Sadly, a large percentage of Tiffany jewelry sold on eBay is counterfiet.  And, unless you have experience purchasing authentic Tiffany jewelery from a Tiffany & Co store or their official website (tiffany dot com), it can be easy to be fooled into believing the auction item is authentic.   Be sure to read my other guides on how to spot fake Tiffany pouches and jewelry.  http://search.reviews.ebay.com/members/memasjoys

If you fall victim to one of these sellers you CAN get your money back.  Here's how....

1. As soon as you suspect that your item may be fake, take one or more of the following steps: 
   a)  Go to Tiffany.com and check your item against the photos of the authentic piece. 
   b)  Look at the piece under a magnifying glass.  If the item has links, carefully examine all of the links.  They should be soldered closed.  Look at all of the engraving.  You're looking for misspellings and small dots in the engraving.  Dots are a sign of laser copying. 
   c)  Send me the auction number so I can review it and offer my opinion. 
   d)  Take the item to your nearest Tiffany & Co. store if there's one within driving distance.  Tiffany & Co. employees are not allowed to authenticate jewelry but they will tell you if they believe it to be fake.
   e)  Take the item to a reputable, experienced high-end jeweler who has experience with estate pieces.  They may be able to render a good opinion.
   
   
2. Once you're satisfied that you've purchased a fake, email the seller.  At this point, I prefer to take the approach that it was an honest mistake.  Assume that the seller didn't know he/she was selling fake merchandise. This usually has a better success at getting a quick refund from the seller. Being accusatory puts the seller on the defensive and reduces your chances of a speedy refund. 
   
   Tell the seller that you will be shipping the item(s) back to him/her and expect a full refund, including the shipping fees.  Let him know that you will forward a delivery confirmation as soon as you have one.  Be sure that you're shipping to the correct address. 
   
   
3. If you receive an unfavorable response from the seller or if you don't receive a timely response, immediately contact eBay's resolution center to report this auction as a fake:  http://resolutioncenter.ebay.com/ 
   
   
4. Log on to your PayPal account.  Click the Resolution Center link at he top of the page to open a dispute.  In that dispute, state that the merchandise is counterfeit and that you've shipped it back to the seller.  Include the delivery confirmation number.  Shipping the item back expedites your refund.  Note:  no matter what the seller states in the auction, you have 45 days from the payment date to open a dispute.  A seller's "No Refund" policy is NOT valid in the case of counterfiet items.
   
   PayPal will send an email to the seller and will include what you've written in the dispute.  PayPal will also immediately freeze the seller's account for the total amount you've paid (including shipping).  The seller should respond to that email and you will receive a copy of his/her response. 
   
   
5. If the seller responds unfavorably and doesn't issue a refund, log back on to your PayPal account and escalate the dispute to a claim.  Again, include the delivery confirmation number.  This allows PayPal to track the delivery and verify that the seller has received the return. 
   
   What happens now?
   You will receive copies of any correspondance the seller sends to PayPal.  If the seller continues to deny the claim, PayPal will investigate.  Most of this is done automatically and you may not hear from PayPal again during this period.  Don't fret.  On the 30th day from the day your escalated the dispute to a claim, the entire amount of money that you paid to the seller will be returned to your PayPal account.  If PayPal is able to verify the return of the item, you may receive your refund even sooner.  You can also call PayPal and communicate with a live person at anytime during this process.  There is a "contact us" link at the bottom of PayPal's web pages.  This will direct you to the correct telephone number.  I have found the PayPal reps to be very helpful.
   
   
6. After you've received your refund, be sure to leave negative feedback for the seller and state that the reason is that the item was proven to be a fake.  This helps to protect future buyers.  As of April 2008 sellers are prohibited from leaving negative feedback for sellers.  You no longer need to fear retaliation for honest feedback! 
   

PayPal Policy:  PayPal automatically holds payments for eBay items if the seller...   

• has been an eBay member for less than 6 months and sells and item for more than $100 or
• has an eBay feedback score of less than 100 and sells and item for more than $100 or
• has a buyer dissatisfaction percentage greater than 5% or
• has an average DSR (detailed seller rating) of less than 4.5 or
• has received fewer than 20 DSRs in the past 12 months or
• is listing in a high-risk category

PayPal will release the hold when one of the following occurs...

• When the buyer leaves positive feedback
• 3 days pass after proof the item was delivered
• 21 days pass without a dispute, claim, chargeback or reversal filed on the transaction.
  PayPal may hold the funds longer if a dispute, claim, chargeback, reversal or other action to disupte the payment has been filed.The following is true of ALL Tiffany jewelry:

• AUTHENTIC TIFFANY ENGRAVING is done either by hand or by machine with great precision and the utmost skill.  The engraving on your Tiffany jewelry will be clean and sharp, not muddy.  You should not see dots in the engraving.  The engraving on fake pieces is copied and uses a laser technique that produces tiny dots to form the copied lettering.  If you can see dots inside or along the edges of the engraving, it's FAKE!  If you've purchased a piece of Tiffany jewelry and are unsure of the authenticity, be sure to look carefully at the engraving.  Use a magnifying glass if necessary.  Sloppy, off center, tilted or misspelled engraving or dot patterns is an absolute sign of a FAKE . 

• AUTHENTIC TIFFANY CARE CARDS have only Tiffany & Co. on the front of the card.  There is never more than that one line.  If the card has a second line, such as Care of Sterling Silver, on the front... it's FAKE!  On the instructions side of the card, each line of the text should be centered. If the care instructions are left justified, it's FAKE!  Care cards are not necessarily included with every Tiffany & Co. purchase.  I've personally purchased many silver pieces from Tiffany & Co. stores around the country and have rarely received the care card so don't be put off if the card isn't included in the auction.

• AUTHENTIC TIFFANY POLISHING CLOTHS are NOT routinely included with a purchase.  Tiffany sells polishing cloths in their stores and they are available in two sizes.  In all of my Tiffany purchases I've yet to receive a free polishing cloth.  Including the polishing cloth in an auction is a RED FLAG that the item my be FAKE!

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Feel free to email me if you have any questions or comments.   If there's more information you'd like to see in this guide, be sure to let me know.  

If you're not sure about an auction, email me with the auction number. I'll be happy to take a look and give you my opinion. 

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ATTENTION READERS:  I appreciate the time you spent reading this guide and I sincerely hope you've found it helpful.  If so, please take a moment to click the "yes" button below.  Guides are listed in numerical order based on the number of "yes" votes they receive gets. 

Sellers of counterfeit Tiffany merchandise don't like these guides and make it a point to click "No" in order to push these guides to the bottom of the list.  Your "YES" vote helps to negate their votes and push this guide higher in the search list.   By clicking the "yes" button, you're increasing the possibility that others will be helped by reading this guide.  I appreciate it, THANK YOU!!! 

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