In 2004, the popular and highly-successful jewelry firm Tiffany & Co. secretly placed bids in hundreds of eBay auctions listings - all of which claimed to offer genuine Tiffany brand jewelry at below-market prices. Of its two hundred auction "wins," Tiffany concluded that 75% of the jewelry was counterfeit. It wasn't long before Tiffany filed suit against eBay for trademark infringement. The case is expected to go to trial in late 2006.

Big companies like Tiffany are not alone in their concern over counterfeits on eBay. Tiny businesses, hobbyists, and collectors who buy (and sell honestly) on eBay are equally disgruntled.

In early 2006, a retiree from Oregon named Jacqui Rogers received nationwide attention for going public with her eBay jewelry story. In 1995 she won an eBay auction for ten brooches described by the seller as genuine vintage Weiss. When the jewelry arrived, she quickly recognized that all ten pieces were counterfeits. Ms. Rogers then searched eBay and found the same counterfeits in other eBay auctions, again described as genuine Weiss. She reportedly notified eBay and suggested they remove the offending listings - but, allegedly, eBay refused.

And that is where the controversy really lies. Should eBay be expected to police its listings, even though it is not the actual "seller" of the goods being sold? eBay reportedly has about 60 million live auctions listings at any given time. Would it even be possible to screen so many listings on a constant basis?

The issue is being looked at very closely as the trial date for the Tiffany suit approaches. In the meantime, if you buy jewelry on eBay, should you be concerned? What are the dangers of buying potentially counterfeit jewelry on eBay, if any? What can you do to protect yourself? What is eBay doing to protect its users and its reputation? These are the questions we'll address in the remaining articles in this series.

Be sure to post about your eBay jewelry-buying experiences and any questions you have in the Fashion Jewelry forum.

Other articles in this series:

Counterfeit Brand Jewelry on eBay - Why is it a Problem?

Counterfeit Brand Jewelry on eBay - Is it a Crime to Buy or Sell?

Counterfeit Brand Jewelry on eBay - How to Protect Yourself coming soon

You may also be interested in:

How to be a Jewelry Detective - Book Review

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