eBay refuses responsibility for fake goods

• At first, Rogers thought she had snagged a great deal.
• But when the jewelry arrived from a seller in Rhode Island, her well-trained eye told her that all of the pieces were knockoffs.
• Even though Rogers received a refund after she confronted the seller, eBay refused to remove hundreds of listings for identical "Weiss" pieces.
• It said it had no responsibility for the fakes because it was nothing more than a marketplace that links buyers and sellers.
• That very stance--the heart of eBay's business model--is now being challenged by eBay users like Rogers who notify other unsuspecting buyers of fakes on the site.
• And it is being tested by a jewelry seller with far greater resources than Rogers: Tiffany & Company, which has sued eBay for facilitating the trade of counterfeit Tiffany items on the site.
• If Tiffany wins its case, not only would other lawsuits follow, but eBay's very business model would be threatened because it would be nearly impossible for the company to police a site that now has 180 million members and 60 million items for sale at any one time.
• Of course, fakes are sold everywhere, but the anonymity and reach of the Internet makes it perfect for selling knockoffs.
• "We never take possession of the goods sold through eBay, and we don't have any expertise," said Hani Durzy, an eBay spokesman.
• The company says only a minute share of the items being sold at any given time--6,000 or so--are fraudulent.
• But that estimate reflects only cases that are determined by eBay to be confirmed cases of fraud, like when an item is never delivered.
• "If you've lost a few thousand dollars, you might go the extra mile to recover it.