Replica Watches with Brand Names on eBay - Legal or Illegal?

P

pod

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I have seen many watches for sale on eBay, and the description will sometimes state "this watch is a replica". But yet on the dial of the watch it will have an expensive brand name e.g. Rolex, or other expensive brand names.

Maybe I'm wrong, but I would have though it's illegal to sell a replica watch (even if you state it is a replica) which has the name of an expensive watch brand on it.
 
As far as I remember they are indeed illegal but eBay don't know about things unless people report them, even then they can be slow to remove them. Some get around the legality issue by selling genuine Rolex tags or boxes and include a "free" replica watch. Lets face it, "replica" really means fake, so would you want to get involve din buying a cheap knockoff from a criminal, probably not the wisest deal to get involved in.

I've seen some of these watches and they are complete rubbish, won't fool anybody with half a brain. There are some "high quality replica" watch sites claiming to sell watches almost identical to originals, again they're crap but priced higher and most people never actually receive them. They have the option to claim back on credit card so they don't lose financially, but the credit card company does and I don't remember them being nice charitable people.

Don't buy either, please!
 
Thanks DaveD; No, I'd have no interest in buying them. I'm just surprised to see them for sale on eBay.


QUOTE:
"As far as I remember they are indeed illegal but eBay don't know about things unless people report them"

The strange thing is, it really shouldn't be difficult for them to spot them, they just have to go to the watch section, and there'll be watches (possibly several) there stating "this watch is a replica" with an expensive brand name, and starting the auction with no reserve.
 
You're right about them not being difficult to spot, but that's only if you're actually looking. There are lots of items that are rejected autmatically by eBay if certain keywords are found but I'm sure there are lots of vaild "replica" items, replica cars is the only one that springs to mind this early in the morning.

I don't believe every item listed is checked by a real person so lots will slip through - there was a young lady in UK who was selling her virginity - all over the papers so I'm sure eBay didn't mind the publicity but they did remove the listing. You also have to rememeber that they take a percentage of the final sale price so its in their interest for an item to sell.
 
- there are quite a few sellers selling watches and they *do not* state in the ad that it is a replica. The watch states on the watch dial "Rolex" or other expensive brand name.

The sellers ad describes the watch as a "Rolex Submariner" or whatever. Now from this you would assume that that is what it is. Surely no-one would describe what they are selling as a "Rolex Submariner" watch or a "Rolex Oyster" watch, or whatever, when they know it's a fake watch.

But no I was wrong...

There are many watches where the seller doesn't even describe the watch as a replica. The ad just describes it as a "Rolex", (not even more vaguely as "Rolex-Style")

I've contacted some sellers to ask if the watch is genuine or fake, (they haven't described it in their ad as fake, but just as a Rolex).

I had a reply from a seller stating that if it was genuine he wouldn't have put it on with a low reserve!! All I can say to them is, if it's a fake, please state so in the ad, or at least do not state in the ad it is a Rolex, when in fact it's not!!
 
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