Recently there has been a flurry of news accounts of various famous name brand companies crackindg down on the sale of counterfeit items online. From Coach to Tiffany and many many others are concerned with the proliferation of knock offs being marketed on the internet. And they should be! As a 10 year veteran of ebay and internet marketing, as well as a buyer, I want to know that the items I purchase online are authentic. But in reality how can anyone really be sure?

The name brands concerned with the knock offs feel that the online venues such as eBay and Amazon should do more to ensure the authenticity of the items sold on their respective sites. The online venues do have a responsibility to police their sites for fake items. Just how much responsibility is the issue now being argued in court.

When sellers offer items for sale on the internet, it is my belief that they (the seller) are TOTALLY responsibile for the authenticity of their items. No one else! If the products they sell are proven to be fake, they should be removed from the venue. If they are selling from their own website, then the hosting service should shut down the site. The burden of proving that items are fake should lie with the branded companies.

The real villians here are the regulators and inspectors of imports coming into this country, as well as the countries allowing the export of the knock off's to the US. Until we (the US) take action against the importers, the sale of these items will continue to escalate. Until we punish not only those that make, but those that import, and those that sell these items, we will make no headway in this.

I do not believe that eBay, or any other site is responsible to police their sites anymore than they are. Very simply, it is time to hold those that manufacture, those that export/import, and those that sell these items accountable! The old adage, Fool Me Once, Shame on You, Fool Me Twice, Shame on ME! We know where these items are coming from, let's stop them!

Let me know what you think!