Hey Buddy! You Wanna Buy A Watch?

by: Michael O’Brien

Are Replica Watches and Jewelry Pieces Considered Fakes?

The history of any successful product or service is certain to include stories of imitators and replicators trying to capitalize on a on that success. There would appear to be a fine line between what many people consider a legitimate replica and a not so legitimate fake or knockoff. Many of us are familiar with the old saw that goes something like imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Whether or not imitation is simply flattering or a seriously illegal attempt to undermine the brand name is often in the eye of the company offering the genuine article.

A quick trip through cyberspace will reveal a host of websites offering to sell replicas of well known or expensive watches at bargain prices. These sites operate in the open and make no claim to offering the real thing, so the buyer knows upfront what to expect. Buyers very often run into trouble when shopping on auction sites where some sellers are more than willing to take advantage of an unsuspecting buyer by offering replicas as the genuine article.

Most all of us are familiar with the old comedy stereotype of the seedy looking gent on street corner pulling open his jacket, offering to sell an expensive watch for pennies on the dollar. Very few of us would believe that the watches being offered are the genuine article or were obtained by the street seller in a legal fashion - but there are some people who might be ready to fall for a deal that is clearly too good to be true. Evidence of such behavior can be seen almost everyday just by reading a newspaper. Now it’s true that everyone likes to think that they are getting a good deal. Schemers and scammers abound and have for the better part of human history, playing on that desire to get something for nothing or as close to nothing as one can get.

The stereotype of the street seller offering to give you the deal of a lifetime has been replaced by the world of online internet selling. Now there are literally millions of legitimate websites that offer the buyer genuine, quality goods at a reasonable price, but just like the disreputable street seller, cyberspace is filled with offerings of merchandise that could be stolen, pirated or counterfeited. The irony could be that, when dealing face-to-face with a seller we have a chance to see what is being offered first hand. In cyberspace, most transactions are completed on a sight unseen basis with the buyer not actually having the opportunity to assess the quality of the merchandise until long after the transaction has taken place and seller has received payment.

Now it should be said that legitimate sellers want to establish good relationships with buyers. The benefit to the seller is establishing a loyal customer base and ensures a greater amount of repeat business. A loyal customer base also has a positive impact by helping to reduce the overall cost of marketing. Conversely, seller loyalty benefits buyers who can count on receiving quality goods at a fair price, the business textbook example of a win-win situation.

So what happens when buyers encounter disreputable sellers, whether face-to-face or in the vastness of cyberspace? The results are strikingly similar in either situation with the buyer most often left holding the bag. An example of just how brash disreputable online sellers can be occurred recently when the seller offered an expensive item in an online auction. The final bid seemed too good to be true with the buyer thinking a real deal had been reached.

What the buyer received was a picture of the item and when contacted by the buyer, the unscrupulous seller claimed that the buyer was just buying the picture of the item. The good news was that the seller was arrested for various crimes, including fraud and, since the seller was subject to U.S. law, recovery of the purchase was at least a possibility. Now imagine the same situation but with the parties residing in different countries. Not only might the seller escape prosecution but the chances of the buyer recovering the purchase go down considerably.

Buyers of jewelry items have long been the target of unscrupulous sellers. Manufactured gemstones are often substituted for the real thing and expensive watches are copied and sold for the genuine article to unsuspecting buyers. The old tried and true advise of let the buyer beware has not lost any of its meaning. As always, buyers should always take to verify that what they are buying is not a cheap knockoff. Consulting a reputable jewelry expert is one way to make that what you buy is indeed worth price you are paying.

About the Author

Michael O’Brien is a writer for many popular websites.