Fake Mitutoyo indicator on Ebay

[SteviegtrParticipant @steviegtr]

After all this was only £12. You just need to visit the autojumbles.

Steve.

[HopperParticipant @hopper]

Posted by Bandersnatch on 24/04/2020 01:13:46:

Hopper, You really think that the fact that it should be obvious to anyone with any experience (what about those without, perhaps younger people?) justifies not bringing to eBay's attention a deliberate attempt to deceive?

If the false description doesn't do it, look at the eBay picture close up and see the deliberate fake up.

Like I said, I bought one (similar) and I'm happy with it after a couple years' general hobby use. No complaint from me.

Besides, the seller is probably some poor guy been locked in his flat in Wuhan for two months just trying to make his next bowl of rice. If we want to right all the deceiving going on in the world right now, let's focus on various world leaders in the current mess. (But lets not get political on here.)

 

Edited By Hopper on 24/04/2020 03:13:34

[Paul LousickParticipant @paullousick59116]

A while ago I saw a photo on ebay of a beautiful set of slip gauges in a polished wooden case and placed a low bid, hoping that no one else would offer more. I had forgotten about it until a package was delivered. I had won.

A beautiful photo of a set of slip gauges. (will read the fine print details next time).

Paul.

[not done it yetParticipant @notdoneityet]

Posted by Paul Lousick on 24/04/2020 06:30:52:

A while ago I saw a photo on ebay of a beautiful set of slip gauges in a polished wooden case and placed a low bid, hoping that no one else would offer more. I had forgotten about it until a package was delivered. I had won.

A beautiful photo of a set of slip gauges. (will read the fine print details next time).

Paul.

Perhaps they were reminding you of the kit you had not paid for?🙂

[Former MemberParticipant @formermember32069]

[This posting has been removed]

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by Barrie Lever on 24/04/2020 08:39:23:

Well folks to round this out from my side.

The indicator is actually quite good but not what was advertised.

I was just fishing when I placed the bid, I do this on ebay and do get some real bargains.

I have considered what you have all said and decided not to take it on the chin and escalate it with Ebay, to try and prevent this person from more serious fraud.

The real shame in this is that the indicator is not a bad piece of kit, why does the manufacturer not concentrate on building up their brand by working with World wide distributors and become a respected brand rather than trying to mimic Mitutoyo products.

I will report back on how Ebay react.

By the way has anyone seen SOD?

B.

.

Well done, Barry … but please also consider reporting it to Mitutoyo

[see my previous post]

MichaelG.

[SillyOldDufferModerator @sillyoldduffer]

Posted by Barrie Lever on 24/04/2020 08:39:23:…

By the way has anyone seen SOD?

B.

Still here! Playing with Arduinos and 433MHz wireless modules at the moment which means my armchair is fully occupied with another engineering challenge.

Thanks for the kind offer of a fake Mitutoyo but I already have a lever DTI. It works well enough and I haven't felt any urge to replace it.

Slightly annoyed to hear your fake works OK though. It means I paid more for the privilege of knowing my very similar inexpensive DTI definitely wasn't made by Mitutoyo! Looks like a plain box and no name on the dial cost me an extra tenner. I think you got off lightly!

Caveat Emptor…

Dave

 

 

Edited By SillyOldDuffer on 24/04/2020 09:17:49

[not done it yetParticipant @notdoneityet]

Slightly annoyed to hear your fake works OK though. It means I paid more for the privilege of knowing my very similar inexpensive DTI definitely wasn't made by Mitutoyo!

Don’t be too worried – it might self-destruct in a couple of weeks/months. 🙂. Likely as soon as any “warranty” (&#128578 expires. For sure it would not outlast the real thing.

[Nick Clarke 3Participant @nickclarke3]

Apart from the fraud which IMHO you do need to take up with eBay to protect others in the future, what really upsets me is that I bought a cheap dial gauge from there which was accurately described and does a reasonable job for what it is, but mine cost me £10!

[HopperParticipant @hopper]

Posted by Barrie Lever on 24/04/2020 08:39:23:…

…

I have considered what you have all said and decided not to take it on the chin and escalate it with Ebay, to try and prevent this person from more serious fraud.

Who knows what next, eh? Fraud amounting to the value of THREE cups of coffee at a cafe (Remember those days; it seems so long ago.) for something that is really only worth one cup of coffee?

And I am sure Mitutoyo knows of these eBay knock offs already. There are whole pages on Mitutoyo's website on how to tell their real products from their impersonators. It's been that widespread for years now.

You can buy those same gauges off the net under various names and with no name at all. And they come in the nice orange box, but with no name on it. It may be just a few small independent operators making their own dial faces with the name on them. Probably hard to track them down in Wuhan and prosecute them these days.

[DanielParticipant @daniel]

"If it looks too good to be true, then it probably is .."

Probably worth signalling for the obvious deceptive practice, but personally wouldn't pursue it further than that.

ATB,

Daniel

[Mike PooleParticipant @mikepoole82104]

If “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery” then shouldn’t Moore and Wright and Starrett be worried? I suppose M&W are already producing their own fakes as are Britool

Mike

[Former MemberParticipant @formermember32069]

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[Former MemberParticipant @formermember32069]

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[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by Hopper on 24/04/2020 09:29:42:

[…]

And I am sure Mitutoyo knows of these eBay knock offs already. There are whole pages on Mitutoyo's website on how to tell their real products from their impersonators. It's been that widespread for years now.

[…]

.

Quite so … But Mitutoyo does ask for reports of such passing-off; so presumably has both the will and the wherewithal to do something about it.

MichaelG.

[jimmy bParticipant @jimmyb]

My cheapies are still going well after 3 years!

Mitutogo and Miluloyo "brand".

Jim

[SillyOldDufferModerator @sillyoldduffer]

Posted by Barrie Lever on 24/04/2020 11:36:44:

Posted by Hopper on 24/04/2020 09:29:42:

Posted by Barrie Lever on 24/04/2020 08:39:23:…

…

I have considered what you have all said and decided not to take it on the chin and escalate it with Ebay, to try and prevent this person from more serious fraud.

Who knows what next, eh? Fraud amounting to the value of THREE cups of coffee at a cafe (Remember those days; it seems so long ago.) for something that is really only worth one cup of coffee?

Hopper

…

I cannot remember who the quote was from but to paraphrase it.

'Ok now we have established that you will do it, now we just have to find out your lowest cost'

…

B.

Barrie is probably thinking of Winston Churchill:

“Churchill: "Madam, would you sleep with me for five million pounds?" Socialite: "My goodness, Mr. Churchill… Well, I suppose… we would have to discuss terms, of course… "

Churchill: "Would you sleep with me for five pounds?"
Socialite: "Mr. Churchill, what kind of woman do you think I am?!" Churchill: "Madam, we've already established that. Now we are haggling about the price”

Incidentally I thought Churchill was the best Prime Minister we'd ever had until Steviegtr explained in another thread that the correct answer is actually Boris Johnson. Like Churchill, Mr Johnson is also a wit. Just before being struck down in March by Covid-19 he referred to the British effort to make more ventilators as 'Operation Last Gasp'.

Dave

[Former MemberParticipant @formermember32069]

[This posting has been removed]

[GaunlessParticipant @gaunless]

Odd that the same type of people who adore Churchill are usually the same type of people he despised.

[Former MemberParticipant @formermember32069]

[This posting has been removed]

[Pete.Participant @pete-2]

A used one of these was being auctioned on ebay a few days ago, i saved it my watch list, then 24 hours before it ended, i looked at in more detail pondering whether to put a bid on it, then i noticed it said 'mititogo' or something, the photo was a bit blurred, it ended up selling for £14 i think, £7.50 post, someone ended up with a used fake for 20 quid.

[SteviegtrParticipant @steviegtr]

Posted by Barrie Lever on 23/04/2020 10:32:36:

OK a bit of fun here.

I am always on the look out for bargains on Ebay and I am very pleased with what I have acquired over the years this way.

So about two weeks ago I saw a Mitutoyo indicator advertised, it had a £4.88 starting bid and the seller called Webb_Flow was based in London. The seller had no feedback and had no transaction history, I thought well everyone has to start somewhere.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/New-Dial-Test-Indicator-0-0-8mm-513-404-0-01mm-/313048826637?_trksid=p2047675.l2557&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&nma=true&si=GhK0r2V51NkNGxUuMJQYRfeiGbI%253D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc

I won the bid at £5.50 and paid the fee, at that stage the money went to some oriental looking script.no idea if it was Japanese or Chinese.

I started to smell a rat though, I checked with the seller that the package was on it's way and I got a reply from Mark saying it would be with me on the 23rd April.

This morning the package showed up, the packing had a customs slip from China, how did that happen? I thought I had bought from someone in London !!

I unpacked the indicator and could see in seconds that it was a fake, 5 seconds inspection revealed it was called Mitetoyo and was made in Jepan, you could not make this up if you tried !!

I will badly annoy Neil and Jason if I call this indicator what it actually is but I think you know what I mean.

I checked the indicator on my granite table with tungsten slip gauges (all bought off of Ebay and absolutely superb quality) going from 20mm slips to 20.1 I could already see errors, probably OK for someone like SOD Dave as an exponent of near enough is good enough but the indicator is not staying in my workshop.

So my question to forum members is should I crush it or give it to SOD Dave?

Winning vote will be actioned.

I will keep the plastic case though.

Regards

B.

Yes.

Steve.

[HopperParticipant @hopper]

Posted by Barrie Lever on 24/04/2020 18:10:11:

Dave

Exactly, I feel slightly ashamed to not remember it was Winston Churchill.

Indicator gone to a good home by the way.

Regards

Barrie

No need. Churchill never said any such thing. That old chestnut has been attributed to famous people ranging from George Bernard Shaw to Richard Hammond, none of them true. It is, if you will, the Mitutogo DTI of folktales: completely fake.

[HopperParticipant @hopper]

Posted by Pete. on 24/04/2020 23:35:54:

A used one of these was being auctioned on ebay a few days ago, i saved it my watch list, then 24 hours before it ended, i looked at in more detail pondering whether to put a bid on it, then i noticed it said 'mititogo' or something, the photo was a bit blurred, it ended up selling for £14 i think, £7.50 post, someone ended up with a used fake for 20 quid.

Nobody ever went broke by underestimating the public, to paraphrase H.L. Menken.

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by Steviegtr on 25/04/2020 00:25:38:

.

Posted by Barrie Lever on 23/04/2020 10:32:36:

So my question to forum members is should I crush it or give it to SOD Dave?

Yes.

Steve.

.

Ah … the joys and perils of Punctuation, and of Boolean Algebra

MichaelG.

[Author]

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