Deep discounts on current, in demand products from unknown sellers are the single strongest counterfeit signal a shopper can read without any expertise. The checks that follow it are quick: seller age and history, whether the discount exists anywhere authorised, stock depth on a supposedly scarce item, and dispatch origin versus the seller's stated location.
Counterfeit refunds are usually granted when the case is documented, and denied or argued when it is not. The pack is three things: the listing as it appeared when you bought, photographs of the item and its discrepancies taken when it arrived, and a prompt report that ties the two together. Build the pack before you contact the seller, because the listing can change and the seller's story will.
When a suspected fake arrives, photograph the packaging, all markings and labels, and the product next to any genuine reference you have, before you use or alter anything. Photograph the listing itself, with the URL and the date, before it changes. Arrival day photographs are the evidence every later step relies on, because memory fades and listings get edited.
The discrepancies worth capturing are the visible ones: logo placement and quality, stitching, label text and spelling, materials that feel wrong for the price, missing or mismatched serials and markings, and packaging that differs from the genuine item's. Shoot them close, in good light, next to the genuine reference where possible. A reviewer who can see the difference in your photographs does not have to take your word for it.
File promptly, through the platform's counterfeit or item not as described route, and attach the pack. State the facts in order: what the listing claimed, what arrived, and the specific discrepancies, with the photographs as exhibits. Ask for the refund on the counterfeit ground, not on a general dissatisfaction ground, because the policies and the timelines differ.
Keep the item and the packaging until the platform confirms the outcome. Some platforms ask for the item to be returned, destroyed, or kept, and disposing of it early can end a claim that was otherwise winnable. Policies vary by platform, but a clear, dated evidence set is the constant in the fast refunds.
The cheapest refund is the purchase never made. Check the seller's catalogue shape: dozens of unrelated premium brands at uniform discounts is a counterfeit signature. Check the account age, what the feedback actually describes, and whether the seller exists anywhere off the marketplace. An authorised seller list, when the brand maintains one and keeps it current, settles the question fastest.
If the price is the tell, respect it. A discount far beyond what the brand's own sales ever reach is information, not luck. Reporting a fake you decided not to buy, with the listing URL and the tell you spotted, costs a minute and feeds the pattern data that protects the next buyer.
Keep reading: The Price Is the First Lie: Checks to Run When a Deal Looks Too Good, Seller History Checks That Take Ninety Seconds and Catch Most Fakes, and Counterfeit Toys: Safety Checks That Matter More Than the Logo cover the nearby cases in this series.
Usually yes, when the case is documented: the listing, the item's discrepancies photographed clearly, and prompt reporting. A dated evidence set is what separates a quick refund from an argument.
The packaging, all labels and markings, and the product beside a genuine reference, plus the listing itself before it changes. Arrival day is when the evidence is strongest.
Not until the platform tells you to. Keep the item and packaging until the claim is decided, because the platform may ask for them, and discarding the item early can end the claim.
Check the seller before buying: catalogue shape, account age, feedback content, and an authorised seller list if the brand keeps one. A price far beyond the brand's own discounts is a warning, not a bargain.