Watch Dealer Left Holding The Bag After Doing Biz On eBay!

What if you were accused of selling counterfeit merchandise and not allowed to defend yourself?

Richard Olivo and his brother own a watch and jewelry store on Long Island.
They specialize in Rolex watches and have been in the business for over 10 years, which their father started.

In April, Rich listed a re-sold Rolex Daytona for sale on eBay. The watch sold to a buyer in the U.K. for $ 7,525.00

Originally Rich wanted to use a bank wire transfer to do the transaction between himself and the buyer, but the buyer insisted on using Paypal, so Rich conceded, figuring it would be safe.

When he received the money in his Paypal account, Rich transferred the money to his personal bank account and shipped the Rolex to the UK.

According to Rich, barely an hour after the watch was received and signed for, the UK customer filed a complaint on eBay, accusing him of selling a fake Rolex.

Rich says he tried contacting the buyer himself to talk to him, but was unable to reach him. When Paypal, which owns eBay, investigated the buyer's claim, Rich says they refused to look at his paperwork for the watch; including his bill of sale, letter of authenticity and business certificate.

When Paypal sided with the buyer and ordered Rich to return the money, he agreed to refund the money if he could have the watch back. That's when he learned of a rule on eBay that allows a customer to destroy counterfeit merchandise they receive, while still getting their money back.

When Rich refused to return the money, Paypal froze his account and that's when he called Help Me Howard.

We called Paypal and asked what the possibility was that Rich could get the watch back in exchange for the money, this was their response:

"WE ASK CUSTOMERS TO DESTROY COUNTERFEIT ITEMS BECAUSE IF WE RECEIVE CONFIRMATION THAT THE MERCHANDISE SOLD IS NOT AUTHENTIC, WE WOULD NOT WANT THAT MERCHANDISE TO BE RETURNED TO THE SELLER AND POSSIBLY RE-SOLD ON EBAY."

We then asked Paypal if they would be willing to take another look at Rich's case and they agreed. Rich sent over his paperwork and a week and a half later, they re-instated his account and refunded him the money. This was their reasoning.

"OUR CUSTOMER SERVICE TEAM CAREFULLY REVIEWS ALL DISPUTES TO ENSURE WE ARE FAIR TO BOTH OUR BUYERS AND SELLERS. DUE TO OUR PRIVACY POLICY, WE CANNOT GIVE OUT SPECIFICS FOR THIS CASE, BUT, MR. OLIVO WAS FULLY REFUNDED HIS MONEY AFTER THE CLAIM WAS RE-OPENED AND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION WAS REVIEWED."

Before doing business on eBay or any other website, be sure that you are aware of all their rules and regulations and decide if you are comfortable with them. If Rich had insured the watch when he sent it, he may have had another recourse, but that was the "buyer's" choice on eBay and they chose NOT to insure the watch, so they wouldn't have to pay the taxes. There are other sites to do business online besides eBay and Paypal, so be sure to do your research first, so you don't get left holding the bag.