Counterfeit Chanel handbags have long been a problem on ebay (see my other guide on the subject).

For a time,  ebay's efforts and the increased awareness of buyers worked to remove most counterfeits from the site.

However, the counterfeiters and fraudsters have returned with a vengeance.

For the most part, the fakes are obvious (and there are numerous guides including my own about how to differentiate between a counterfeit and genuine bag).

Of concern, recently, is a sophisticated FRAUDSTER who sells COUNTERFEIT bags or worse, sends nothing at all using photos of GENUINE bags that he has either bought or stolen.

This is a well-organized fraud / con, that sells under various ids, most of them with alot (100s to 1000s of feedbacks, all positive).  He sometimes uses shill bidding to run the prices up and he has used hijacked accounts to leave himself fraudulent positive feedback. 

He makes himself the winner (most of the time) using shill bidding and then contacts people who bid or asked questions and offers to sell them the bags off ebay.  He then demands payment via Western Union, and sends a counterfeit bag or an empty envelope or nothing at all.

Alternatively, he cancels your bid and then offers to sell you the item outside of ebay with the same result.

I would advise you to be very cautious before bidding on an item with the following characteristics:

1.  The seller has multiple bags listed with several photos of each bag BUT NONE of the bags seems to have been photographed in the same location.

2.  The seller is registered as a business seller in the UK.  He has alot of feedback (several hundred to several 1000) but none or almost none of it is from selling high-end designer items.

3.  The seller has many many items listed, but apart from Chanel bags, there are no other high-end designer items.  Other listed items might include such things as low-value decorative items, inexpensive used children's clothing or shoes, crocs, used car parts, etc. 

4.  The seller has items listed, apart from handbags, but ALL of those other items are of  low value ($1 to $50) and include such things as stamps or used children's clothing.

****Please note that the professional econsignment shops will have feedback from selling lots of high end items and will have other high-end items (not only Chanel handbags).  Personal sellers (people selling their own things) will sell high-end items in sizes that are consistent. 

Professional resellers and eboutiques tend to specialize and will sell ONLY high-end items,  so all of their feedback will be from that sort of item and all of their items will be high-end items.

It should spark at very least your curiousity when someone has been selling plastic shoes or postage stamps for years, and they suddenly, in addition to their plastic shoes or postage stamps, have several Chanel 2.55 bags, some of which are new and some of which are used.**** 

5.  The seller's description says the item will sent "Fully Insured by Courier" spelled and written in exactly that way.

6.  The seller's description states that buyers with insufficient feedbacks (an extraordinary number, from 50 to 500) must email before bidding.

7.   All of the Chanel bags listed by the seller are versions of the classic flap (2.55) or the grand shopping tote (GST); they may be vintage or new, of various sizes and design but are one of these two styles (because these are the most searched Chanel bags).

8.  The seller cancels a very high number of bids.  This is unusual behavior for ebay sellers.  I am unclear as to the reason this seller does it, unless it is to encourage people to buy outside of ebay.

THERE ARE VARIOUS WARNINGS ABOUT THIS FRAUDSTER ON THE INTERNET.  FOR EXAMPLE, SEE THE FOLLOWING:

scams-n-shams.blogspot.com/2009/08/ebay-chanel-scammer-update.html

IF YOU MUST BUY FROM SOMEONE MEETING THIS DESCRIPTION, DO SO ONLY THROUGH EBAY AND BE CERTAIN TO PAY THROUGH PAYPAL WITH A CREDIT CARD, SO YOU HAVE PROTECTION IF SOMETHING GOES WRONG.

IF YOU PAY BY WESTERN UNION AND SOMETHING GOES WRONG, YOU HAVE NO RECOURSE.

ANY SELLER WHO REFUSES TO LET YOU PAY VIA PAYPAL WITH A CREDIT CARD SHOULD BE AVOIDED.

A NOTE: This charlatan is aware of this guide and the other warnings on the internet, and has been modifying his fraudulent listings according to the information available.  I will try to keep up with him, which means the information in this guide may change from time to time.  Please check back.  I imagine the others watching him and warning about him will do likewise.

Other red flags in listings (in general):

1. The listing has photos that are "watermarked" or have a name across them, but the name does not match the seller's ebay id.

2.  Photos of the same bag appear on both ioffer and ebay (most of the handbags sold on ioffer are counterfeit and many of those counterfeiters steal photos from ebay sellers).

I have copies of some of the photos used in these countefeit listings but for some reason, the image uploader is not working for me.  If you wish to see the photos, you can access them at photobucket.com.  I will add photos as the counterfeiters do.

The exact url is photobucket.com/realphdiva-fakechanel

I am also keeping a list of the ids used by these counterfeiters.  Please contact me if you believe you have spotted one of these listings and give me the user name of the seller.  I will pass these on to ebay.

If you want to know the various IDs I have tracked for this person / people, email me and I will tell you.

* Some of the photos used in these counterfeit listings were stolen from the legitimate seller jennys_pennys, so when these photos (or photos like them) appear in her listings, its because they are her photos.

If you can identify the original source of any of the other photos used in these scam listings, please let me know, I will pass them on to ebay.

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IF YOU FOUND THIS GUIDE HELPFUL, PLEASE VOTE "YES" TO IT.  PEOPLE SEARCHING WILL SEE THOSE GUIDES WITH THE MOST VOTES FIRST.  SOMETIMES COUNTERFEITERS VOTE "NO" ON THESE GUIDES TO PREVENT PEOPLE FROM SEEING THEM.