Fake/counterfeit Sony Ericsson HBH-DS970 bluetooth : eBay Guides

Please be aware that fake bluetooth headsets are being sold all the time on Ebay. Many to buyers who do have no idea that they are fake, they are unimpressed with the product and simply dismiss it as being an authentic item of poor quality. No complaint is made to the seller, ebay or paypal and no refund is requested either. The seller of counterfeit items continues to take advantage of ebay and its community members. Good money is traded for poor quality imitations.

I thought that I was safe from fakes because I bought a pair of Sony Ericsson HBH-DS970 from...
- a seller with nearly 2000 feedback comments
- nearly 99% positive feedback
- item was labeled new not refurbished
- seller was registered in the United States
- item was shipping from the United States

Here are a couple of tips that you can do to help weed out the fakes ones a little more before you decide to buy. This is not a guarantee that you will get an original item but at least you are taking steps to help prevent a scam.

Send email to seller...
- asking if it is original and if it is to send pictures (I read somewhere that store bought Sony Ericsson HBH-DS970 have a large white sticker on side of box, you can see this on some auctions)
- a good seller will be quick in response with info and/or pictures. If you are still waiting for correspondence from a seller but the auction is about to end, don't rush and just buy, save yourself the headache and buy somewhere else. The seller could just be avoiding having to answer your questions because they have the wrong answers that you want to hear (they're selling fakes)
- ask where item is being shipped from...from Hong Kong most likely a fake...HK charger must either be europe(2 round pins) or UK(3 pins) so if it's a US charger and item ships from HK then it is a fake
- ask if there is a North American warranty with it

here are some additional links to threads about fake bluetooth headsets...

http://www.phonearena.com/htmls/Counterfeit-Fake-Headsets---How-to-recognize-and-avoid-them-what-are-the-differences-article-a_1753-p_1.html

http://www.esato.com/board/viewtopic.php?topic=137266&start=0

After filling a complaint with paypal the seller offered to refund me my full purchase amount if I shipped it back to him. Of course I wanted my full purchase amount, I wouldn't want anything less! BUT I am not going to put money out of my pocket to ship the product back overseas...I thought what if the seller decides not to pay me back the refund??? They already lied to me once to get my money I could lose twice here. I demanded that the seller refunds first and also sends money to cover return shipping...no reply. SO I decided to escalate to a claim instead of just a dispute. It was evident that the seller had a fraudulent listing as he was requesting the item be returned to an address overseas instead of USA. I am expecting to receive a full refund through paypal.

Hope this helps to prevent headaches and wasting your time and money dealing with sellers of counterfeit items!