String Scam ebay advice.

Niallseroreilly

Stupidly bought 6 packs of fake elixirs from a scammer on ebay.

I have opened a case in paypal. The seller has offered a refund if I return them in new condition, but insists they are real.

Are there any risks if I send them back and await a refund?

Any advice would be appreciated.

sixstringsupplies

There’s no risk - just keep
your proof of postage when returning them. You’ll get your money back from
paypal or eBay. 

Dont leave him feedback back until the case is
closed and you’ve got your money back.

delorean

Out of curiosity (and so I don't get stung!) how did you know they were fakes? 

Was it the packaging or something else?

bgmartinsbridge

Make sure you return recorded delivery.
Stating the obv I know but he's hoping you'll just send them first class and deny receipt. 

sixstringsupplies

The worst case scenario is you’ll be out of pocket temporarily. eBay will in 99% of the cases will side with the buyer....most sellers don’t want the hassle and will refund you.

i wouldn’t worry too much about it.
as mentioned above send it Signed For then you’ll know he’s got them back. Then he has to refund you. 

Niallseroreilly

delorean said:

Out of curiosity (and so I don't get stung!) how did you know they were fakes? 

Was it the packaging or something else?

They looked very close to the real thing, but the packets and writing where slightly faded. They were selling 3 packs for 28.99. Previous feedback had stated people were happy with the strings but I compared the packet to a legitimate set and they were clearly fakes.

Niallseroreilly

https://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/ELEXIR-3-PACKS-Phosphor-Bronze-Acoustic-GUITAR-STRINGS-Ultra-Thin-NANOWEB-Coated/162802192906?_trkparms=pageci:0c000824-27c1-11e8-8243-74dbd1800614|parentrq:261102c81620aa493153a02afffa241b|iid:1&_trksid=p2481888.c100675.m4236

hobbio

Are you sure they're fake and not just in faded packaging? 

Niallseroreilly

hobbio said:

Are you sure they're fake and not just in faded packaging? 

Im not 100 percent tbh, but they are all universally faded/photocopied and the packets are a bit rough round the edges.

hobbio

Badly stored? I'm not saying you're wrong, I haven't even seen them myself. It just doesn't present like a scam account, he's been a member since 2011 and he has 100% positive feedback. His prices aren't even the cheapest, a linked item had 3 sets for £25 albeit with higher postage.

Have you looked at the actual strings?

Funkfingers

Niallseroreilly said:
the packets and writing where slightly faded. 

Exposure to strong direct sunlight can cause printing inks to fade. If, on the other hand, the actual graphic design is not quite right, that would suggest counterfeit goods.

Niallseroreilly said:
I compared the packet to a legitimate set and they were clearly fakes.

Photographs of genuine and *eBay* packets side by side would paint a thousand words.

The randomness of the seller's other items does little to inspire confidence.

hobbio

Funkfingers said:

The randomness of the seller's other items does little to inspire confidence.

Yeah, and the fact he's recently changed his ID. Buuut, he's only sold packs of strings over the last few months and there was a bit of guitar stuff prior. Maybe he's just starting to buy things specifically to sell as a new revenue stream.

Niallseroreilly

<a href='http://i.imgur.com/4AVTw3q' title=''><img src='http://i.imgur.com/4AVTw3q.jpg' alt='' title='Hosted by imgur.com' /></a>

Niallseroreilly

second link there

hobbio

Could the packaging difference be due to the the difference in gauges? 13's vs 12's?

Niallseroreilly

hobbio said:

Could the packaging difference be due to the the difference in gauges? 13's vs 12's?

No i dont think so. The printing on the back and front is noticeably shabbier. To be honest when I first got them i thought they were fine but on closer inspection and comparison they seemed like knock offs.

I think the lesson is, dont buy strings from someone whos also flogging wedding dresses.

hobbio

Fair enough, you've seen them up close and I'm sure you know what you're looking at.

Funkfingers

Thank you for posting a photograph. 

The packet on the left has the Pantone colours and the glazed finish that I would expect on Elixir acoustic guitar strings.

The packet on the right is matt and the colours look like the result of scanning. I would describe the colour values as desaturated rather than faded. 

The fact that the RON of bronze is white is peculiar. There are various printing process errors that might explain this. The most likely is hurried colour separation work at the counterfeiter's printshop.

HAL9000

Aren't you supposed to destroy counterfeit items rather than returning them?

BahHumbug

How did you get on with getting your refund?  Just realised that I've bought the same strings.

tralfamadan

Elixir is also spelt wrong in the ebay ad.