I attempted to buy some Tiffany Jewelery off of eBay before I really knew much about Tiffany at all! After educating myself a little bit, I came to find that there is SO much fake Tiffany on eBay! The fakes look good enough in pictures that an unsuspecting buyer might not catch on, but if you can educated yourself in the least bit about Tiffany, you too will be able to spot the fakes.

First and foremost, the best tool to use is the Tiffany.com website to compare what you're bidding on to the real thing. If you can't find it on the website or if there are details missing from the auction photo, chances are that it is fake. I think that this is the most important think to remember- Tiffany lists ALL of its current products on their website so if it can't be found there, it isn't real. If you are still unsure, you can call the Tiffany Customer Service Center and they will be able to tell you more details about specific collections and styles. The number for the Customer Service Center will differ depending on where you are located but Tiffany.com is a good place to start.

A few quick mentions:

The heart necklaces with the toggle: Within the past year, Tiffany & Co has started to make the toggle necklace and bracelet WITH "Return to Tiffany" engraved on the heart. This makes it much harder to spot the fakes from the real as before this, any toggle necklace or bracelet with an engraved heart was NOT REAL! I suppose you could use this information to help you decide whether the engraved toggle necklace or bracelet is real or not by asking the seller how long ago they purchased or received the item (ie. If they say several years ago, it's bound not to be real as Tiffany only started producing the engraved toggle set within this past year). In saying that, one thing to keep in mind is that the toggle ENGRAVED necklace retails for over $500 in Canada and the bracelet retails close to $400. So, if you were to buy the "set" from Tiffany & Co, you'd be looking at paying close to $900.00 PLUS taxes! So how does it make sense for a seller to be listing an ENGRAVED toggle necklace with a bracelet for a few hundred dollars! In general, I am very vary of toggle necklaces and bracelets sold in sets!! (and if you look around a bit, you'll notice almost all of the "sets" sold of toggle necklace and bracelets are with the ENGRAVED hearts!)

"Curved Heart" Necklaces and Bracelets: I've seen a lot of "Curved" heart necklaces and bracelets. From my experience, any heart that is marked with a Tiffany & Co or even the "Return to Tiffany" is symmetrical. The only exception to this is the Elsa Peretti collection but none of the Jewelery in this collection have Tiffany & Co stamped anywhere that is visible on the outside of the Jewelery (although some do have T & Co engraved on the inside or back of pieces).

Double Heart Necklaces: The Return to Tiffany collection does have a double heart necklaces and "Return to Tiffany" will be engraved on BOTH hearts IF the hearts are the same size. There is another double heart necklace that has 1 larger heart under 1 smaller heart. In this case, Tiffany & Co. will only be engraved on the right side of the larger heart. In the case of the double heart necklace where 1 heart is smaller than the other, the hearts should hang at an angle with the chain going through the top left part of the heart. In the case of the double heart necklace with the same sized hearts, the chain will go through the top right portion of both hearts.

A few cautions:

Tiffany doesn't go on sale and there is no such thing as a Tiffany wholesaler, someone who states otherwise is most likely selling a fake especially if their items are brand new!

Even if the seller has a 99.9999999999999999999999999999% feedback rating, this doesn't mean that they're selling the real thing. Its possible that a lot of their buyers also don't know how to spot the fakes.

If a seller is using a stock photo- ask them to send you a picture of the actual item. If they don't respond or say they don't have one, don't risk the chance!

Always check the feedback of a seller and see how many other Tiffany products they are selling that are similar to the one you are wanting to buy. It doesnt make sense for a seller to have 5 brand new "Return to Tiffany Necklace and Bracelet sets".  Think about it: Why would the purchase each of these pieces individually at a store and sell them to you at a super discounted price? They would be losing money!

If someone is offering a "brand new" Tiffany item and a "steal of a deal" price....ask yourself..."why?"

Most important: Use your gut. If you feel even 1% uneasy about your purchase, why not save your money and bid on something else. Its not fun to bid on something that you don't feel great about.

Ultimately, the best defense against buying fakes and counterfeits is to educate yourself about the product you are looking for! eBay can be a great place to find deals but only if you are aware about the product you are buying.

One last tip: I've found that even if the auction states 100% Authentic Tiffany- it always helps to email the seller and ask if they guarantee that the item is 100% authentic. I've done this a few times when I have suspected a fake and the most common responses I have gotten are:

"No, I will not guarantee that it is authentic because I am selling it for a friend"

"Yes, it is 100% Auth but if you are uncomfortable with buying the jewelery, please don't bid" <== (didn't answer my direct question about being guaranteed authentic and also "Auth" doesn't really mean anything)

Its amazing how much you can find out by just asking a few questions!

:) Good luck! Happy bidding.

If my guide helped you out at all, please click "yes"!