How to tell if ebay ring is genuine

[Scarlett1]

Hi all,
Have been on the lookout for a 1.5mm cartier trinity rolling ring on ebay. Just wondering if there is any real way or tips to check if rings posted are genuine. Here is a link to one but not sure if it's genuine or not, but have a fealing it's not. Any advice appreciated.
Thanks Scarlett
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Auth-Trinity-de-Cartier-3-Bands-18k-3-Gold-Ring-Small-Model-US6-75-EU53-9172-/271291399006?pt=US_Fine_Rings&hash=item3f2a3a3b5e

 

[denverappraiser]

#1. The seller says it is. That, of course, doesn’t make it true but the other options are that the seller is either a liar or a fool (or both). If they’re a liar, then you can’t rely on anything else supplied by them either, like the photo or the description. That means that your question isn’t really a matter of identifying if an item in the ad is true but rather how to identify a seller who you can rely on.

People do this in different ways:
Ebay feedback is helpful with a qualifier of read the actual reviews, not just the summary number.
Google can be helpful. Sometimes people talk about their experiences with specific sellers in other venues (like this forum for example).
Prior experience and/or experiences of your friends can be helpful.
There are clues in things like their skills and interest in making ads, taking pictures, responding to queries, etc.
Look at the ‘fine print’ in the ad, especially as relates to the payment terms and return policies. This includes other ads for goods being sold by the same seller.

In the end, you are taking a leap of faith. What to do from there depends on you. A lot of people choose to have things inspected by a pro while they’re still within the return period. If it doesn’t measure up for whatever reason, send it back. You’re out some shipping, and in a case like this where it’s probably an international deal the shipping can be significant, but that’s the limit to your exposure if you did the rest of your due diligence.

 

[ChristineRose]

Start here:

http://toolhaus.org/cgi-bin/negs?User=brand-jp1000&Dirn=Received+by

This isn't bad actually--a mess up or two, one buyer who used the old "I don't like it but I'll keep it if you discount it" trick.

I don't know anything about Cartier rolling rings, but I would ask them to post any packaging or documentation they have. They have a close up of the serial number--always a good sign. Someone on here probably knows the answer to this question already, but call Cartier and ask them if they are willing to verify the serial number and if they are willing to examine the ring for you once you have it in hand.

It goes without saying that you should not buy it without a good return policy. "Any reason" is best but if they'll accept the word of your expert (preferably Cartier, others if they won't help you) then it's not as described and a reasonable seller will take it back.

A search by image does not find the image floating around other sites, which is another good sign.

All in all I would say this is worth pursuing further.

 

[denverappraiser]

There's an interesting twist in this ad that I sort of like. The seller is in Japan and they're plugging the fact that Japan has rather strict laws on counterfeiting. It's an interesting pitch. For most customers, an overseas seller is a problem for a variety of reasons but these guys are promoting it as a feature (correctly I might ad).

 

[ruby59]

For me, there are a lot of red flags. First is that I am always suspicious of someone on ebay selling a lot of different designer items. Makes me wonder if these might be knockoffs. Also, he is in Japan. It could get quite expensive if you have to return the item. And read the negatives. They do concern me.

If you are interested in this ring, do a search. Others might be selling it. You may have to pay a bit more, but if it were me, I would go with a more established seller.

Try diamonddr16. He sells a lot of designer jewelry. He might have one or be able to get it for you. His prices are reasonable and he is top notch.

 

[Scarlett1]

#1. The seller says it is. That, of course, doesn’t make it true but the other options are that the seller is either a liar or a fool (or both). If they’re a liar, then you can’t rely on anything else supplied by them either, like the photo or the description. That means that your question isn’t really a matter of identifying if an item in the ad is true but rather how to identify a seller who you can rely on.

People do this in different ways:
Ebay feedback is helpful with a qualifier of read the actual reviews, not just the summary number.
Google can be helpful. Sometimes people talk about their experiences with specific sellers in other venues (like this forum for example).
Prior experience and/or experiences of your friends can be helpful.
There are clues in things like their skills and interest in making ads, taking pictures, responding to queries, etc.
Look at the ‘fine print’ in the ad, especially as relates to the payment terms and return policies. This includes other ads for goods being sold by the same seller.

In the end, you are taking a leap of faith. What to do from there depends on you. A lot of people choose to have things inspected by a pro while they’re still within the return period. If it doesn’t measure up for whatever reason, send it back. You’re out some shipping, and in a case like this where it’s probably an international deal the shipping can be significant, but that’s the limit to your exposure if you did the rest of your due diligence.

Thank you very much denverappraiser for some great tips, trying to put these into action in my search.
ChristineRose, never ever would have thought to use google image, thanks for that.
ruby, starting to think this ring is not quite right also. Looks too 'shiny' if that makes sense and also the lettering on band is slightly different to images I've compared it to of trinity rings.
So the hunt continues, who knew ebay would be so daunting ahhhh