A MESSAGE FOR KNIFE BUYERS (Photos of fakes are below) It has been brought to our attention that fake Extrema Ratio knives are being offered on eBay and also online stores. (Fake copies of other brands of knives are also for sale.) If the seller doesn't guarantee the authenticity of the knife, take a second hard look. Many of the fake Extrema Ratios are made in Asia but will display the Extrema Ratio name on the blade and say that they are "Made in Italy" or "Made ni Italy". Also, if the price is low for an Extrema Ratio knife (or any other brand), the knife is probably a knockoff. Do not bother looking for a "Made in China" (or other Asian countries) on the knife, inserts, or the box since the fakes give no indication of being made anywhere other than Italy. It really is difficult to determine if an Extrema Ratio is fake or not by just looking at a photo. If you purchase one off eBay or elsewhere, check the knife when you get it to see if it has the excellent quality and workmanship that Extrema Ratio is famous for. There have been so many people who buy a knife from an eBay seller (and other sellers too) and then want the knife to be authenticated. This is doing things kind of backwards: the seller should be authenticated first before buying the knife! Another thing to question is "How easy is it to contact the seller?" Does he/she only have an email address? A reputable seller will also provide a telephone number and an address for contact. Buy your knives only from reputable sellers who will guarantee their knives to be genuine. Xtreme Knives buys directly from Extrema Ratio in Italy and we guarantee that every one of the knives we offer is authentic. We have found that some of these unscrupulous sellers are purchasing real Extrema Ratio knives (probably other brands too) and taking photos of these knives to put on their website or on eBay. However, when the buyer purchases one of these knives, instead of getting the authentic knife shown in the photo, he gets a knockoff - probably from China. If you think you have purchased a knockoff that was sold as being "authentic", contact the seller immediately. You might want to return the knife and get your money back. (However, I see that some sellers do not offer "money back", they just offer "exchange", or worse "seller will not accept returns".) Personally, I would be very cautious about buying a knife that I could not return. You should consider protesting to eBay if the seller has a site there. Also, we have been told that some sellers are telling their buyers they bought their Extrema Ratio knife originally from Xtreme Knives. This may or may not be true... If you come across Extrema Ratio knives on the Internet that are possibly fake, please email the location to me or to Extrema Ratio in Italy. Extrema Ratio Italy is working constantly to contain this problem. Please send an email to: info@extremaratio.com and put "Fake ER Knife" in the subject line. Please send ER the link or item number (if on eBay) or where you found the knife. Below are some comments we have received about this problem: "Hello, I know you are probably aware of this, but I thought that I would let you know anyway. There are several sellers on Ebay selling what are undoubtedly fake versions of your products. I got burned by one seller on a Darkops Stratofighter that I wanted for my son.  I looked through his feedback as a buyer and found that he has bought quite a few of these [fakes] from two sellers in China. If you look through their listings you will find many E.R. folders and fixed blades. Needless to say, I am still pretty [upset] about this. I have already contacted Darkops. They thanked me and said that they will be taking legal action. I am still in dispute with [the eBay seller] and eBay over this matter but I’m not sure what the outcome will be. I am still considering filing a complaint with the FTC. Can you tell that I’m still P.O.? Anyway, I thought that I would bring this to your attention because copyright infringement is a pretty serious crime. I don’t believe that some should profit on the hard work of others." A.P.F - Quakertown,PA   One of our customers purchased knives from a Chinese eBay seller. He knew when he purchased them that they were fakes since the price was extremely low but they looked authentic. The knives even said "Made in Italy" and neither the knives or boxes had "China" on them. This is what he emailed us about them: "Hi there, I own one of your knives. For the curiosity, I recently purchased 2 knockoffs made in China. They look nice, nice box, all of the script and logos are perfect. UNTIL you start to use it, on the good one the thumbstud fell off after opening it several times. Not screwed in - kind of pushed in where I guess they might hit it with a hammer? On the second one, seemed nice, nice box, opened the knife, can't close it. I know something about knives, took it apart and they know nothing about tolerances." Philip "I recently bought an Extrema Ratio knife off eBay from [seller's name]. It was sold as being authentic. When I got it, I could tell that it was a knockoff. I've returned it to the seller but I'm having a heck of a time getting my money back from him." Dwayne "I have owned one of your knives before and was very happy with it. I also ordered one of those knock-offs on E-bay (it cost $18) -- I have received it. it doesn't look terrible, but I could break it in two with a very small effort. I am sorry you have to deal with the knock off world. Someone accused my true extrema of being a knock-off, which at the time I did not even know existed. But after that proof, I was happy that mine was the real deal. Unfortunately dealing with knockoffs is a testament to your success." A.C. CHINESE FAKE CHINESE FAKE CHINESE FAKE CHINESE FAKE CHINESE FAKE CHINESE FAKE CHINESE FAKE CHINESE FAKE It is the responsibility of the buyer, not Xtreme Knives, to determine and follow all local, state, federal and international laws and ordinances regarding the purchase, possession, and use of any item purchased from us. Copyright 1999 - 2010 Xtreme Knives (tm). Xtreme Knives is a trademark and division of DataForge.cc. All rights reserved worldwide.