Buying Surefire on Ebay: Authentic or Counterfeit?

mrwhite1

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I need some advice: I have recently become a 'Surefire-aholic' and was wanting peoples opinions about purchasing lights on ebay. I am fortunate enough to be able to purchase at an LE price through Surefire directly; however, I was recently looking on ebay and saw some people selling some lights and knives (Listed as Factory NIB) waaay cheaper than what I could get them at. Granted I don't know dealer pricing, but it just makes me suspicious on how some of models could be priced that low? (Low is relatively speaking but suffice it to say cheaper than any website I can find or my LE price)
I've been reading their reviews but it still makes me hesitant?
Granted I guess for out of date items, I have to look on classifieds, but for currently offered items, I'm leaning toward buying them direct so I know what I'm getting.
Any advice or opinions would be greatly appreciated!
 

kramer5150

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Some things you should keep an eye out for on ebay in general:
-Original pictures from the seller of the actual item, not generic www pics.
-Original packaging materials and pictures of it.
-Seller feedback history, any history of selling counterfeits should be avoided.
-Payapl / credit card accepted.
-Seller located in USA
-Good feedback history, no negatives in the past 1-6 months.
-Know what you are buying, know the design and what you are looking at.

SF-fakes do exist, I have seen fake M951s more than any other. I follow the above rules and have not had any problems.
 

emac

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I am really glad this topic came up. I just recently purchased a SF M6 and the seller met all of your criteria and everything seems to be in perfect order or this is a really really really good fake. I had purchased a SF M2 from a reputable dealer and the packaging and the the like was consistent.
 

kramer5150

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I am really glad this topic came up. I just recently purchased a SF M6 and the seller met all of your criteria and everything seems to be in perfect order or this is a really really really good fake. I had purchased a SF M2 from a reputable dealer and the packaging and the the like was consistent.

Take some pics of it, and post them up. I am sure other CPFers could easily spot a fake.:twothumbs
 

DM51

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Some points:

1. You run a risk buying on eBay

2. There are some great deals to be had on CPFMP, with lights indistinguishable from new - CPFers are very careful to look after their lights.

3. If you want to buy new with no risk, CPF Authorised SF Dealers will look after you extremely well.

The above ^^ just my opinion, from experience; however now as a Moderator:

4. There are to be no eBay links posted here.
 

HIDblue

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Not for nothing, but if it looks too good to be true...it usually is.

How can an individual ebay seller beat the LE discount on NIB Surefire products without it being either fake and/or stolen. I'm sure there are exceptions to this rule, but better to pay a little extra and know that you're getting the real thing, rather than save a few bucks and wonder about it forever...

Just my $0.02...:cool:
 

Illum

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SF-fakes do exist, I have seen fake M951s more than any other. I follow the above rules and have not had any problems.

More than that really, theres a website called "Land Arms" in Japan that lists Firekylin clones of surefires...but thankfully they don't typically have surefire's logo on them, although some do.

E2DL, LX1, LX2, L6, L6P, 6P, C2, M3, etc are some of the lights known to have been cloned in terms of dimensions and style, not so much the logo

If the picture is exceptionally poor quality or of sales photos rather than original or for something new in box the price seems ridiculously cheap then be careful.

Good feedback history, no negatives in the past 1-6 months.
with the old ebay yes, new one? fugetaboutit...feedback history doesn't tell much these days, especially if the seller pulls it once or twice every couple of sales
 

mrwhite1

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Not for nothing, but if it looks too good to be true...it usually is.

How can an individual ebay seller beat the LE discount on NIB Surefire products without it being either fake and/or stolen. I'm sure there are exceptions to this rule, but better to pay a little extra and know that you're getting the real thing, rather than save a few bucks and wonder about it forever...

Just my $0.02...:cool:
I completely agree, usually this is always my approach when buying things. I like to know what I'm getting.

I would definitely feel much more comfortable dealing with people on these forums because I know they share the same affinity for their lights as I do!

I do have a little more experience buying and selling on gunbroker as opposed to ebay. In my experience anyone that you can email and ask questions and actually communicate with tend to be legit people. It's very rare I would ever sell or buy anything that I had not sent several emails to the respective buyer / bidder asking for specific details, additional pictures, etc..

I more look at the auctions whenever an item is discontinued or not accessable through manufacturers / businesses anymore.



If the picture is exceptionally poor quality or of sales photos rather than original or for something new in box the price seems ridiculously cheap then be careful.
Your definitely right about that, a lot of the items I looked at were blurry and fuzzy. There is no reason to not have good clean pictures of what you are selling if the item is truly 'as advertised'!
 
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Tempest UK

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Buy from a reputable seller/retailer. This applies anywhere, not just on eBay.

eBay isn't bad and eBay isn't good. It's made up of individual sellers...some are very good, some are useless and should be avoided.
 

mcnair55

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Buy from a reputable seller/retailer. This applies anywhere, not just on eBay.

eBay isn't bad and eBay isn't good. It's made up of individual sellers...some are very good, some are useless and should be avoided.

I would second this advice and remember even many major retailers sometimes just repack a returned faulty item as the staff cannot be bothered to follow company rules.

I am very proud of my ebay selling,offering exactly what I say it is,well packed and posted on time for a few pence more than what it costs me just to go towards the packing stuff I buy.5 years on and 100%.
 

Entrekman

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I have bought many Surefires from Ebay and some from local Gunshows and few from Batteryjunction. I have had very good luck buying from Ebay (over 1/3 of my stock), and they're very very good... no different than buying from a regular store. Besides the obvious (no bad reviews within past 6 mo.), you should always buy the ones that have a photograph of the actual item. It's even better when they have an enlarged photograph so you can be sure of the item description and whether or not it's the older model.
 

BeeEm

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Surefires are generally packaged with a card with online registration details. If these are accepted online during registration, we can assume the article is genuine, yes?
 

021411

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I only buy from power sellers. I also read feedback for people that purchased other Surefire items from that seller. I haven't ran into a problem yet. All my purchases have been legit.
 

skyfire

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We have many great dealers here on CPF, that offer discounts, with great customer service.

spyder tactical supply, my LX2 from them was defective, and customer service and communications was excellent! they also offer 20% off! i highly recommend them.

ive had a defective fenix a few months back, from an ebay/web dealer. service was horrible. i still have not seen my fenix, or heard from them. after that i learned my lesson about only dealing with reputable dealers. (if you would like to know the dealer and experience, you can PM me)

of course surefire lights have the manufacturer's warranty, and customer service. so you would be in good hands, even if the dealer wasnt taking care of you.
 

sol-leks

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It's funny, I usually don't think buying on ebay is worth the risk despite the fact that I have never had an issue. I think the advice above is very good, especially treating ebay as a last resort. You can probably get just as good a deal in the cpf marketplace from someone who loves flashlights as much as you do without all the stress of ebay.
 

mcnair55

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We have many great dealers here on CPF, that offer discounts, with great customer service.

spyder tactical supply, my LX2 from them was defective, and customer service and communications was excellent! they also offer 20% off! i highly recommend them.

ive had a defective fenix a few months back, from an ebay/web dealer. service was horrible. i still have not seen my fenix, or heard from them. after that i learned my lesson about only dealing with reputable dealers. (if you would like to know the dealer and experience, you can PM me)

of course surefire lights have the manufacturer's warranty, and customer service. so you would be in good hands, even if the dealer wasnt taking care of you.

And many of the dealers in question sell on ebay,my ITP came from ebay by shiningbeam.
 

BIGLOU

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Just my 2 cents but I have bought NIB SF products from seller Bigfishbuddy. He has great prices. Check it out. Seen he has the G2, 6PL E1B, LX2, ED2L, M3, M4, M6 and St. Minimus. He has "Buy it Now Items" and Free Shipping. I'm sure if they where fake he would be burned by now.
 
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Chauncey Gardner

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Some points:

1. You run a risk buying on eBay

2. There are some great deals to be had on CPFMP, with lights indistinguishable from new - CPFers are very careful to look after their lights.

3. If you want to buy new with no risk, CPF Authorised SF Dealers will look after you extremely well.

The above ^^ just my opinion, from experience; however now as a Moderator:

4. There are to be no eBay links posted here.

Have to second this, particularly on lights. You the crowd here is fussy & passionate about the hobby & will almost always disclose any flaws in a light to a fellow cpf'er. You have none of that on Ebay & the fraud on ebay has gotten to the point I've started to avoid it most of the time.

I've only had a single issue go lesss than satisfactory dealing with sellers & merchants here. The people here are knowledgeable & enthused enough about the hobby to talk you out of a light if they think you might be disapointed vs your expectations.

You don't get that on ebay either.
 
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