4 Ways to Ensure your Supplier is Selling Genuine Brand Name Goods
Brand name goods are massive sellers on eBay. People trust the brands for quality and often have emotional connections with them, which makes them a great money-maker. The only pitfall with selling them is that in many cases, the items are not genuine.
It’s highly likely that your supplier knows when they are selling fakes, and some suppliers are pretty upfront about this, while others insist that their great uncle works for Gucci and gets them the items for next to nothing.
Unfortunately, it will take a bit of digging for you to find out the truth. To make it a little easier on you, we have put together a simple 4 step solution to help ensure that you are buying genuine items.
- Avoid buying from China. If your supplier is based in China, there is a 99% probability that the items are fake. While there are laws regulating the manufacturing and selling of fake goods, these laws are very rarely enforced - China brings in millions of foreign dollars every year from the selling of fake goods.
- Order a sample item and go over it with a fine tooth comb. There are a number of websites and YouTube videos which talk you through everything you can check to determine whether your item is the genuine article. To find these, simply run a Google search using the keywords “your item (e.g, True Religion jeans) + how to spot a fake”.
- Rather than testing the products themselves, it’s often much easier to test the supplier (especially when dealing with overseas suppliers). Start by asking them to provide a copy of their ‘chain of title’. This is a series of documentation which establishes rights to resell goods. These are a pretty good indication that the goods will be genuine.
- Ask yourself if the price makes sense. If your supplier can sell you a Louis Vuitton suitcase for £100, you know for sure that it is a fake.
Remember that while it might seem like a good get rich quick scheme, the selling of fake goods carries very serious consequences. Customs regularly do random checks of packages and shipments that come from China and if you are found to be involved in their distribution, you could face prosecution.
Stay tuned on the SaleHoo UK Blog for more killer tips for selling on eBay.