If you received a product you believe is fake, start with the seller or marketplace and protect your payment deadline. There is no single counterfeit complaint form for every situation.

Turns out, three different systems may be involved: platform buyer protection, your card or payment provider, and government reporting. Each asks for different proof and offers a different remedy.

Your immediate goal is usually a refund. An enforcement report can help identify a seller, but it usually does not replace a refund request or payment dispute.

Which route fits your problem?

Choose the route based on what you need. A marketplace case and a government report serve different purposes.

A marketplace policy is not the same as a federal law. Your refund may depend on the order terms, the payment method, the seller's return policy, and applicable state law.

Make sure you describe the problem correctly

A counterfeit is generally an unauthorized product made to look like a genuine branded item. A genuine product that is used, refurbished, damaged, or the wrong model may instead be a "not as described" dispute.

Use the most accurate description you can. You might write, "I suspect this item is counterfeit because the logo, packaging, and serial number differ from the manufacturer's examples." That is stronger than simply writing, "This is fake."

Do not claim certainty you can't support. Facts travel better than accusations.

Build your evidence file first

Evidence should let a reviewer reconstruct the transaction without guessing. Take photos before returning, repairing, opening further, or discarding anything.

• [ ] Order confirmation, receipt, invoice, and the payment statement line
• [ ] Screenshots of the listing, seller profile, product description, and promised condition
• [ ] Clear photos of the item, packaging, labels, logos, serial numbers, and defects
• [ ] Messages with the seller and any return instructions
• [ ] Shipping records, tracking, and delivery details
• [ ] A brand verification result or expert opinion, if you obtained one
• [ ] A short timeline with the purchase date, delivery date, and report dates

Redact your full card number, passwords, and unnecessary identity documents. Keep the original files, too.

A lab report can help, but it is not always necessary for an initial complaint. A serial number alone may not prove authenticity. Explain what else does not match.

Keep the item and packaging until the marketplace, seller, issuer, or agency tells you what to do. If you return it, photograph the contents and use trackable shipping.

Follow this complaint process

1. Preserve the product and records. Stop using the item if it may be unsafe. Save the listing before it disappears.

2. Identify everyone involved. Record the seller's name, storefront, address if shown, marketplace, order number, payment method, and shipment information.

3. Compare the item with a reliable reference. Use the brand's official verification channel when available. Note specific differences instead of relying on a general impression.

4. Open the marketplace case through the order page. Use the site's buyer-protection or item-not-as-described process. Amazon's A-to-z Guarantee information and eBay Money Back Guarantee policy set platform-specific conditions and timing. Follow the instructions attached to your order.

5. Contact the seller in writing if the platform requires or recommends it. Request the approved return instructions and a refund. Keep the message short, factual, and free of threats.

6. Protect the payment deadline. If the seller does not resolve the issue, contact the payment provider. Credit cards have a specific federal billing-error process; other payment methods work differently.

7. Report broader conduct separately. Use the FTC or CBP route when the seller appears deceptive, the goods entered the United States, or the information could help stop repeated imports. Keep pursuing your refund through the platform or payment provider.

Credit card disputes have their own clock

An authorized purchase of a fake item is not automatically an unauthorized transaction. Describe the actual problem, such as a product that was materially different from the listing or not delivered as agreed, if that is accurate.

Under the CFPB's Regulation Z billing-error rule, a written notice for a qualifying credit card billing error generally must reach the issuer within 60 days after the statement showing the error was sent. Send it to the billing-inquiries address on the statement, not the payment address.

Keep a copy and proof of delivery. Include the disputed amount, account details requested by the issuer, transaction date, seller information, and your evidence.

If the issuer receives a proper notice, it generally must acknowledge it within 30 days unless it corrects the account sooner. The investigation generally must finish within two billing cycles, and no more than 90 days. A temporary credit and a particular outcome are not guaranteed.

Do not assume that same 60-day credit card rule applies to a debit card, prepaid card, bank transfer, buy-now-pay-later account, or peer-to-peer payment. Ask that provider for its dispute process and act promptly.

Report the seller to the right agency

FTC reports

Use ReportFraud.gov when the seller made deceptive claims, took payment for a different product, or appears to be part of a wider scam. Include the seller's details, what the listing promised, what arrived, how you paid, and the documents that support your account.

The FTC report is an enforcement lead. It is not a substitute for a marketplace refund request, and submitting it does not guarantee that the FTC will recover your money.

CBP reports

Use CBP's e-Allegations program for suspected violations connected with goods entering the United States. The program includes intellectual property concerns such as counterfeit goods.

Give CBP actionable information: the violator's name and address when known, seller and importer details, shipment or listing information, dates, product descriptions, and supporting evidence. A report that says only "this is fake" gives investigators little to work with.

CBP enforcement and your personal refund are separate tracks. Keep the platform case and payment dispute active.

Consumers and brand owners use different reporting paths

A buyer should not claim to own a trademark or copyright. A DMCA notice is mainly a copyright process; it is not the general form for every counterfeit trademark complaint.

If you own the brand, use the marketplace's intellectual-property reporting channel and provide proof of your rights. Consumers usually should stay with buyer protection, payment remedies, FTC reporting, or CBP reporting.

A complaint template you can adapt

Keep the wording factual and specific:

I bought [item] from [seller] on [date], under order [number].

The listing described it as [exact description or promise]. I received [brief description of the item].

I suspect it may be counterfeit or materially different because [specific differences, missing markings, packaging problems, serial mismatch, or other facts].

I have attached [receipt, listing screenshots, photographs, messages, tracking, and verification documents].

Please confirm the approved return process and the status of my refund in writing.

For a credit card issuer, add the transaction amount, statement date, and the reason you believe the charge is a qualifying billing error. Do not email your full card number.

Deadlines and escalation points

A government report usually does not extend a marketplace or issuer deadline. File the refund or payment case first when time is tight.

If a platform denies the claim, read the stated reason and submit only the missing evidence. If the loss is substantial, a consumer law clinic or licensed attorney can explain options under your state's law.

Mistakes that weaken a counterfeit complaint

A vague report is difficult to review. Tie each conclusion to a photograph, listing promise, message, or verification result.

Do not call an authorized purchase "unauthorized" just because the seller deceived you. Do not send the product back before preserving evidence, and do not use a random email address when the marketplace provides an official case process.

Knowingly submitting unsupported accusations can damage your credibility and may violate platform rules. Stick to what you bought, what was promised, what arrived, and why the facts concern you.

Do I need a lab report?

Not necessarily. Start with the receipt, listing, photographs, packaging, serial details, and any brand verification available. The marketplace or issuer may request more proof.

Can the FTC or CBP get my refund?

Neither report guarantees an individual refund. Use the seller, marketplace, and payment-provider processes for money recovery.

What if I paid by debit card or bank transfer?

Do not use the credit card billing-error deadline automatically. Contact the provider immediately and ask for its written dispute or fraud procedure.

Start by downloading the listing, photographing the item and packaging, and writing the purchase timeline. Then open the official marketplace case and record its deadline before sending any return or payment-dispute request.