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Gillette says somebody's been stealing razor cartridges from its South Boston plant and selling them on eBay
By adamg on Fri, 01/08/2016 - 10:44am
Gillette yesterday sued several Lowell residents it charges have been selling Fusion cartridges stolen from World Shaving Headquarters by still unknown parties.
In addition to the Lowell residents, the lawsuit - filed in US District Court in Boston under federal trademark and patent law - names "certain unknown John and Jane Doe Defendants" whom the company charges have been stealing the cartridges. Gillette says it will fill in the Doe names once it learns who they are.
Gillette adds it also does not know exactly how many cartridges were stolen - for sale at deep discounts - but that whatever the number, they were being sold out of an address in downtown Lowell, where all of the people named in the suit allegedly live.
Gillette said that after it learned stolen cartridges were up for sale on the site last summer, it ordered some:
The samples of the Gillette Fusion razor cartridges sold by "drinks4almed" were delivered without any Gillette retail packaging; instead, the razor cartridges came housed only in the plastic cartridge dispensers that each hold four individual razor blade cartridges.
The eBay page for that account, which still appears active, lists only one negative rating by a buyer - somebody upset that the eight-pack of cartridges he bought (for $18.99 or about half what CVS charges) came with no packaging.
The company says its lawyer sent a letter via Federal Express and e-mail to the Lowell people it knows about demanding they stop selling the cartridges, but the sales continued.
Gilette says selling illegally obtained cartridges violates its trademarks and razor patents because it never gave permission for the practice and that this "is likely to cause confusion, mistake, or to deceive consumers" by implying Gillette approved the practice.
The suit seeks an accounting of all profits made by the sales - and handing over of that money to Gillette, along with damages and lawyers fees.
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| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
 Complete Gilette complaint | 206.87 KB |
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Comments
remember when everyone knew someone working at gillette?
the razors were cheap back then.
When people worked at Gillette
Gillette was one of those companies that meant "success" to a lot of middle class families and first generation offspring of immigrant families when I was growing up in the 60s. Polaroid was another. We heard the endless mantra "get a good education and get a job with Gillette or Polaroid". And there was the ever popular "take the exam and get a job with the post office. They have good benefits".
You give a company your life
And they take your pension in the end (Polaroid)
No thanks.
Companies going bankrupt and
Companies going bankrupt and people losing their pensions is a big reason why 401ks became popular.
Outside of the public sector a pension is only as good as the company providing it. At least with diversified retirement portfolios any calamity, like 2008, eventually does see a recovery.
Razor Blades are like gold
Believe it or not, there is a big scene for black market razor blades. I've had shady characters approach me at Downtown Crossing asking if I wanted to buy razor blades like they were selling a stolen watch. I'm really not surprised. The cos of razor blades (compared to what it costs to manufacture them) is so outrageously high that it's ludicrous. Ever tried to buy razor blades in CVS? It's a major ordeal. They are behind screens with lights flashing and sirens and loudspeakers going off ("personnel to shaving department!") if you even try to touch them. Walgreeen's even walks you to the cashier if you are purchasing razor blades.
I guess it depends on your town
I can still grab a 25 pack off the shelf at my local BJS or grocery store.
Claritan-D on the other hand, you need a birth cert, passport, iris scan and a letter from the President.
I haven't bought....
razor blades at retail price in over a decade. All my black market Gillete blades are purchased at a local flea market, in just the manner described above, with all retail packaging removed, just in the plastic cartridges. $1 per blade, can't beat that!
If there is one thing crackheads are good for it's stealing expensive commodities for the rest of us to purchase at discount rates. USA! USA! USA!
What a shit complaint
There's no evidence presented in the complaint that outlines how they know that these are stolen razor blades. What if the person bought way too many razor blades and is now liquidating them on eBay after winning them all in a nasty divorce settlement? Or who knows how they came in possession of them, but they don't have to be stolen. Gillette doesn't know how many or how they got them...all they know is they're selling them for less than cost. They could all be fully bought and paid for.
All the trademark bullshit is completely irrelevant. Nobody is going around confusing an eBay sale with an original retailer. Nobody thinks they're repackaging the razors to avoid trademark or copyright or patent.
They also have no idea who is selling the stuff. They've just called them all conspirators because their names are associated with the address that's selling them on eBay.
Gillette has zero evidence a crime has been committed, so they can't push the cops to get a criminal conviction on stolen goods in order to recover what they *think* are stolen goods...so they're going to sue them in a blanket lawsuit alleging they're all part of some single eBay account?? Fuck you, Gillette. I hope the court awards the defendants their legal fees in triplicate.
One of my retired neighbors
One of my retired neighbors back home does this actually -- she clips coupons and waits for sales and rebates and ends up getting razor blades and such for pennies on the dollar, then turns around and sells them at her regular garage sales for a tidy profit but still below cost in store.
I hope the court throws this out
completely before it even goes to trial and tells Gilette "Come back when you have some actual evidence."
Not True
There are absolutely cheap Gillette knock offs for sale in dollar stores that barely skirt trademarks, whose manufacturers are trying to cause confusion in the market place. Also many blades are pulled from the line all the time because of quality control issues. If someone sold these as legit Gillette blades and they were poor quality you might switch to shaving with stolen Schicks.
Don't even need to go to a dollar store.
Noted "house brand" razor blades that fit Gillette razors in Market Basket yeaterday.
Your comment is very
Your comment is very inaccurate. Every single razor is marked in its own way so that Gillette can keep tract of everything. There is definitely an easy way they could find out those razors are stolen. If you don’t work for Gillette then how do you know what they could possibly know or not know? Seeing how Gillette has been so successful you can assume it’s not because their a stupid company. Get your facts straight or don’t post some ridiculously long comment when you clearly have no idea of anything to do with Gillette.
Used to
I once bought blades at CVS/Target, etc. Then internet came along and could buy the same product for a lot less. I would be crazy now to buy them in the store for 200-250% more than what I pay now.
If you want to save on blades, buy from Dorco
Its the same company that supplies Dollar Shave club.
You can buy direct for about a 1/3 of the cost of Dollar Shave.
Which is way cheaper than Gillete.
Their cartridge razors are
Their cartridge razors are pretty good, if not better than gillette anyway.
Just grow a beard
Like I did.. I shave my neck once a week to do a line up. I buy the cheap Market Basket $1.99 razors.. a five pack lasts me months.
Or you could join the dollar shave club and get comparable blades to the Gillette ones for pennies on the dollar.
When I didn't have a beard, I would buy my razors (the Mach3 ones) at BJ's.. you save a boat load of cash. 24.99 for 30 some odd razors is cheap.
When was the last time you bought at BJs?
That's $45:99 for 20 Mach 3 now.
It's been a while
I've had a beard since 2006 ;)
Yeah I'm sure the price has doubled. Still 45.99 for 20 some odd reasons is cheaper than CVS which charges 17 for 5.
Im fortunate. I have little facial hair
I get about a month out of each blade so the 20 pack goes a long way for me. I shave every other day.
I guess being blonde has its benefits sometimes LOL
yup
I look very similar to the guy above so I have a full black beard.. I gotta shave my neck weekly or I start to look very straggly.
Even still.. the MB blades last me months on a five pack. I think I use a new blade once a month.
Just buy an electric razor.
Just buy an electric razor.
+1 on safety razor
Not a hipster.
I've used various multiblade razors and found that they clogged easily. I ended up using my fathers 1940's Gilette safety razor and find it's a joy to use.
Hipster
confirmed!
Cartridge razors suck anyway.
Cartridge razors suck anyway. Old fashioned safety razors do a superior job, for far cheaper. Especially if you get a shaving brush and soap rather than aerosols.
Found the Hipster
Found the Hipster
Not hipster
He's right - those shave just as well or better than $5/piece ten blade contraptions, and a 100-pack that will last you for years is $10 on Amazon. Nothing hipster about getting a better shave and saving $490.
They also
They also work well if you're trying to re-enact the shower scene from Psycho too ;-)
what also works well
is properly maintaining the safety razors, but thats probably too much effort for most
YMMV
I used a double-edge safety razor for a few years, and it was tons cheaper than Mach 3s. It was also harder to get as close a shave without bleeding. It's possible, but I had to pay attention to every stroke. The Mach 3 is so much easier to get those results. I also grew a beard, because the Mach 3 blades were so expensive, even when I got them from China.
Razors
I used to shave my head - it was just easier than maintaining some sort of style. Anyway, my wife was getting her hair done, somewhere in the back bay. Her hair dresser asked what I used to keep my head clean, and I was using typical face stuff, whatever, the triple blade thing is. He told me it was a waste of my money, and to go get the stuff my grandfather probably used, a single blade.
My father used a safety razor most of his life.
Until I gave him a Mach 3 about 15 years ago.
Hasn't used a safety razor since.
Come to think of it, I don't see him with little pieces of tissue paper stuck to his face anymore either.
Shave the Males!
My three dudes like to do bulk orders from https://www.harrys.com/
They each have their own different colored handle to keep it tidy.
Those razors are terrible.
Those razors are terrible. Too wide to get up under the nose and angled along the jaw line.
Nice presentation, good price, but not so functional product.
Their creams and whatnot are worth it though.
Hone your razors, save lots of $$$
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ADaRIqy0Dc
This really does work. I can usually stretch a Gilette cartridge out at least 3 months on daily shaving and 6 if I don't mind re-honing midshave.
does nobody here watch TV?
Dollar Shave Club or preferably Dorco. Buck a blade legally, Korean. Lasts two weeks on my barbed wire beard.And you're not helping a thief embezzling from a local employer.
https://www.facebook.com/dorcorazor
http://www.dorcousa.com/razors-men/