Have inadvertently sold a fake item and now buyer is threatening me with police

[HelpMeSoWorried]

Have namechanged as I am so embarassed. And also sorry to post in here, maybe should have posted in legal, but I know there is a lot of traffic here.

I was given a Mulberry bag as a christmas present a couple of years ago and tbh I never liked it much anyway and never used it (apologies to any handbag fans). As far as I knew it was genuine and had all tags with it etc.

I had no idea what it was worth but recently did a bit of research and they are about £700 new I think. So I decided to get rid and put it on gumtree. I was inundated with enquiries and sold it to a lady last week. She was really happy with it and I got £350 for it.

She has texted me today claiming it is fake and saying she wants me to pay her back and she will return the bag if I give her my address. She doesn't know where I live as I met her in town(at her request!) but she has my name, and obviously my number.

I am very upset and shocked as I would never have sold it if I thought it was not real, I would have maybe just given it away or something. Its completely against my principles, I am an honest person :( I am sat here crying now as I am so scared.

I really needed the money, I don't want the bag back and I don't want to return the money as as far as I am concerned I sold it in good faith and she happily chose to buy it. I am not a criminal, or a scam artist, but she is threatening to report me to the police. :(

can anyone help?

Oh come on Laurie, even numptys deserve a lovely bag, they need somewhere to store their brain cell

But again, being a numpty isnt illegal (although maybe it should be)!!

What about these poor old people that end up paying £90,000 for a few tiles on their roof to be replaced because they were numpties and were conned........still doesnt make it ok does it!

Arrrrgh my eyes my eyes!!!!!!!!!!!!

Op - the buyer knows where you live I take it? And they paid cash?

fergoose, no she doesn't. I had no reason to give her my address as we met at a pre arranged place.

She only has my first name and contact number, and I only have her first name if that was her real name

But if you meet at a Mulberry store what is stopping the buyer from bringing along a fake and keeping the one the OP sold her at home? Then of course the Mulberry staff will verify that the fake one is users fake, OP returns the woman's £350 and ends up with a dud bag while the buyer (who may or may not be a scammer) ends up with the real bag for nothing.

I would be contacting the ex, personally. It's not pleasant, but hopefully will provide you with the knowledge you need either way.

no I admit, Ive not seen your bum, it might be lovely. is it genuine though?

Oh yeah and that link to the £200 bag is very similar to my ugly culprit bag I sold, surely THAT one must be a fake?

When you took pics did you take one of the serial number?

And here I was thinking that only really bright people liked nice handbags.

is indeed* a fake

I once bought a Chloe Paddington bag for £7 at a charity shop - that day's staff obviously didn't know what it was! I couldn't believe it was real until I found this website.

Give it a look OP, so you know the sort of detail that gets faked (forewarned is forearmed), and I agree - meet up with buyer at a Mulberry store or concession.

Although saying that the Chloe counter at House of Fraser locally didn't seem very knowledgeable about fakes - I suppose they might have recognised one if it was made of hard plastic rather than squishy cowhide!

I am with you Betty.

"What about these poor old people that end up paying £90,000 for a few tiles on their roof "

That's the point, these poor fuckers have been conned by scam artists and they are vulnerable elderly adults in the main.

The OP is entirely different, she sold it in good faith, believing it to be real to someone who appeared to be the full ticket and very keen on handbags -she didn't arm twist them, she didn't say "Come on Guv'nor, it's a reet bargain at this price". She hasn't tried to con them - even if it turns out to be a fake (which we'll never know as the fuckwitted buyer fucked off with it after checking it) it doesn't make the OP a scam artist fuckbastard.

Thanks Pag!

Meerkat

This is possible, that she'd bring along a fake, but I would be placing my bets on her not having the brass neck to follow through on that, with observers present. It is a risk, but I suspect a scam artist would probably be more likely to come back with abuse etc anotehr strategy apart from subjecting themselves to public scrutiny.

And she paid by cash not paypal?

My bum is fake. It's a j-lo knock off.

Does that mean one cheek is higher than the other and they don't quite match>

No she didnt do it on purpose but she still sold a fake and marketed as it the real thing..............its the same whatever way you cut it.

My cheeks certainly dont match sadly! :)

The grammar on that cheap Mulberry site is awful. I would have thought it is a foreign (Chinese?) run site selling fakes that has worked hard to look like an official UK site. It can't be an official outlet, a brand like Mulberry wouldn't allow it.

"but she still sold a fake and marketed as it the real thing"

NO, she didn't - that has not been proved. All that is known is that she sold something believing it to be real and some fool has checked it and purchased it from a stranger.

That is ALL we know.

I bought a genuine fake for my dd in Turkey. They are remarkably good.