SME V Tonearm on eBay Hong Kong Sellers are FAKE!!!

Would never buy audio equipment on ebay unless you like getting beat out of your cash.I only buy from great dealers or after checking feedback on Audiogon.I would buy nothing on ebay as there is much garbage on this site.HELLO!!!!!!

I don't know whether there is more than source for those B60 replicas, but I have one of the replicas, probably the same one that Nandric purchased, and I have examined it side by side with a bona fide original B60.  The replica is as well made as the original.  The vertical shaft of my FR64s is not wobbly when mounted in the replica B60, and the motion up and down is well damped and smooth, rather than sloppy.  With the adjusters tightened down, the replica B60 has a death grip on the tonearm, as one would want. I have no complaints at all, in fact.  I have not watched the video, but if the replica shown in the video exhibits the faults described above, then I can only conclude it comes from a different source.  Nandric is also correct in saying that the ones he and I bought are no longer available, for the last few years in fact.

Copy, Replica, Recreation.....they are all FAKE and COUNTERFEIT.   No amount of sophistry will change that.  I would go so far as to say one man's "copy...in the sense of admiration" is another man's theft of property.

Regarding something as critical as a tonearm, I would wonder about the quality of the materials used in construction.  What is the quality of the bearing(s) ?   Different base metals, or composites, machined to a standard that is not the same as the original, bearings of inferior grade...all would combine to represent an inferior product.  Just because it "looks" the same, does not mean it will perform the same.....

Given that the seller(s) are in HK leads me to believe that the producer of the arm(s) is Chinese based.   Another red flag.   This is not a xenophobic judgment but a caveat based upon known trade practices.    How many times have we seen Chinese based components at shockingly low prices that look a lot like a known brand ?  

As for the SME Arm, individuals complaining to Ebay may not accomplish anything.   I would complain to the local importer, and parent company, then let their lawyers contact Ebay regarding FAKE and COUNTERFEIT merchandise.

+1 @ebm