It has come to my attention through recent email messages and comments in the Guestbook section at fakeblades.com that Gillette has stopped manufacturing some of their Fusion and Fusion Power brand cartridges with machine/date codes known as serial numbers. I have been unable to confirm this information with Gillette but a reliable source has posted a comment confirming this information with Gillette customer service. More to come later including an update to the Gillette Fusion section on the Is it Counterfeit? page.

This is an update to a  previous post regarding Tiffany & Company’s lawsuit against eBay over the sale of Tiffany counterfeited items. Details regarding this suit are reported by cnet.com at this link. This is a big victory for eBay regarding their liability for counterfeit items sold through their marketplace. According to eBay spokeswoman Nichola Sharpe, this ruling “confirms that eBay acted reasonably and had adequate procedures in place to effectively address counterfeiting.”

Beginning in May, eBay sellers will no longer be able to leave negative or neutral buyer feedback but only positive feedback. The reason for this policy change according to eBay is due to decreasing buyer activity as a result of sellers leaving unjustified, retaliatory feedback against the buyer because the buyer left negative feedback against that seller. eBay buyers have complained more about retaliatory feedback than not receiving shipments.

Based on my experience and the experiences of eBay buyers who have sent me emails and left comments, I agree with this policy change. Many of the buyers who purchased counterfeit items would not leave negative feedback against a seller because of the fear of retaliatory feedback from the seller. And when a buyer would leave negative feedback citing confirmation from Gillette that the razor blade cartridges he or she received were counterfeit, sure enough, the seller left retaliatory feedback.

A good example of retaliatory feedback involves the purchase of Gillette Fusion cartridges (item number 230189168892) by Guy, eBay buyer 8499guy, from seller joyjoycee. Guy sent a package of the Gillette Fusion cartridges he received from joyjoycee to Gillette and were confirmed by Gillette to be counterfeit. Despite the fact Guy informed joyjoycee he had received a letter from Gillette informing him the cartridges he received from her were counterfeit and after several unsuccessful attempts through email, PayPal and eBay to resolve this matter, he decided to leave negative feedback.

Because of this experience and my advice, Guy (8499guy) thought it would be best to leave joyjoycee negative feedback to help warn unsuspecting and potential buyers of joyjoycee’s auctions. As a result of Guy leaving negative feedback for joyjoycee, she made her feedback comments private and responded by leaving retaliatory feedback against Guy. Joyjoycee’s feedback comment for Guy was “bad ebayer. F+++++++++++”.

This is the best example of retaliatory feedback I have seen. Guy asked for my advice from the beginning after suspecting his items were counterfeit. Therefore, I was able to witness first hand his patience and attempts in trying to resolve this matter with joyjoycee and through eBay and PayPal. As mentioned previously, he even had a confirmation letter from Gillette verifying the cartridges from joyjoycee were counterfeit.

Guy, 8499guy, is one of the most conscientious eBay users I have observed. In turn, Joyjoycee’s feedback is one of the most blatant forms of retaliatory feedback I have witnessed on eBay.

I welcome eBay’s feedback policy change to encourage negative comments from buyers who have purchased from counterfeit sellers. Their comments will help to warn potential buyers and will likely reduce the sale of counterfeit items on eBay.

In my last posting regarding 2005jonnys2005 who has recently changed his eBay user ID to europes_lowest_deals, I provided information regarding my interaction with an eBay buyer who purchased Gillette Mach3 Turbo cartridges from 2005jonnys2005. This buyer suspected the cartridges he received from 2005jonnys2005 were counterfeit His suspicions proved to be correct and confirmed by Gillette as indicated in our e-mail exchange below.

Dec 27, 2007

eBay buyer:

Hi

P & G confirmed today that the blades sold by 2005jonnys2005 were indeed fake. I am helping them with the investigation.

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Dec 27, 2007

fakeblades.com:

Thanks for the update. I will post soon to fakeblades.com.

Do you have a Gillette reference number for this case?

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Dec 28, 2007

eBay buyer:

Hi

Yes 2130069,

this guy still states he sells genuine???P & G think he bought genuine and sent them to be analysed, the guy is weird???He is now selling “imported” Nintendo games and “genuine” GHD’s??

Gillette UK does confirm the Gillette cartridges sold by 2005jonnys2005 are counterfeit (reference number 2130069). This is a good example of a desperate eBay seller who will not only fraudulently sell counterfeit items to his customers but also use another means of deception in auction listings, as displayed in one of his auctions in pink text near middle of page, by associating himself with fakeblades.com.

]]> http://fakeblades.wordpress.com/2007/12/29/gillette%c2%ae-confirms-2005jonnys2005-mach3%c2%ae-turbo-cartridges-are-counterfeit/feed/ 10 Admin http://fakeblades.wordpress.com/2007/12/04/tiffanys-fight-against-ebay-over-counterfeit-jewelry/ http://fakeblades.wordpress.com/2007/12/04/tiffanys-fight-against-ebay-over-counterfeit-jewelry/#comments Tue, 04 Dec 2007 06:28:16 +0000 Admin http://www.fakeblades.com/?p=33 ]]>

Counterfeit sales on eBay have become so pervasive that one company affected by it, Tiffany & Company, is suing eBay for helping to facilitate counterfeit sales of their jewelry and profiting in fees. The trial ended on November 20th and post-trial briefs are due buy December 7th.

If Tiffany wins this case, some legal analysts believe eBay’s business model could change because other companies holding copyrights or trademarks may follow with similar lawsuits.

The New York Times covered this trial in Manhattan publishing this article by Katie Hafner on November 27th. The judge presiding over the trial, Judge Richard Sullivan, states at the end of the trial that there are legal precedents holding a distributor as “contributory responsible” if it continues to supply products knowing it infringes on a company’s trademark.

This is a comparison between a Gillette® Fusion™ cartridge and a counterfeit. To determine if your cartridges are counterfeit, it is best to compare the serial numbers. Please click on images to view in a higher resolution.

All Gillette Fusion cartridges will have serial numbers located behind the blades under frame as indicated in picture to the left. The serial number will consist of one letter with four numbers on the left side and one letter with four numbers on the right side. This cartridge is inscribed with 2605Z on the left side and I4303 on the right side. The number 2 on left side is not visible in this picture. The Gillette Fusion 4 cartridge pack used in this comparison has the same serial number for all cartridges.

The counterfeit Gillette Fusion Power cartridge on the left will have no serial number on its cartridge frame as indicated in this picture.

There is a possibility counterfeiters will begin to print serial numbers on their cartridges but unlikely now. The next best way to determine if your cartridges are counterfeit is to inspect and compare the five razor blades.

The Gillette Fusion cartridge blades will be in perfect alignment as indicated by the picture to the left. The authentic blades are brighter in this picture and have a much cleaner appearance in comparison to the picture of the counterfeit cartridge below. To the touch, the blades are not loose in comparison to the counterfeit and are firmly set into the cartridge frame.

The counterfeit cartridge blades are out of alignment and loose to the touch. Also, notice the many dust particles and hair fibers covering these blades. Upon close examination of this picture, you will see rust on the third blade from the top of cartridge on right side.

Thanks to 8499guy who mailed to me one of his counterfeit Gillette Fusion cartridges purchased on eBay from joyjoycee and used for this comparison.

This is an update to my previous post regarding 2005jonnys2005 misrepresenting his association with fakeblades.com on his auction (Item number: 180180974641) of Gillette Mach3 Turbo cartridges. Please see my previous post for more details. After reading my posting, a buyer of Gillette Mach3 Turbo cartridges from 2005jonnys2005, who requested anonymity, contacted me and the following e-mail exchange took place between the both of us.

eBay buyer:

I have just bought 16 mach3 turbo blades from this guy and they look fake!!!I have contacted Gillette and they are going to reimburse the cost of them £11.58 in return for sending them the blades. I have also contacted the seller to tell him I have given his details to them also. I am 99% certain they are fake but until I get confirmation from the makers I will stop short of calling him a hypocrite……………….yet!!!

great website btw

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fakeblades.com:

Thanks for contacting me.

2005jonnys2005 is very upset with me having posted our email exchange and I would really like to expose him if he is selling counterfeit cartridges. Why do you think they are counterfeit? Did Gillette give you any idea that they are counterfeit through your conversation with them on phone such as checking serial numbers, etc?

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eBay buyer:

Hi

I think they are fake because I opened one box and compared them to the ones on your site. The middle blade is offline, the cartridge holder doesn’t have a serial number and they just “look wrong”???Gillette were great, they are refunding me the money I sent to this guy and I am sending the blades to them. I am 99% sure they are not genuine, whether the seller knows this I dont know?? Its a great way to sell fake blades by advertising that you actively try and put the fake sellers out of business (sort of double bluff) He is not selling at the moment, wonder why??

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fakeblades.com:

Did Gillette tell you that they will confirm if the cartridges are counterfeit or not? Also, would it be possible for you to keep only one cartridge (razor blade) and mail to me in an envelope?

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fakeblades.com:

Hi

Yes Gillette will refund me and confirm if they are fake.I cant send you one becuase they want them all however I have attached the email this seller sent me and he has refunded me fully

Dear

I am sorry to hear about this and as described in my listing descriptions I will give you a 100% refund right away, no catches, no quibbles, its my customer service policy and I am a proper seller, and a man of my word.

I would have liked to see the blades first, then refund in full, including the postage cost of sending it back but no worries now you have sent them to Gillette. I understand you concerns with using defected (possibly fake) blades on your skin, it is very dangerous and unhygienic which is why I am refunding with no questions.

I am sure my supply is genuine, as my supplier is from the USA and been running wholesale consumables for over 10 years worldwide. I will get in contact with them ASAP and get to the bottom of this.

Regarding sending the blades to Gillette, as I said I understand your concerns of why you would get in contact and send them the blades.

Regarding the state of the blades, my stock is surplus excess distrbuted through wholesale sources and unfortunately defects can occur, its human nature and some blades can be manufactured wrong. Regarding the serial No. on the pack, I was not aware of this and again will look into my supplier, and I thank you for brining this to my attention.

I hope you accept my full refund and we can end the paypal dispute efficiently. I will try to contact Gillette/P&G to find out more about serial No. codes, tricks and tips on how to spot the fake just to clarify my supply resource.

If you have any other queries please do not hesitate to contact me. I will process the refund in full right away.

Kind Regards,

Jonny

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fakeblades.com:

Please inform me when you do hear from Gillette if the cartridges are counterfeit. I am almost certain that they are but would like to receive final confirmation from you/Gillette. Also, make sure you get a case number form Gillette to reference as they do keep this record.

Also, can I have your permission to post an update to fakeblades.com which would include our email communications as well as the one below from 2005jonnys2005?

It is important that other 2005jonnys2005 buyers are aware of what is happening and to investigate the possibility of receiving counterfeits as well.

Thanks

——————————————————————————————————–

eBay buyer:

yes I will and yes you can print …

I want to conclude the above e-mail exchange with the last comment I received from 2005jonnys2005.

2005jonnys2005 | j_s_sitton@hotmail.com

Admin, I see now you are even removing the posts I add. Why don’t you admit you are lying when you say “Minutes before the above message was sent to me, 2005jonnys2005 attempted to post two messages from same IP address in the guestbook with one of them posing as a buyer of counterfeit Gillette Fusion Power cartridges and as follows:” These posts were not the same IP, I was not posing as a customer. YOU KNOW THIS!!! Ye your company has really high ethical standards doesn’t it.

Anyway, to sum up why I am annoyed with you is you have put me on your front page. However you stated the reason for making this site was “I decided to create this web site to inform prospective buyers of the many counterfeit razor blades sold on eBay” shown in your “why fakeblades.com” page.
OH BUT HANG ON, You admit you are not saying I am a fake seller, but misleading with my ads, fair enough, but you are implying I am fake when you really do not know, you haven’t tried my products, no one claims I am fake, all my customers know I am genuine.
That sums it up, your upset and losing focus of your site. As I said in my last post you removed, PUT ON THIS SITE REAL COUNTERFEIT SELLERS, I WILL NOT REFERENCE IN MY LISTINGS ANYMORE AND DONE WITH!!! LEAVE ALONE!!!
For god sake, this site is meant to remove counterfeits, not make false accusations about posing a customer or promoting a seller who used some misleading language, ITS ABOUT HIGHLIGHTING THE FAKES, GET THE FAKE USER ID’s UP ON HERE, GET RID OF MINE!!!

2005jonnys2005 is being hypocritical in consideration of his messages to me, his eBay buyer and if the Gillette Mach3 Turbo cartridges are counterfeit. At this time, I cannot confirm if 2005jonnys2005’s Gillette Mach3 Turbo cartridges are counterfeit but it does seem likely and will update this post once examined by Gillette. The point I am trying to make with this post and my previous 20005jonnys2005 posting is that no seller on eBay of Gillette razor blade cartridges can be trusted. Some sellers will claim to be associated with fakeblades.com like 2005jonnys2005 or direct you to this web site from their auctions and claim their supply to be genuine but in most cases this is not true.

To be continued…

Today I had an interesting e-mail exchange with 2005jonnys2005, an eBay seller in the UK, auctioning Gillette Mach3 Turbo cartridges. I was informed by an eBay user who discovered this seller had the following statement in his auction (Item number: 180180974641) :

NOTE: – I work with www.fakeblades.com. to bring down and expose counterfeit items and their sellers on eBay. If you have spotted someone selling fakes on ebay please let me know. THEY ARE RIPPING YOU OFF!!! Lets help restore order and bring only genuine merchandise to ebay and remove all fake and copied goods.

After reading this, I initiated the following e-mail exchange with 2005jonnys2005:

Dear 2005jonnys2005,

“NOTE: – I work with www.fakeblades.com. to bring down and expose counterfeit items and their sellers on eBay.” This is a false statement as I am the creator of fakeblades.com. Please remove from your auction listings or I will report it to eBay.

- fakeblades.com

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Dear fakeblades.com,

Excuse me? How dare you? and who are you?
I actually have wrote some stuff on the guestbook of fakeblades.com giving people tips on how to spot the fakes.

I am a genuine supplier that is how I know how to spot the fakes. Go on fakeblades.com and see my article in the guest book on spotting the fake.
In fact, I am going to report you right now to ebay, for excusing me.

As I said, How dare you!!!!!

- 2005jonnys2005

Minutes before the above message was sent to me, 2005jonnys2005 attempted to post two messages from same IP address in the guestbook with one of them posing as a buyer of counterfeit Gillette Fusion Power cartridges and as follows:

Jez

Hi all,
I recently purchased some Fusion Power blades from a UK based seller and was disappointed to say the least – they hurt. Alot.

I then searched and found this site, especially http://www.fakeblades.com/?p=23. Wow. I didn’t know about the serial numbers, nor did I think to ask the seller about where the blades came from, if they were rejects, seconds, etc.

The blades I bought had NO serial numbers, and I should have guessed when I used the first one and yelped in pain… It hurt, I mean HURT and I felt like I was back in school shaving for the first time with one of the nasty old Bic razors circa 1980 something… I couldnt think why this is, these are Gillette after all… This was using a quality King Of Shaves shaving gel (and the new serum which is awesome by the way!) and this is definitely not the culprit!

But, as usual, the old adage “If it looks too good to be true, it probably is…” comes into it. Yes yes I’ve seen watchdog, buyer beware and so on, and still I fell for the old “too good to be true but get it anyway, its cheeeep!”. I thought , I don’t like spending £10 on 4 blades when I could get double that here and cheaper so why should I go to Asda, Boots, Tescos etc? Well, I like keeping the skin on my face in one piece, that’s why.

If you do purchase from an ebay seller, ask them where the blades came from, if they have opened a sample and what the serial numbers are. If they refuse or don’t answer, don’t buy. Period, keep walking.

Gillete Fusion/Fusion Power blades aren’t the cheapest to buy in the shops, but hell, it’s worth the extra quids to literally save face!

I guess that was his way of working with fakeblades.com by using deception and posting his “article” after my notification. The remainder of our e-mail exchange follows:

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Dear fakeblades.com,

I have a question for you. If you are the creator of fakeblades.com why would you restrict me to putting this on my advert, it promotes your site in a positive way telling people it works to bring down counterfit blades on ebay which I completely agree with. I sell Hundreds of blades a Week (genuine ones). I even wrote a nice article in the guestbook on your site. why would you want this removed. I haven’t contacted ebay, but I would like a response please to discuss the matter. We are working towards the same thing, bring down those counterfeit on ebay.

- 2005jonnys2005

—————————————————————————

Dear 2005jonnys2005,

Again, the sentence in your auction 180180974641, “I work with www.fakeblades.com. to bring down and expose counterfeit items and their sellers on eBay.”, is false and misleading. Please remove this from your current auction and you are prohibited from using your association with fakeblades.com in future auctions as well. You have never worked with fakeblades.com and only attempted to post comments at fakeblades.com after I informed you of this false reference.

- fakeblades.com

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Dear fakeblades.com,

Ok actually now I think about it you are right, it is misleads for me to say “I work with www.fakeblades.com” Unfortunately I cannot remove any item descriptions once up (ebay will not allow it) because some items already sold. there is only 2days 16hours left on that auction.

From now on I assure you I will not give reference then in any future auctions.

Can I ask though, I really do respect what you have done with creating fakeblades.com. Would you be happy for me to recommend customers to view your website for tips on how to spot fakes? or for me to say “please see fakeblades.com to find out more on how to spot the fakes and lets work together to remove counterfeit items on ebay” This is only good for your websites promotion no?

If you do want to reference then that is fair enough. Sorry I cannot change the one listing left for 2 days, ebay does now allow removing of any words after any item is purchased.

- 2005jonnys2005

As indicated in my e-mail message to 2005jonnys2005, his reference to fakeblades.com is false and misleading. I want to make it clear that I do not work with or recommend anyone selling Gillette razor blade cartridges on eBay. I will not and cannot authenticate their supply for authenticity and will never recommend buying Gillette cartridges on eBay.

Yes, I do wish to help remove counterfeit items their sellers from eBay but please do not lie about your association with fakeblades.com to help enhance your auction. To answer your question in the last message to me, you and other sellers are welcome to only reference fakeblades.com in your auctions for more information regarding counterfeits however, I am sure it will not be likely after this posting.

Sometimes I recieve e-mail from eBay buyers who have purchased counterfeit Gillette razor blade cartridges asking the question, “How is it possible for an eBay seller who has sold counterfeit cartridges to have 100% feedback?”

There are three reasons with one being that the majority of counterfeit cartridge buyers who left positive feedback before trying and examining the cartridges. This buyer was very satisfied having won their auction at a relatively low price in comparison to retail prices and received fast shipping from the seller. Their exuberance from this transaction prompted them to leave positive feedback before opening the package.

The second type of buyer or second reason is the buyer is happy with their purchase and will not realize the cartridges are counterfeit despite using them for shaving. It is obvious to most buyers when using the first cartridge that something is wrong due to its dull performance when shaving. However, some buyers do not recognize this deficiency. And there are a few buyers, who eventually will recognize there is something wrong but will accept their purchase noting Gillette’s monopoly.

The third reason is some buyers are afraid to leave negative feedback because they assume the seller will leave them negative feedback or has threatened to do so.

It is the buyer’s responsibility to leave negative feedback if he or she determines that the seller has knowingly sold counterfeit cartridges. By leaving negative feedback, you help to identify counterfeit sellers to other potential buyers and prevent those sales.

There are sellers, believe it or not, who have no idea at all that they are selling counterfeit cartridges. In most cases, when you present your evidence to this type of seller, they will admit to their mistake, apologize, refund your money and immediately cancel existing and future auctions of their supply of counterfeit Gillette razor blade cartridges. The seller who does none of the above knowingly sells counterfeits.

If you are one of the eBay buyers of counterfeit cartridges who has left positive feedback before opening the package, I strongly encourage you to leave follow-up comments. Surprisingly, many eBay users are not aware of this possiblity but you can add comments to your feedback noting your discovery and to help other potential buyers who may scan the seller’s feedback before making a purchase.

Responding to Feedback and Adding Follow-up Comments

This is a comparison of a Gillette Fusion Power cartridge to its counterfeit counterpart. The best way to determine if you have counterfeit cartridges is to simply check if two serial numbers are on the counterfeit cartridge frame as indicated in the pictures below. Please click on images to view in a higher resolution.

All Gillette Fusion Power cartridge will have serial numbers located behind the blades under frame as indicated in picture to the left. The serial number will consist of one letter with four numbers on the left side and one letter with four numbers on the right side. This cartridge serial number is marked in black with B7194 on the left side and Y1301 on the right side.

The left number, B7194, is the same for the 4 cartridge pack in my possession and with two different numbers, Y1301 and Y1201, on two cartridges each to the right side.

The counterfeit Gillette Fusion Power cartridge on the left will have no serial numbers on its cartridge frame as indicated in this picture.

Thanks to wild_wolf5 who mailed to me one of his counterfeit Gillette Fusion Power 8 cartridge packages purchased on eBay from readyfornapoli247 and used for this comparison.