thinman
Distinguished Member
- Joined
- Jan 24, 2005
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Are there specific clothing brands that you refuse to buy on ebay?
I ask because I now own three "Charvet" ties. The first, I bought on ebay and I was suspicious of its authenticity because the silk just didn't have the luster of Charvet ties I'd seen at Neiman-Marcus. It is a nice tie, so I kept it and left positive feedback. My second Charvet tie I bought from NM and paid the full retail price because I loved it. The third "Charvet" tie I received last week from an ebay seller with only 4 negative feedback comments out of nearly 3000. The tie is one that I thought I had seen at Neiman-Marcus last fall. The tie I saw had a very simple design, a navy and burgundy barber stripe, that was unique by virtue of the exceptionally lustrous silk that shimmered as the viewing angle changed. Well, the tie I bought on ebay looks very plain and is, quite frankly, disappointing. The silk lacks the lustrous shimmer of the tie I saw in NM and I question whether or not it is authentic. I have concluded that I will no longer buy Charvet ties on ebay, since they are unique by virtue of the silk, a quality that I cannot assess via the web, even for a tie I have seen in the store.
So my questions are, have you ever had a similar experience, where you questioned the authenticity of an item bought on ebay and, even if the item were authentic, you would not have purchased it if you had seen it firsthand? Are there particular brands like Charvet that you cannot evaluate reliably without seeing them "in the flesh"? Finally, which brands are so frequently counterfeited that you wouldn't risk buying the brand on ebay?
I ask because I now own three "Charvet" ties. The first, I bought on ebay and I was suspicious of its authenticity because the silk just didn't have the luster of Charvet ties I'd seen at Neiman-Marcus. It is a nice tie, so I kept it and left positive feedback. My second Charvet tie I bought from NM and paid the full retail price because I loved it. The third "Charvet" tie I received last week from an ebay seller with only 4 negative feedback comments out of nearly 3000. The tie is one that I thought I had seen at Neiman-Marcus last fall. The tie I saw had a very simple design, a navy and burgundy barber stripe, that was unique by virtue of the exceptionally lustrous silk that shimmered as the viewing angle changed. Well, the tie I bought on ebay looks very plain and is, quite frankly, disappointing. The silk lacks the lustrous shimmer of the tie I saw in NM and I question whether or not it is authentic. I have concluded that I will no longer buy Charvet ties on ebay, since they are unique by virtue of the silk, a quality that I cannot assess via the web, even for a tie I have seen in the store.
So my questions are, have you ever had a similar experience, where you questioned the authenticity of an item bought on ebay and, even if the item were authentic, you would not have purchased it if you had seen it firsthand? Are there particular brands like Charvet that you cannot evaluate reliably without seeing them "in the flesh"? Finally, which brands are so frequently counterfeited that you wouldn't risk buying the brand on ebay?