Counterfeit Zero Tolerance knives on eBay

Artifakt said:
Wow, I'm a new forum member and I found this thread. The reason that's important is because I happened to buy the ZT 0566 with the serial# 0369! I got caught up in the auction and didn't look at the knife closely enough. I won the auction and was ecstatic! So I popped over to another sellers page and purchased a complete set of blue anodized titanium hardware. Both arrived a day apart with the knife arriving last Friday.
I'm very familiar with Kershaw knives but haven't been able to actually hold a ZT. Now there were warning signs to this knife being a fake. First being there was no spring assist. Second being the ZT logo on the blade is an orangeish brown and not black. Third being what was mentioned above it had 0566bw and was clearly not blackwash. But even with all that evidence pointing to it being a clone it never dawned on me. So I sat down and got to disassembly of the knife in order to switch to the blue hardware, well not a single screw or offset fit the knife. So I emailed the hardware seller to let him know he sent me the wrong set. He replied immediately to inform me I most likely bought a clone and sent a link for me to look at. And there my knife was stock photos and all!!!
I contacted the seller of the knife to tell him that he sold me a fake. He responded right away apologizing saying he didn't know and that know he knows he got ripped off. Long story short LOL. I worked out a deal with him that plays out like this..... I'm keeping the fake so he can't resell it! I'll give it to my 13 year old son. The clone site priced it at 32$ I'm guessed around 8 for s/h told him I'd subtract 40$ from what I payed him for a real 0566. If I'm keeping the fake I'll pay for it. So his sob story aside he owes me 80$ or I will totally ruin him on eBay! He's already initiated the process and I do believe he didn't know. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt until he proves to be a lying POS! Because I really HATE F&@*#IN THEIVES!!!!! sorry I got long winded there! I needed to vent to people that might care and understand that this really messes with a mans emotional state!
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An offer of a partial refund is almost certainly considered as part of the fraud. The typical costs to a fake is a couple bucks plus the refund amount subtracted from total paid equals profit(!).

Items commonly coming from China would be freight shipped at low costs but with high, typically unreasonable, costs if a return needs to be made. In others words, it can't be returned and sellers offer for a partial refund or return is illusory; there's only one available course.. and that is profit for seller, emptier pockets for you.

Consider the risks, sometimes worth it, with the more common, usually not.
 
I sent inquiry to manufacturer, they must know if the one I bought is fake or not. I think it's original but serial is not capitalized it's Ser. not SER. as I found from review with smaller serial number. And the font on the handle seems to be legit.
EDIT: It's same as sold in Russia for 250 € http://spbknife.ru/market/nozhi_skladnye/zero_tolerance/zero_tolerance_0801_elmax_powdered_steel/ (There are high quality pictures with latest patch, serials from 7000).

Older models are using little different fonts as you can see here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQ9s6GLg098&t=426s , I've seen now three different marking stiles for original ones.
 
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I am another eBay buyer who got stuck with a counterfeit, this a RAT 1. But I gotta tell you, it’s a pretty good copy. It came in what seems to be an actual Ontario box, fit and finish is what I would have expected from the real one, the blade sharp and bevels even, perfectly centered, lockup tight, mid point and consistent. The only clue that it is not the real article is that the screws are silver, not black, the handle size is larger, and the country of origin is spelled “TaiWan.” Of course, there is no way to know what the blade steel really is or how well the knife would hold up in use, but I would say the makers have done a meticulous job making this fake RAT.
 
the Rat1 copies are usually pretty bad and no where near good steel in comparison to aus-8 or D2. i have heard 1 other person that said the clone was fine. again not a good idea to spread that information as people will undoubtedly not get what they paid for.

not to mention this thread is for ZT not Onterio knife co... there is a thread for that if you want to discuss it there. http://bfy.tw/B94v
 
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Mo2 said:
the Rat1 copies are usually pretty bad and no where near good steel in comparison to aus-8 or D2. i have heard 1 other person that said the clone was fine. again not a good idea to spread that information as people will undoubtedly not get what they paid for.

not to mention this thread is for ZT not Onterio knife co... there is a thread for that if you want to discuss it there. http://bfy.tw/B94v
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My apologies for posting in this thread, and thanks for your reference to the proper one.
 
I'm new to blade forum and as I was reading this thread came across this. I will be watching where I purchase my knives from now on. I recently purchased a cold steel recon one with D2 steel and am wondering if it is a fake or not. will have to investigate further. I read what you wrote and went to those addresses and wound up purchasing a Buck from Blade HQ. Thanks Ken
 
Mo2 said:
the Rat1 copies are usually pretty bad and no where near good steel in comparison to aus-8 or D2. i have heard 1 other person that said the clone was fine. again not a good idea to spread that information as people will undoubtedly not get what they paid for.

not to mention this thread is for ZT not Onterio knife co... there is a thread for that if you want to discuss it there. http://bfy.tw/B94v
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Do you have any links that discuss the steel they are using in those knives?
 
That's why I stick w/ authorized dealers and local shops. :thumbup:

I could've sworn it's common knowledge that eBay is full of fakes. Guess not.
 
I'll get my money back, and will order an Viper Italo flipper with Böhler M390 blade from local authorized Böker dealer. Please watch out for serial 7028 for ZT 0801 and any other clones that may exist.
 
yeah there are tons of fakes on ebay, but there are also many very highly rated, legitimate dealers on ebay as well who have been around for a while. ebay is great for the knife collecting/buying hobby for sure. its a good place to find lots of older discontinued stuff being sold by guys like us, and also a good place to buy used knives in good condition for a lower price than a new one. its hard to get ripped off if you know what you are looking for.
 
Resurrecting this thread, please.
Too good to be true, a ZT 0562 G10 for $41.22?

I am comparing it to my 0562CF and the discrepancies are very subtle to my eye. Most apparent, the missing screw on the frame lock.
I’m thinking about being much more careful on eBay now. I’m very new here and seeing, if it is indeed fake, this is quite shocking.
 
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eBay is the wild west of online sales. The existence of counterfeits is one reason I basically never buy anything that is listed with a stock image, lest they pull a bait-and-switch.

Taking some time to scan the larger online chinese retail websites for what fakes exist can help tremendously to avoid being ripped off.

It really is appalling how much of Spyderco’s catalog has been cloned, and it makes me wonder how many less-knife-savvy folks are carrying a low-quality clone and getting an undeservedly poor impression of higher-end knife companies.
 
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Danex said:
Resurrecting this thread, please.
Too good to be true, a ZT 0562 G10 for $41.22?

I am comparing it to my 0562CF and the discrepancies are very subtle to my eye. Most apparent, the missing screw on the frame lock.
I’m thinking about being much more careful on eBay now. I very new here and seeing, if it is indeed fake, this is quite shocking.
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Remove the link before you get an infraction. Take a screenshots instead
 
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