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Counterfeiting - What Why and How |
COUNTERFEIT FASHION
Maybe you can't afford the real thing. Or perhaps you think you deserve a bargain. So you head off to an online auction, market place or a street corner to buy a fake GUCCI handbag or a pair of Oakley sunglasses. After all, the fakes (also called copies, replicas and counterfeit goods) now are so good that even professionals have trouble telling the difference.
You get the bag/shades/shirt/watch that you wanted and saved hundreds of dollars and you think, what's the harm?
WHY BUYING COUNTERFEIT GOODS IS A BAD IDEA
Not many people are aware that about 18% of the $98 million of counterfeit products seized by U.S. Customs in '02 were made up of fashion-related items: apparel, sunglasses, watches, handbags and headwear. While it's not a crime to buy counterfeit merchandise (only to sell it), there are legitimate reasons why you should rethink your buying tactics.
1. Counterfeiting robs Australia alone of more than $1 billion a year. It's a cash, tax-free business and legitimate purchasers like yourself will still get stuck paying taxes, while counterfeiters line their pockets at your expense.
2. Criminal networks, gangs and organized crime syndicates all profit from selling counterfeit merchandise. Sometimes designer handbag counterfeits are lined with drugs and used for smuggling things like heroin, too. There is also evidence that the bombing of the World Trade Center in '93 was funded by the sale of counterfeit apparel.
3. You might realise that things like counterfeit toys or electronics are an unsafe idea, but did you know that even items such as fake sunglasses can hurt you. Sunglasses can shatter easily and they may fail to provide UV protection as advertised.
HOW TO SPOT A FAKE
Counterfeit designer goods are readily available in all Australian cities and many larger towns but mainly around the markets and tourist centres. The internet is full of online auctions such as eBay and cybersellers are offering copies and outright fakes on an ever increasing basis. The old method of spotting fakes was simple: flimsy hardware, cheap leather and misspelled logos were a giveaway.
Now, fakes are so good (and expensive) that you simply can't tell the difference. So how do you know what's real and what's not?
SOME CLUES
The price is one of the main clues. A new Louis Vuitton handbag purchased for $100 is not authentic. The real thing often sells for $500 to well over $1000 because you are buying quality, not inferior goods as offered by counterfeiters
Authorized dealers for OROTON or GUCCI do not sell handbags out of the boot of a car. Nor do they sell them at online auctions or at home parties.
If you are not sure, contact us and we will provide information for you at no cost concerning your purchase.
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