Auction site WhaBam fights counterfeiters by buying their goods

[mandy]

WhaBam, an auction site where last night a quick scan showed only 1 item out of 17,000+ had a bid, has come up with a novel way to fight counterfeiters on its site: it buys their goods. 

Crooks increasingly are using online auction sites to sell stolen or counterfeit items, but one fledgling auction site is taking a straightforward approach to the problem. WhaBAM, which emerged from beta testing in March, has set aside a $25,000 fund to buy suspicious items off its site to protect customers from inadvertently buying fraudulent products...

WhaBAM also has set up a system that allows customers to report suspicious items posted on the site. If a customer purchases an item later found to be a fake, WhaBAM will reimburse the customer,...

full article: http://www.internetretailer.com/dailyNews.asp?id=18948

[bargainbloodhound]

My question is:  why would someone selling counterfeits even bother taking the time to list items on WhaBam?  There is only 1 item on the entire site with a bid (a $1 bid on a Triumph motorcycle).  Is a counterfeiter really going to spend hours listing with little chance of seeing any $$$?  Doubtful.