# eBay



## WateraDrop (Nov 16, 2008)

So I was looking around on eBay and noticed that people sell brand name clothes online for significantly less than what it costs in-store. I saw some Abercrombie coats being sold on eBay for about 80 or 90 bucks, while in-store, it's about 250.

I was wondering if there might be something sketchy going on here like fake goods or whatnot.


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## marblerye (Jul 25, 2010)

i've never bought clothes off of ebay, but a bunch of friends (female) do all the time and they have told me there are TONS of fakes everywhere that you have to do some serious research on how to tell the difference in order to not get ripped off. investigating the seller through their previous items sold and feedback will help too, but often times if it's widespread there are a lot of people talking about it on forums with pictures of the fake merchandise to inform others of their misfortune.

i know for a fact there are fake nike shoes, lacoste and polo (ralph lauren) shirts, north face jackets, wilson tennis racquets, golf clubs, designer wallets and purses, hats, sunglasses, and even prescription eyeglasses too so imitators will go through so much lengths...

even if the product is 100% authentic, you don't know where and how they got it. it could be stolen, or even factory seconds bought from an outlet store they bought really cheap only to try to make a profit off it.

No seller on ebay is 100% safe because I've seen some ebay stores who pride themselves in selling authentic shoes, mix in fakes unknowingly because they got it from the wrong supplier. if it were me i'd just bite the bullet and buy straight from retail..


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## AquaNeko (Jul 26, 2009)

Yah you have to be careful with fakes on Ebay. Again most people I know that buy clothes online are a few female friends of mine. Some have been burned while others have gotten good deals. 

Why not check out outlet stores locally unless you have to have the newest item. I myself have only gotten a few items of clothing off Ebay before but I did my research and checked with the seller if they're willing to take pics of angles, stitching, etc to check on things. 

I don't normally buy clothes off Ebay unless I can't find it locally or it's a unique item be it new or used that I want for my collection that I'd go to Ebay to check for. Beware of shillers that will get into a bid war just to bump the price up on the item. Sniping the item near the last 30mins of the auction is a good way to ge the item if the closing time is at a late hour at night or happens to land on a busy holiday or such. If you plan to snipe the bid close all background programs on your computer (I recommend a reboot), have 2-3 windows open logged into Ebay with the item page loaded, and have a second backup computer ready in the same setup so you can drop a fast bid in should the main computer lag up reloading the page. Also a good idea to have a laptop handy as well.

Make sure you measure yourself and ask for measurements on the item as each manufactuer has different ideas of S/M/L/XL cuts. You don't want to get pinched in the arm joints while the rest of the garment fits perfectly so always ask for unstretched armpit-to-armpit measurement. If the garment you're buying is for some semi-stretching then also ask for the same criteria but in the stretched format.

Having gone through a few racing MTB jerseys I learned of that pinching and no standard sizing quickly. I mean compression/secondskin fit is one thing pinch chaffing is another.

Hope that helps.


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## characinfan (Dec 24, 2008)

It's not just fakes. Sometimes the items are stolen.

I've bought antiques from reputable eBay sellers before (with good results) but never clothes/new items.


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