I have recently noticed an increase in auctions using the word "faux" in the title without any additional description.  At best this is misleading and worse, perhaps, is done on purpose.  Innocent or maybe an attempt to fool potential buyers?  You be the judge.


Before writing this I asked a number of English speaking people if they new the meaning of the word. I was quite surprised at how many had no idea of what it meant.

Faux is a French word for fake. Faux is an adjective meaning not genuine or real; being an imitation of the genuine article, often man-made rather than natural, ersatz.  It often used in English to attribute an upscale sound to the naming of a cheaper look alike. Ex: Faux Pearls, Faux-Marble (Terrazzo), etc...
Additional examples include:

As of this writing a search for "faux" in just the title yielded 14,897 listings: faux rabbit fur, faux bamboo, faux pearls, faux leather, faux snakeskin, faux diamond, faux stag antler, faux suede, faux coral and faux ivory among many others.  Searching "faux" in both the title and description gave 74,492 listings.

I'm not suggesting that all listings using the word "faux" are trying to mislead the buyer.  Also faux is not necessarily a bad thing.  For example, surely faux leather is a good thing for vegans to wear.  And faux ivory also means that this is an item that did not come from killing an endangered animal for its tusk.  But beware the seller who is trying to inflate the perceived value of the item they are selling.

Happy eBaying!

Please spare two seconds to click the YES link at the end of this page if you find this guide interesting, useful, or informative. It makes all my effort feel worthwhile.  NOTE: You must be signed into your eBay account with your user ID or your vote will not be counted.  But, if you don't find this guide helpful please send me suggestions on how to make it better.  I plan on making periodic updates to the guide so your suggestions will be helpful to me.  Thanks for reading.

Note:  I put this guide on eBay less than 6 hours ago and have already received a "not helpful" vote.  But whoever it was couldn't bother to email me their criticisms or suggestions.  Hmmm, perhaps it was from one of those sellers who is trying to scam unsuspecting buyers...