Editor’s Note
This article highlights the deceptive tactics of certain online retailers. While the piece examines a specific case, it serves as a timely reminder for all consumers to exercise caution, verify the legitimacy of unfamiliar websites, and research a company’s history before making purchases online.
Today, anyone searching online for stylish fashion can fall victim to sites like edelstein-berlin.de faster than they think – just like Jens from Frankfurt did.
The shop grandly advertises with alleged “25 years of experience” and promises “the highest level of customer service.” However, a look into the archives of the Wayback Machine reveals the bitter truth: The Edelstein Berlin website first appeared there only in March 2025 – a clear indication that this supposed traditional shop has, in reality, only existed for a few weeks or months.
What is sold as a reputable fashion house is, in reality, nothing more than blatant fraud.
The site presents itself as modern, with high-quality product photos, convincing texts, and the promise of free shipping within Germany. Everything seems reputable – until the order arrives.
What follows is a textbook example of how fake shops deceive customers and take their money.
The operators of such sites deliberately rely on perfect SEO optimization to appear high in Google search results.
With appealing descriptions like “handcrafted quality,” an alleged location in “Berlin,” and large discounts, they build trust.
But behind the facade lies brazen deception: Instead of high-quality goods, customers are fobbed off with inferior, cheap junk.
Customers like Jens from Frankfurt report shocking experiences:
An elegant sweater was ordered for 44.95 euros – what was delivered was a cheaply printed plastic shell that could at best pass as waste.
Instead of a supposedly higher-quality sweater for 45 euros, edelstein-berlin.de delivered inferior synthetic junk – packaged in a cheap plastic bag that could have served as a trash bag.
Targeted deception, mass fraud, and international structures clearly show: This is organized crime.
The “product” consists of wafer-thin, synthetic material with a knit pattern cheaply printed on it.
No trace of genuine textile quality, instead an unpleasantly itchy fabric that smells of chemicals. A legally required textile label is completely missing – a clear legal violation.
The true value of this junk product is likely hardly one euro.
In response to his complaint, Jens from Frankfurt received a so-called “goodwill offer”: He could keep the worthless product – and would receive a 10 percent discount, i.e., about 4.50 euros.
Offering a symbolic credit for a piece of worthless trash, while 45 euros were collected, reveals the complete absurdity of the fraud system.
A full refund or a fair return option? Nonexistent.
Fake shops like Edelstein-Berlin.de are not solo projects.
They are part of a huge system of international organized crime.
Criminal networks operate hundreds of such fake sites simultaneously, collect millions within a few months, before reappearing under a new name and new domain.
The masterminds are rarely located in Germany. They mostly operate from China, Southeast Asia, Eastern Europe, or other regions where German law enforcement has little access.
By the time German authorities can even react, the perpetrators are long gone.
Edelstein-Berlin.de violates applicable law in several ways: There is no legal notice (Impressum), no responsible person, no German address. The legally required material labeling is missing. Returns are only accepted at the customer’s own expense to Asia – another clear legal breach.
On edelstein-berlin.de, a supposedly high-quality sweater was offered – for 45 euros, although the actual material value was likely hardly one euro. But even this hope was shattered: Instead of a garment, the cheapest synthetic junk arrived.
Thus, the site fulfills all criteria of an illegal fake shop, deliberately aimed at online purchase fraud.
A look at the review platform Trustpilot confirms the picture:
Edelstein Berlin achieves a disastrous TrustScore of 1.5 out of 5 there. Not a single positive review.
Customers consistently report: poor quality that has nothing to do with the pictures in the shop, long delivery times from Asia, return conditions that make a return practically impossible, fake reviews on the shop page itself.
Edelstein Berlin is by no means an isolated case.
Online, there are tens of thousands of such fake shops that are professionally designed, rank perfectly in search engines – and yet are nothing other than fraudulent traps.