employ people to check all auctions (which would be very costly).

Recently eBay has lost two similar trademark infringement cases. A French court ruled in June that eBay should pay £31m to LVMH owner of Louis Vuitton, Moet & Chandon, Christian Dior and Cognac for allowing auctions of counterfeit goods.

In the second case eBay was fined just under £16,000 by a French court when it found the auction giant accountable for the sale of counterfeit Hermes bags on its website.

eBay mobile phone buying tips

According to the latest statistics from eBay a mobile phone sells site every 18 minutes, which is no surprise when there are 30,944 listed on the auction site at the time of writing this article. As an experienced eBay user I thought id share some tips on how to get the best deal, and what to look out for when purchasing a phone from eBay.

Research

Buying a mobile phone is hard enough when visiting a phone shop, let alone on eBay when you can choose from every make and model of phone ever created!

Tip #1: Spend time researching the phone you want to buy and make sure you’re paying a fair price- look on other non-auction website for price comparisons.

Networks

A lot of the phones on eBay have already been unlocked, meaning you can put any SIM card in the phone no matter what network it is associated with. It is however worth checking that the phone is unlocked and if not how much it would cost to be unlocked or if your current SIM card is compatible with it.

Tip #2: Check the network of the phone you’re buying.

Scams

There are many mobile phone scams on eBay, for example there have been cases of sellers listing items titled ‘Brand New Nokia 6500 slide box’, when buyers see this in their haste and wanting to get a good deal they place a bid only to find they have purchased the box a Nokia 6500 Slide comes in and not the phone itself.

Tip #3: Read the title and description carefully, if in doubt contact the seller through eBay or give up and look at another auction.

Damaged Items

Many mobile phones appear on eBay which have been damaged, most sellers will mark this clearly in the title and give a full description of the damage. Damage may range from scratches to water damage.

Tip #4: Again, read the description carefully- make sure you know exactly what you are buying.

Postage

Finally, as with most eBay auctions watch out for high postage costs, especially on too-good-to-be-true priced auctions.

Find a bargain on eBay

There are many bargains to be found on eBay from footballs to refill kits. When looking for a bargain make sure you try to look for spelling mistakes- many bargains can be found on misspelt auctions. Ensure you check the condition of the item, if it is new then that’s fine, if it is old make sure you check if there is any damage and the reason the item is being sold. Always check the sellers feedback, if they’re dodgy, leave it.

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