I am not an Ebay seller, only a buyer, and I have no stake in the product I'm about to write about.

I just purchased 3 sets of Sennheiser CX300 earbuds from two different eBay sellers for a combined total, including shipping, of about $47. I read all these guides and reviews about having to beware of fakes, but went ahead with the purchases through PayPal for two reasons:

1. If I didn't like the buds, I could return them and/or receive a refund.
2. Even the Sennheiser Web site acknowledges these fakes are coming from a Chinese factory authorized to make (but not distribute) Sennheiser components, and states these fakes are likely to have real Sennheiser drivers.

Upon receiving the buds, I pulled them out of the bubble pack. The packaging and product from the two different sellers was identical. They have the real L-shaped chrome connectors, and the wire to one of the buds is significantly shorter than the other, as with the genuine article. But.the cords are cheap, and you can hear it in your buds when the cords rub together or against your clothing.

Then, I plugged them in. The fit and the sound were both terrific, as was their sound-blocking qualities. They come with two extra sets of ear pads for proper fit, but the regular size I found to be quite comfortable. They were very efficient, delivering more volume than my high-end Phillips isolation buds. Only time will tell how long these last (especially since they do not come with a winding case) but for what I paid for these ear buds, I would say the sound quality makes them a real bargain.

As always, beware when the offered price for a "brand" is 60-80 percent less than the retail rate, as was the case here.

But the bottom line, and I almost hate to say this, is that the fake Sennheiser CX300s that are all over eBay can be a very good deal at the right price...as long as you accept the fact that they're not the real deal.