To be honest AM A's review hit all the points I was about to make so I'll just confirm the accuracy of that review. And for anyone who hasn't traded in this market, a few observations.

I think maybe some people don't realize just how massive the Chinese knock-off market is, both in the real world and online; it's a huge source of foreign income and probably large enough to qualify as a true industry in its own right. As a result, and as China becomes increasingly active on the web (or at least the bits they haven't censored yet), more and more Chinese traders are having a go at dealing in the Western demand for the almost-Gucci and might-be-Rolex crowd.

And there's a good response, because the economy is so depressed that we need cheering up but retail therapy is getting to be too expensive a fix for many of us. What better solution then, than to sport an almost-genuine article even for just a month or two, before it falls apart? That's a month or two of renewed self-esteem in troubled times and we don't have to spend more than we would at Sears.

Now as you may have already realized, the vast majority of these websites offer little by way of promise that the quality of their products, even assuming you do receive them, is remotely reliable. In truth you'll have no idea whether your item will resemble the photos in any way, nor will there be any certainty that you can get your money back if it doesn't, regardless of what the terms and conditions of the sale were. The market can be about as comfortable a place to trade as a fence's back-alley hideout and about as safe if you feel like complaining.

iOffer is the exception to the rule, providing, as AM A explains, you use commonsense in choosing whom you want to trade with. I've dabbled a bit here now and again and not had a bad experience, but you do need to be well-informed about what the original product looks like before you jump in and buy an expensive fake.

For example, there are a number of small ways that a real Rolex watch can be identified, and some of them are either too challenging or too expensive for the repro market to copy successfully. Quite often their product is otherwise pretty good, but it won't fool anyone who owns a real one and that's really the person you'd like to fool the most. Likewise embroidered and sewn products, when genuine, will often display a distinctive stitch style which a repro manufacturer can't waste time copying accurately.

Newbies should do their homework, it isn't too hard to find resources on the web which will give you clues to identifying genuine designer products. Asking a seller, in public, "is this a real one", is *not* a substitute and not at all recommended! And yes, believe it or not, people do ask. Bear in mind even so that the photo you are shown may well be a photo of the genuine article, copied from the manufacturer's website. Asking whether the photo is of the article you're buying or not, is a valid question but you'll have to judge the honesty of the answer for yourself.

The big advantage of iOffer over most of the independent traders who've sprung up recently is being able to choose who you trade with, as AM A mentioned. Do look at feedback, don't rush into a sale and do consider talking with more than one supplier of the same products. If you've gone all starry-eyed at the prospect of a $60 Rolex or Coach handbag, go off and do something else and then come back tomorrow when you've sobered up. There will be endless products like this every day for years, so don't rush into something just because it looks so good.

While it may not be so critical for an iOffer trader to get into trouble as it is for an Ebay seller, nevertheless I've found that they do want to protect their feedback and reputation and so far, I've not been ripped off. And ... well yes, I'll admit that the almost-Rolex did fool the boss. But don't tell anyone I said that.