How to Report a Fake Item or Seller on eBay

eBay has several ways to report a fake, and choosing the wrong one is the most common reason nothing happens. If you bought a fake, you open a return request as "not as described", which the eBay Money Back Guarantee covers. If you saw a fake listing, you report the listing. If you own the brand, you use the Verified Rights Owner (VeRO) program.

This guide covers both audiences. The first part is for buyers who received a counterfeit, the second for brand owners who want listings removed, with the evidence each one needs, the time limits and the mistakes to avoid.

What eBay considers a fake

eBay's counterfeit policy bans items designed to make buyers believe they are genuine when they are not, including items that misuse a brand's trademark, copyright or protected design. It also bans unauthorized copies, such as bootleg recordings or reprinted art, and unmarked replicas of items like coins and bullion.

The word "dupe" is not banned in itself, but eBay does not allow it to be used in a way that suggests the item is genuine or connected to a brand. A counterfeit reported to eBay must be disposed of: it cannot be resold.

Which report fits your situation

You are	Your situation	The right route
A buyer	You received an item you believe is fake	Return request, "not as described", under the eBay Money Back Guarantee
Any eBay user	You spotted a listing that looks counterfeit	Report the listing from the listing page
Any eBay user	A seller behaves badly (off-eBay offers, threats, false details)	Report a seller
The rights owner or agent	Listings infringe your trademark, copyright or other rights	VeRO: VeRO Portal or Notice of Claimed Infringement

eBay's help pages are explicit that the seller report is not for item problems. If an item arrived damaged, different from the description or not at all, eBay asks you to use the order tools rather than report the seller.

What evidence you need

As a buyer:

• Photos of the item, the packaging, labels, tags and serial numbers.
• What makes you believe it is fake: differences from the brand's genuine product, wrong materials, misspellings, a missing or invalid serial number.
• If possible, confirmation from the brand or an authorized retailer.
• A capture of the listing and your order details.

As a rights owner:

• The item number and URL of each listing, the seller's user ID and a dated capture of the page.
• Your trademark registration or copyright details, and your authority if you act as an agent.
• What shows the item is not genuine, ideally after a test purchase. Our counterfeit evidence checklist lists the essentials.

The official procedures

The eBay Money Back Guarantee. It covers items that do not match the listing, and eBay lists strong indicators that an item is counterfeit among the covered cases. For such items it takes precedence over the seller's own return policy. Some purchases are excluded, notably items paid for outside eBay checkout, vehicles, real estate and digital content.

Listing reports. Every eBay user can report a listing from the listing page. eBay's reporting help explains that you choose the type of content, give the reason and details, and can attach documents. You may be asked to sign in, or you can submit as a guest.

Report a seller. For conduct that breaks eBay's rules: offers to complete a sale outside eBay, threats, publishing another member's contact details, false contact information.

VeRO. For rights owners and their authorized agents only. See our full guide to the eBay VeRO program.

Step by step: you bought a fake

1. Document the item. Photograph it, the packaging and the labels, and save the listing and your order.
2. Open a return request. From your purchase history, start a return, select that the item is not as described and explain why you believe it is counterfeit.
3. Give the seller time. The seller has up to 3 business days to respond.
4. Ask eBay to step in. If the seller does not resolve it, ask eBay to step in. According to eBay's policy, you can do so once the seller has accepted the return or 3 business days after the request, and at the latest 21 business days after it.
5. Follow eBay's disposal instructions. You may not have to send a counterfeit back, but you must cooperate on its disposal and must not resell it.
6. Report the listing. If the seller still offers the item, report the listing so eBay can review it.

Step by step: you own the brand

1. Collect the evidence for each listing: item number, seller, dated capture and the right infringed.
2. File through VeRO, using the VeRO Portal or a Notice of Claimed Infringement, with one reason code per listing.
3. Handle seller replies from the contact email you gave eBay, and retract any report filed in error.
4. Check for relisting. eBay does not allow an item reported as counterfeit to be relisted, but sellers sometimes return under new accounts.

Time limits and review times

For buyers, eBay publishes clear limits: request a return at the latest 30 calendar days after the estimated or actual delivery date, or within the seller's return window if that is longer. Sellers have 3 business days to respond. eBay does not publish a fixed review time for listing reports or VeRO reports.

Common mistakes

• Reporting the seller instead of opening a return. A buyer with a fake should open the return request first, since that is what leads to a refund.
• Missing the deadline. After 30 days (or the seller's longer window), the Money Back Guarantee may no longer apply.
• Reselling the fake. Counterfeits must be disposed of. Reselling them breaks eBay's rules.
• Brand owners filing as buyers. A listing report does not carry the weight of a VeRO claim from the rights owner.
• Vague reasons. "Looks fake" without specifics is hard to act on. Say what differs from the genuine product.

The limits of reporting by hand

A buyer's report solves one order. A brand owner's report removes one listing. Counterfeit sellers on eBay often run several accounts and relist quickly, and the same product usually appears on other marketplaces the same week. Without a record of each listing, seller and report, it is hard to show a pattern or to know which listings came back.

How Valigard helps brand owners before reporting

Valigard is built for brand owners, not buyers. It searches marketplaces worldwide, including eBay, with your official product photos, so it finds listings that reuse them even when your brand name is missing. For each listing you mark as likely counterfeit, it keeps the item URL, price, seller details and a saved, timestamped copy of the page, and it shows whether the listing was later removed or relisted. See how it works on eBay.

Valigard does not file VeRO reports for you: you report on eBay, then log the status and case number. It does not determine with legal certainty that a product is counterfeit, and it cannot guarantee removal.