I think I've bought a fake on EBAY. help needed.

Well taking into consideration Angel Men has been around since 96, I am sure you didn't get a fake, but an old bottle. that is the biggest problem with buying fragrances at discounted prices. more then 50% of the time they are old products pulled from department stores. it is much worth it to dish out the extra money to buy a new bottle. plus most department stores don't mind exchaning the product if it's bad, unlike discount shops

eBay certainly has its share of counterfeit scent sellers despite their protestations to the contrary. Although unlikely a moderately expensive scent such as AMen would be counterfeited vs a more expensive scent such as a Creed, it is certainly possible. Was the bottle in an original box AND factory sealed? Or was it just in the box? What kind if any negative feedback did the seller have? Any other complaints in feedback by buyers about not receiving "original' products?

eBay pays huge lip service to policing its site but does little in reality about mid/big volume sellers who deal in counterfeits even when offered evidence by stung buyers, as they get $$ from mid/big volume sellers, as well as PayPal revenue when applicable. They occasionally will 'catch' and stop a small-time counterfeit seller, more to show how 'alert' and 'policing' they are than to clean up the entire operation.

And these sellers do not only sell counterfeits and are crafty so they are often hard to catch by sting operations. Couple that with the fact that most of their counterfeits go to unsophisticated buyers who just wouldnt know the difference in an original or a counterfeit scent, and they just keep doing it and making a killing. I had a counterfeit experience with a seller on eBay who is no longer using the name he had when he dealt with me. The information on counterfeit Creed products on Basenotes alerted me after I had already bought but it confirmed the fact the Green Irish Tweed I thought I had bought was a counterfeit scent.

Other than Basenoters with eBay sites I would be very wary of eBay sellers who sell very low priced scents, with a few exceptions as posted in other threads on Basenotes, such as http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZcreedirectQQhtZ-1

, a low priced Creed eBay seller who supplies authentic product.

Sorry about your problem. I know how it feels.