posted on November 20, 2005 06:14:45 AM
This may have been a re-run, I don't know. I don't usually watch television because I can't stand the flashing lights, loud noises and intelligence-free programming, but my sweetie bought an HDTV receiver and has been playing with it*. Before I collapsed into my nightly PTSD (Post Television Stress Disorder) from the continual channel-flipping, I saw a segment on 20/20.
This woman (please someone, back up the truck and run over her face AGAIN) bought a Tiffany heart necklace on eBay to match a bracelet her daughter had. Oh, we all know what happened: She received a fake. "Did you think you were getting a good deal?" asks the interviewer. "Yeah, it was a really good price," she says, straight-faced.
So 20/20 goes onto eBay and buys 20 pieces of Tiffany jewelry, takes them to Tiffany & Co. 19 of them are fake. (I could have told them.) They mention Tiffany's suit against eBay, and eBay's lame "we're only a venue" response.
But I particularly liked the part where they interviewed a gemologist and asked him to evaluate some diamond jewelry they'd bought. "Are these high quality?" The man smiles. "In the trade, we call diamonds like this `frozen spit'".
20/20 made note of something I've been complaining about for years: Most "retail prices" on eBay jewelry are more fictional than a romance novel.
As for poor little Mrs. Tiffany Necklace Buyer, I've no sympathy AT ALL. At some level most people know (even if they will not admit it) they are buying fakes. Otherwise there would not be a booming business in selling the things, yes? These yobbos want the perceived status of the brand name without paying brand name prices.
fLufF
--
*Consider this: What goes on in home-theater-equipped family rooms these days is no different from the testing they put the first seven astronauts through to see if they could handle stress. I'm half-amazed we're not all psychotic.
It is essential to use a DVR (Digital Video Recorder) if you're going to watch TV at all. I've been using them for years (at first, ReplayTV, and now (in addition) my cable provider's DVR that can record HD). If nothing else, you can skip commercials (a time savings of roughly 1/3). Additionally, you find shows that meet your requirements and have a stream of them on tap for when you have time to watch. We don't ever flip through the channels, because we don't ever watch "live" TV. The high-def recorders let you watch films in better quality than a DVD. No PTSD for us (even the kids watch only recorded shows and are under strict orders to skip commercials).
Anyway, back to eBay. I don't expect that it will ever happen, but I would love it if they shut down the sellers of fakes. We take great pains to sell only authentic items, and our prices are hurt because of the public's distrust. Whether or not branded items should have the cachet that they do (and I think we're on the same page about that), it is the case that people care about it. I had a friend who went to Uruguay often, and could bring back leather wallets that would make Coach blush, but I couldn't give them away on eBay. It's just the way it is.
I wouldn't buy a diamond on eBay. Just like I wouldn't buy "designer" on eBay either. Designer inspired, yes. At least I know what I'm getting.
The problem isn't totally the sellers of these items. It's the buyers who are looking for "cheap". We all know who they are. They're the buyers who pay $1 for an item and expect it to be top of the line quality and bit@* and moan when it's not. John, my jeweler friend, looked at some silver jewelry I had a while back. On one ring in particular, he said he could get $40 (a large mark-up from the $5.99 I paid) for that in his store. I just laughed and told him I'd be lucky to get $10 for it on eBay. Maybe I should just rent a case in his store. I've been giving it thought. If it weren't for the fact that Shaker Heights is 1/2 hour away and in the snow belt, I'd be thinking harder.
Once the buyer's thirst for getting something for nothing wanes, these sellers won't have anyone to sell to. Ha, ha, ha. We all know that won't every happen so it looks like they're here to stay.
Cheryl
"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter." - Martin Luther King, Jr.
posted on November 20, 2005 07:44:33 AM
Hi Claude,
Actually, we have a first-generation TiVO that we bought at an electronics swap meet. It's the only TiVO you can use without actually having to have a TiVO subscription. A few years back I was in Southern California for a trade show and happened to turn on the TV while dressing. It was TNT showing "ER".
Like a teetotaler who turns into a sloppy drunk after one sip, I was instantly hooked. We've been using the TiVO to record "ER" daily and occasionally I watch one while working.
But you know what happens when you get a new toy like an HD receiver; you want to play with it and see how many HD signals it really locks onto. flip flip flip flip flip flip flip flip flip flip flip flip flip flip flip flip flip flip aaaiiiieeee! Hey, that rattling noise you hear is your wife searching the utensil drawer for a nice big carving knife. Usually at that point he wises up and puts the headphones on.
posted on November 20, 2005 07:46:11 AM
Fluffy, I saw that too. I'm glad you brought it up. I have never heard of a jeweler calling low quality diamonds frozen spit but I'm not in the business either. I don't think I'd buy diamonds on Ebay. Too risky.
I did buy a ring at a garage sale once that I was told was just costume jewelery. Took it to the jeweler to find out it was NOT costume. Boy was I ever happy.
posted on November 20, 2005 07:57:04 AM
Ebay IS just a venue...you can't sue a TV station because their commercials sell crap (as is 99% of their programming).
A newspaper isn't responsible for every phony ad.
Jewelry STORES have sold fakes.
Reminds me of a radio blurb I heard a couple of years ago where a woman complained she was kicked off eBay for absolutely no reason........always one side of the story.
posted on November 20, 2005 08:41:39 AM
Think outside the box a bit, mingotree.
First, lawsuits aren't always what they seem to be.
I can think of two possible outcomes from Tiffany's action, no matter what happens lawsuit-wise:
1) Tiffany items are banned from eBay completely -- which would be a win for Tiffany & Co.
2) Tiffany items will have to be registered and authenticated to be listed on eBay -- also a win.
At the very least, Tiffany & Co. has raised awareness of the huge eBay market in counterfeit goods, thus returning the favor by hopefully damaging eBay's profiteering off such goods.
Second, eBay has received thousands, probably more like hundreds of thousands of complaints about all kinds of fake merchandise...and done nothing. This kind of inaction eventually gets you noticed by Attorneys General and the Federal Trade Commission. "We are only a venue" is not a watertight legal defense, nor is the existence of that silly VeRO program.
I'm probably going far out on a limb to clarify anything that Fluffy says (I still haven't had my head handed to me by Fluffy; thanks ), but both outcomes are a win for Tiffany. #2 is a win precisely because of the fees (in addition to keeping the prices of Tiffany high).
posted on November 20, 2005 10:17:11 AM
Fluff: I saw it too and wasn't surprised by any of it but LOVED the "frozen spit" comment. Also, the comment from the woman that the rotten diamonds should be used for nail files.
______________________________
"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."
--Martin Luther King, Jr.
posted on November 20, 2005 08:33:45 PM
I just want to know how these people get away with selling all the fake Tiffany. I have a Tiffany bracelet that has been sitting here for two years. I hate the thing. It's not that it's ugly it's just that it's a cuff and it's the same size as my wrist but every few months I insist on putting the damn thing on and I realize why I never wear it (bone meets silver - not exactly comfortable!) and decide to try to sell it again. It's been pulled twice. both times as "a possible reproduction". Last time I even had pics of a speaker I accidentally linked instead of the bracelet.. it was pullled within 12 hours.
What are the magic words that allow the Tiffany listings to stay long enough to close?
~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~
An intelligent deaf-mute is better than an ignorant person who can speak.
..No, thanks!