If you're a casual jewelry consumer, more interested in fashion and style than monetary value, you might not be concerned about the counterfeit jewelry problem - on eBay or anywhere else. In fact, you may even expect that under-priced piece of jewelry to be a fake, but you buy it anyway. After all, you got a good deal, and you only plan wear it for a season or two.

Now, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but there are some good reasons to avoid purchasing counterfeit jewelry as much as possible.

First, counterfeits are cheap for a reason. Their quality may be so low that they won't survive one season of wear, and inferior metals may cause unhealthy skin reactions. If the jewelry contains lead (which is most common in imported goods, which account for most counterfeits), you might even risk poisoning of children or pets who "borrow" your jewelry to play with.

Of course, sales of counterfeits also cause widespread economic impacts. Legitimate manufacturers or resellers of higher quality jewelry see their sales decline as more consumers come to believe they can acquire the same jewelry from other sources - like eBay - for much lower prices. As these companies' and small businesses' bottom lines suffer, so do all the people who rely on them to keep food on the table. This affects all kinds of regular people, from employees of large corporations to single moms and retired folks working from home to support themselves.

Add to that the fact that much (if not most) counterfeit jewelry is manufactured overseas in "sweat shops" or similar environments, by very poor people being paid very little - and without the protection of workplace health and safety regulations like we have in the United States. You can help by refusing to support these industries through purchases of counterfeit jewelry and other "fake" label goods.

Other articles in this series:

Counterfeit Brand Jewelry on eBay - The Controversy

Counterfeit Brand Jewelry on eBay - Is it a Crime to Buy or Sell?

Counterfeit Brand Jewelry on eBay - How to Protect Yourself coming soon

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