Expert: Marvinator - 1/23/2006

Question
Hi Marvinator,

I recently bought a bottle of Sea Vegg on Ebay, and when I received the bottle, I noticed that the label was slightly different than the one on the company's Website. I called the company and they said that they only made one label, but when I asked the seller, she vehemently insisted that she sells only the authentic product.

Now, I would like to buy a glucosamine supplement and my husband is insisting on buying it from Ebay because of the cost savings, but I'm concerned that many of these products are not the originals. Have you heard of any cases involving fake nutritional supplements on Ebay? Do supplements have identifying numbers like serial numbers?

Answer
First, you should ask the company if you can send them a photograph of the bottle and ask them to explain the differences.  You should then forward their response (if unfavorable) to the Ebay seller, though you shouldn't expect any favorable response at all from the Ebay seller.  All this would do is prove to yourself whether you are correct or not.  

Now, as for your second paragraph, I've not heard about any 'fake' nutritional supplements on Ebay.  I have no idea if such things have serial numbers, but let's face it, if someone is going to fake a supplement, they could just as easily fake the serial number.

You should take a moment and think about criminals who make fake money.  Counterfiters make fake $100's and $20 bills, not $10's or $5's.  Why? Because they make more money.  so, from this vantage point, will a seller on ebay make Fake Supplements at $10-20 a bottle or a Louis Vuitto bag which would bring in $100 or more?  I'm not saying there are none, I'm saying the smart money says there are very very very few.  

So, the next question is "how you can protect yourself?"  

1) Feedback.  Never buy from a seller who has very little feedback.  I, myself, never buy from anyone with less than a total FB rating of 100 and at least 98% positive.  

2) History.  All the seller's feedback for which the auction is still available on the system will have a link to the auction itself.  YOu can click on these and see WHAT exactly the seller has been selling.  Several positives from happy satisfied buyers for the same product YOU are buying tells you that the seller is more honest and trustworthy than the guy who has never sold this item before.  

3) LOOK at the auction.  
...Sellers who are amateurs (and mom-n-pop type sellers) , will have a very bland auction. This says very little other than they took very little time to lay out the auction.  Some products are sold by home businesses and these auctions are the type you will see.  
...Professionals will have mention of their website, facts and figures which are laid out in a more professional manner (like a product label). A company which sells it's product on line will be more organized and their auctions show it.  
...SCAMMERS will have even more.  They taunt you with words, and make the item nearly irresistable!  Free add-ons, shipping or a rediculously low price make the buyer fairly salivate at the prospect of a purchase. In additino, you end up reading the auction and asking yourself "What the heck did that say? What is this for again?" When you view an auction like this a buyer has to stop and ask, "is this too good to be true?" If the answer is yes, it's time to do your checking as stated above.  
...Depending on the item, you can learn a lot about any seller even from their ability to SPELL correctly and use good grammar.  Quick type-o's are expected (hey we all make them) but misuse of  your and you're, their and there or even I and me, can tell you more about the person with which you may be dealing.  

Lastly, I have to say again, it's your money.  NO one is forcing you to buy from any seller.  If you distrust the deal at ALL, it's time to look to mail order.   You want your purchase to give you SOME good feeling, not constant worry that you're being taken.  The only way to do that is to be prepared, do your homework and know what's what.

I hope this has helped.