eBay, that messy superconductor of feverish capitalism, has hit some static.

A French court last week ordered eBay to pay about $30,000 to Hermès for ''committing acts of counterfeiting,'' when an eBay customer sold two fake Hermès handbags on the site in 2006. The seller was ordered to pay the same amount.

Up next: LVMH, which says eBay should be held accountable for the sale of 40,000 fake Louis Vuitton bags sold on the site; l'Oreal, for the sale of fake cosmetics and perfumes; and, in the United States, Tiffany, for the sale of fake jewels.

eBay says in its defense that a software program it strengthened in 2006 makes it easier for the company to identify and take down bogus offers.

But who presumes anything on eBay is authentic?

Right now, if you want to buy an item on the site with ''Dior'' in the description, 4,443 options pop up. Plug in ''Chanel,'' and you get 6,344 returns. The whole of Pinecrest may be up for auction, too.

If things go very badly for eBay, rigorous, restrictive oversight will likely ensue. But eBay doesn't inspect merchandise it sells, and without holding those handbags in your hands, discerning its veracity is a losing battle.

If you want guarantees, go to Portero.com, the online auction site that vouches for the authenticity of all the merchandise it sells.

Stealing copyrighted material is harmful in many ways. But now that the world has embraced the radical economic freedom accorded by eBay's virtual marketplace, it won't accept anything less.

As eBay clamps down, new avenues will spring up.

Got a fashion emergency? Send your questions to Herald fashion and style writer Kathryn Wexler by going to www.MiamiHerald.com and clicking on Tropical Life. Or by snail mail, 1 Herald Plaza, Miami, FL, 33132. Answers will appear online and in the Wednesday Style section.

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