Received a fake from China: what should I do?
Stop using the item, preserve the listing and packaging, and ask the brand for a written assessment. Open a marketplace dispute and contact your UK card provider promptly. Get written instructions before returning or disposing of it. Supplier enquiries in China can be coordinated by Cambridge China Bridge.
Preserve the item and the seller’s promise
For a purchase made for personal use, stop using the suspect item and keep it separate from other belongings. Do not resell, give away, repair or dismantle it while investigating. Photograph the item, labels, serial markings, packaging and delivery label. Keep the original files and record when the parcel arrived.
Save the listing, seller profile, order confirmation, payment receipt and messages, especially any promise that the item was genuine. Describe it as suspected counterfeit until you have supporting findings. Our guide to avoiding counterfeit products covers checks before buying; this guide addresses evidence and claims after delivery.
Ask for authentication evidence you can submit
Contact the brand through details found independently of the seller. Ask whether it can assess your item and provide a written conclusion linked to its photographs, model and identifying marks. Ask what was examined, why it appears counterfeit and whether physical examination is needed. Keep any refusal or inconclusive reply.
Before paying an authenticator, ask the marketplace and card provider what evidence they will accept. Request a report identifying the examiner, relevant experience, examined item, method and limitations. A packaging discrepancy or failed serial-number lookup is a reason to investigate; avoid presenting it alone as conclusive authentication.
Open the marketplace dispute promptly
Use the dispute route attached to the actual order. Explain what the listing promised, what arrived and why authenticity is disputed. Attach a concise chronology, comparison photographs and any written assessment. Ask for a refund and save the case reference, submission, replies and applicable terms.
Ask for the evidence deadline and whether further authentication can be added later. Do not delay the initial complaint while seeking a report. Before accepting a partial refund, replacement or request to close the case, ask in writing how that affects the unresolved complaint. Tell the platform about any card claim and refund received.
Ask your UK card provider to assess the claim
Contact the card provider while the marketplace case is open. Ask it to assess chargeback and, for a credit-card purchase, whether Section 75 protection applies. Explain that you authorised the purchase but dispute the authenticity of the goods. Ask for the applicable deadline, required authentication evidence and a written explanation of any refusal.
Provide the statement transaction, checkout receipt, seller identity and order reference. Explain whether payment bought the item directly or funded a wallet. Our guide to marketplace card disputes covers tracing that payment relationship. Disclose refunds from other routes and ask whether any credit is provisional before treating the claim as settled.
Report the concern separately from seeking a refund
For consumer advice, contact Citizens Advice in England and Wales, Advice Direct Scotland in Scotland, or Consumerline in Northern Ireland. Explain that the seller is overseas and ask how to report suspected counterfeiting. For anonymous reporting, the Intellectual Property Office directs consumers to Crimestoppers. Keep the report reference with your claim documents.
If you also suspect a safety problem, describe the hazard separately from the authenticity concern. Record overheating, leakage, injury or damage without recreating the incident. Follow our guide to reporting an unsafe personal purchase. Continue pursuing the refund through the seller, marketplace or card provider while reporting your concerns.
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Get written instructions before return or disposal
Ask the marketplace and card provider handling your claims whether the item must be retained, examined, returned or destroyed, and what proof they need. If an authority is involved, ask whether it needs the item preserved. Where instructions conflict, send each party the other’s message and request clarification before acting. Do not destroy evidence merely because the seller asks.
For an agreed return, confirm the recipient, address, postage arrangements and required tracking evidence; see returning a personal purchase to China. For agreed disposal, confirm the method and evidence before proceeding, and seek product-specific safety advice. Keep the written instructions, photographs and handover or disposal receipt. Cambridge China Bridge’s own staff in China can help coordinate supplier enquiries.
Frequently asked questions
How do I prove a China purchase is counterfeit?
Ask the brand for a written assessment identifying your item and the reasons for its conclusion. Before paying an authenticator, ask the marketplace and card provider what evidence they accept.
Can my UK card provider help with a fake purchase?
Ask it to assess chargeback and, for a credit-card purchase, whether Section 75 applies. Supply authentication evidence and documents connecting the card payment to the order.
Should I return suspected counterfeit goods to China?
Obtain written instructions from the parties handling your claims first. Confirm whether examination or retention is needed, then agree the return address, postage arrangements and proof of delivery.
Can I throw away a fake after getting a refund?
Ask the claim handler whether the refund is final and whether the item must be retained or returned. Obtain written disposal instructions and check any authority’s evidence needs before destroying it.