Community Stories

Rampant Omega Counterfeit on Etsy

Z
Posts
1
Likes
11
I understand "for Omega" or "for Panerai" straps and what not that are exact copies of the OEM, but have no branding. Totally fine and many times a great alternative. But, what the hell is with blatant fakes that are LABELED AS OMEGA or Panerai or Breitling. I have reported these stored over past months, but Etsy never takes them down or even responds. It not only is against their own policy to sell counterfeit, it does not even meet Etsy's requirement to sell "craft or handmade" items.


Example:

Fake rolex: https://www.etsy.com/listing/101099...e-watch-band?ref=shop_home_feat_1&pro=1&frs=1

Fake Omega: https://www.etsy.com/listing/889580...ber-silicone?ref=shop_home_recs_3&pro=1&frs=1


More stores with fakes:

https://www.etsy.com/shop/BAEWatchGB?ref=simple-shop-header-name&listing_id=846960922

https://www.etsy.com/shop/BandCampCo?ref=simple-shop-header-name&listing_id=1021968841

https://www.etsy.com/shop/Topclass07?ref=hp_recs_shop_module-shop-2


and the list goes on and on... no end.
 
dsio
Posts
30,617
Likes
36,133
Yea I recommend staying away from Etsy unless you are very experienced and know exactly what you’re doing. They really have zero control over counterfeiting and IP fraud at all and are putting no effort into changing things.
 
Evitzee
Posts
7,002
Likes
13,077
OP, that's a hell of a post for your first one here on OF. Welcome.
 
Tony C.
Posts
7,723
Likes
26,825
Ah, Etsy. About five years ago I agreed to purchase a watch from a seller in Europe. I made the payment, awaited shipping, but was told by the seller that the sale was cancelled, as the watch was no longer available. My payment was eventually refunded, but the seller had obviously received a higher offer, and was quite happy to break the agreement and sale that had already taken place. Adding insult to injury was the fact that I was refunded less than I had originally sent, due to currency exchange rate changes.

What was most infuriating, though, was Etsy's response. Having sent a detailed description of what had happened to Etsy support, I received the response below.

Hi Tony,

My name is Ryan and I'm a manager on Etsy's Dispute Resolution team. Gary passed your message on to me so that I could further address your concerns about this issue.

I'm sorry to hear of the trouble you've had with your order from Bohemianwatchsource. Occasionally, a seller may decline service for an unforeseen reason.

It's important to understand that sellers have the have the right to refuse service to a buyer if they do not wish to continue a particular transaction. You can view Etsy's Seller Policy here: https://www.etsy.com/legal/sellers

Because the seller has issued a full refund, Etsy does not consider this cancellation to be fraud, or a violation of our policies.

That being said, I can certainly understand your frustrations, and I want you to know that I've made a note of this seller's practices for my team to investigate further.

I'm sorry this transaction didn't go as planned. If you have any further questions or concerns, feel free to contact me.

Best,
Ryan
Etsy Dispute Resolution

Here are the two crucial, weasel-worded sentences:

Occasionally, a seller may decline service for an unforeseen reason.

It's important to understand that sellers have the have the right to refuse service to a buyer if they do not wish to continue a particular transaction.

Got that? A seller may "decline service" (i.e. not ship an item that was paid for at an agreed upon price) for any "unforeseen" reason. And it is "important" for buyers to understand that sellers "have the right to refuse service to a buyer if they do not wish to continue a particular transaction".

Etsy also refused to compensate me for my loss resulting from the currency exchange.

Needless to say, I never used their platform again.
 
kkt
Posts
1,688
Likes
1,647
The watch was probably not in the seller's possession, and in the event of an online sale they'd have to get it from the real seller. In this case the real seller probably sold it elsewhere.
 
Walrus
Posts
9,963
Likes
47,600
Yeah esty really went downhill with watches and accessories. The few sellers I bothered to ask said “they would never sell fake stuff.” It’s kind of a shame as there are a number of people who make nice handcrafted bands and what not but you have to weed through so much nonsense it’s easier to skip it and search out other sources. Etsy stock was on quite a run for a while I guess those in charge were happy enough leaving well enough alone
 
ahsposo
Posts
3,773
Likes
20,188
kkt kkt
The watch was probably not in the seller's possession, and in the event of an online sale they'd have to get it from the real seller. In this case the real seller probably sold it elsewhere.
I think I've seen something like this on eBay; several, usually Japanese, sellers have the same watch, the same photographs but different BINs. Crazy.
 
T
Posts
30
Likes
47
I would never buy anything from Etsy that has a brand on it. This is not just for watches, but things like video games as well (not just branded stuff, but rampant piracy listings). It's a counterfeiter's dream to sell there and it doesn't seem like they are going to fix it anytime soon. They are in growth mode still, so they don't really care as long as transactions are happening.
 
mjb
Posts
812
Likes
972
Z zeldalink
But, what the hell is with blatant fakes that are LABELED AS OMEGA or Panerai or Breitling. I have reported these stored over past months, but Etsy never takes them down or even responds. It not only is against their own policy to sell counterfeit, it does not even meet Etsy's requirement to sell "craft or handmade" items.

Yeah, I got stung by one of those as well. I filed a complaint that it was neither authentic nor handmade, and was ignored other than a note from the seller to send it back. I did, but never got the promised refund. So I filed a chargeback with my credit card and eventually got that back, although I was still out the return shipping fee.

Never again.
 
Cayohuesovespa
Posts
500
Likes
918
Etsys good for funny stickers, truckers hats with weird logos and beaded bracelets for the kiddos. That's about it.
 
Dan S
Posts
21,456
Likes
48,723
I bought two nice watches on etsy 4-5 years ago and amazingly I still have both of them. More recently, it's overpriced crap and scammers.

However, I bought some nice welded table legs last summer, and I frequently buy straps from Jones in Tokyo.
 
DaveK
Posts
4,950
Likes
15,072
I’ve reported fake watches on Etsy, and was shocked by how little they cared. There are some reputable sellers that I follow, but I don’t look anymore for watches there.

I find it a great place to buy some tools and craft supplies, and it is a convenient place for me to sell my leatherwork

Edit: a lot of charity shops have moved online during the pandemic, selling their more collectable items to a wider market. I expect that to continue.
Edited:
 
S
Posts
2
Likes
0
Contacted them over several postings in the last few days about fake Omega box/booklet sets (also rampant on Ebay) which come out of India.
 
Danwales
Posts
678
Likes
1,565
Screenshot_20220113-121225_Samsung Internet.jpg
My brother ( who really should have known better) purchased this of etsy. He thought he was getting a good deal but my suspicions were aroused immediately. When the watch came it looked ok. Selita movement etc but further research showed him it was a fake. He contacted the seller, kicked up a fuss and got refunded. Etsy have done nothing to the seller though.
 
Sign up or log in to reply...

Similar threads

allthatglitters

I bought a fake "Omega" on Etsy

allthatglitters Open Discussion
allthatglitters
allthatglitters
Posts
0
Views
207
Mec26

Omega BoR Bracelet 1503/70 18mm Gold plated 20 microns, Counterfeit or genuin?

Mec26 Vintage Omega Watches Help, Discussion and Advice
Dan S
Dan S
Posts
1
Views
164
kelvinj520

Authentic Vintage Seamaster on Etsy

kelvinj520 Vintage Omega Watches Help, Discussion and Advice
werdna77
werdna77
Posts
25
Views
5K
seann

Omega Seamaster 30 on etsy

seann Vintage Omega Watches Help, Discussion and Advice
arkstfan
arkstfan
Posts
13
Views
2K