Unfortunately ebay is rife with fake items. Despite ebay's Trust & Safety centre the number grows daily. I am surprised at how many people are upset when they discover that the item they bought as GENUINE turns out to be a cheap imported copy. I am surprised because they are paying such ridiculous prices for the 'REAL DEAL'. Doesn't the price raise some concerns?

We sell GENUINE Nokia products & charge a very competitive price for these items - far cheaper than in the high street shops. There are many con-artists on ebay that are selling similar items for LESS than the price we buy them from Nokia. How? Because they are cheap, imported, fake copies from the Far East.

Fakes may look good at first - they may even be hard to tell from the original. However, TIME will tell. They will not last, and will start to fall apart after a few weeks. This applies to mobile phone accessories, handbags, clothes, shoes - anything.

It is the durability of the GENUINE items that commands the higher prices.

Please be sensible & keep the following considerations in mind BEFORE buying that 'TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE' item.

What else is the seller selling. If he sells varying types of product (eg clothes, jewellery, phone accessories) then he is likely to be buying in bulk from a Far Eastern website or market trader.

How often does he change his product line - the same applies as before. Companies like Nokia or Prada DO NOT sell in bulk to anyone except bona fida retailers. They like to keep a tight control on the market as it is their name & reputation at stake.

Look at previous buyers of the same or similar items that the seller has sold to. Don't depend on their feedback as this was written when the item had just arrived & was new. Contact them and ask how their item stood up to use. You may be very surprised at their response.

Look at 'withdrawn' NEGATIVE feedback comments. The seller will always leave negative in response to blackmail the buyer into a mutual withdrawal. This is one of the great drawbacks of ebay. Why should an HONEST buyers comments be open to such retaliatory negative feedback. Unfortunately it doesn't always pay to tell the truth on ebay! Withdrawn comments are there for you to read & you should make use of them. DON'T JUST RELY ON THEIR FEEDBACK SCORE!

Do an internet search to find the normal retail value of the item & ask yourself HOW is it possible to sell at such a low price?

If the items were stolen, do you think that they would be silly enough to sell them on ebay? So they must have bought & paid for them. They must also have used a middle man. HOW CAN THE PRICE STILL REMAIN SO LOW.

Look at the listing itself. Poor English & spelling is usually a dead cert that the items are fake.

Until ebay start protecting us buyers we have to look after ourselves. PLEASE BE SENSIBLE. A bargain is not a bargain if it only lasts a couple of weeks.

These sellers who sell their items as 'GENUINE' when they KNOW that they are not, are openly breaking the law. The buyers are their victims and they are not nice people. If their items are worth the cheaper price, then fine, but if they have to lie to sell them, then their items are not worth buying.

This is all just common sense, but if this guide helped please cast your vote so that more people may see it.

 To those of you who sell fakes as 'GENUINE' (you know who you are), I expect that you will give this guide a negative vote. If this guide stops ONE innocent buyer from getting caught by your lies, then it will have been worth the trouble!