product counterfeits They exist since the brands exist. Virtually everything can be counterfeited: from clothes to watches or mobile phones but also (attention and great care) food products, body care or power tools. Asian countries are usually , since controls for the distribution of these products are less strict than in Western countries, which, on the other hand, is usually where these brands have their headquarters.
Product counterfeits in eCommerce can be detected
eCommerce, obviously, is not on the sidelines from the sale of counterfeit products.
The proliferation of portals and sales apps between individuals (eBay, Wallapop and many others) and the emergence of , the marketplace where factories, mostly Chinese, sell directly to individuals, has opened channels that can be exploited by manufacturers and distributors of counterfeit productswhich forces the companies that manage these portals and apps to redouble their efforts to prevent counterfeit products from reaching the market.
In many cases, the original brands themselves collaborate with them by helping them identify if a product is fake or not. The problem is that when you handle very large volumes and anyone can place an ad to sell something, it is practically impossible to control it. I know that companies dedicated to buying and selling between individuals block the profiles of sellers if they detect a sale of counterfeit products, but it is inevitable that there are people who take advantage of their systems to try to “sneak” some.
Counterfeit products are a huge underground business that moves billions every year around the world. Some of that money (as I said before, a lot of people knowingly buy fake products) means huge losses for the original brands. But there is more. Counterfeit products almost never meet minimum quality standards, which are also usually quite high in affected brands.
Namely, you can buy some Nike shoes that work great, but they can end up seriously damaging your feet. Therefore, it is worth knowing some rules to detect counterfeit products (if you wantlet’s not forget that many people buy counterfeit products knowing they are counterfeit).
5 basic rules to detect counterfeit products on the Internet
1. Identify the seller
It is important to enter the seller’s profile and identify who it is, where it is and what ratings it has from buyers. Fake product sellers often have many products for sale, not just one. In many cases, it “sings” quite a bit just by looking at what other products the same seller sells.
A private seller does not have sizes or colors to choose from and products are rarely brand new with tags. Therefore, if all the products that a seller has are new and with labels and have a variety of sizes or colors, pay close attention because they may be giving it to you with cheese. The usual sellers of counterfeit products they don’t last too long. Either because they are detected and their account is closed, or as a strategy to avoid being detected, they usually have multiple accounts that are constantly opening and closing.
The sales history of the seller has a fundamental role to know if you can trust or not. A seller of counterfeit products not usually a specialist. In their profile you will find two or three different models, for example sneakers, but not a wide range. And above all, you will not find diversity of brands beyond and .
There are stores that use eBay to sell their stock, but this is usually quite evident in the diversity of products and brands. If you only sell premium brands and have very little variety but lots of each, all warning lights should be on. If you have gone on sale you will have suffered in your flesh what it is to try to stuff yourself like a black pudding in a size smaller than yours because there is no other size left.
That’s normal for leftover stock. The strange thing is that a large quantity of the same product arrives at a channel where products are being settled and with all sizes available.
2. Identify the product
The most popular counterfeits have to do with branded clothing, sneakers, bags and accessories, and electronic products. It is convenient, if the product is sold as new, try looking for it outside the portal or application, look for photos of the original product and compare. There are almost always differences that are obvious to the naked eye. You can also look up the model reference number and see if it matches the original.
3. Be wary of bargains
A product is worth what it is worth, and finding the latest model Nike shoes, new and for 40 euros is a sure sign that we are dealing with a fake of original products. Sellers of counterfeit products often pose as private individuals to evade controls, thereby it is not difficult to find the same product for sale by many different sellers at similar prices.
In addition, the Asian factories that produce these fake products often make very large runs, counting on the fact that part of them will be seized at customs. These are clear signs that they want to give us a pig in a poke. But beware, many sellers of counterfeit products sell at prices only 20-30% cheaper than the original, because they know that this way you distrust less, and by the way they multiply their benefits. Portals like Aliexpress or have always been under the spotlight in this regard.
4. If you have doubts, ask the manufacturer for that model
Almost all the big brands have a presence in . When in doubt, show them the photo and ask themthey know exactly what to look for to spot counterfeit products.
5. Contact the seller and ask him and ask for proof that what he sells is original.
Although product counterfeits also include packaging and labeling, they are almost never completely true to the original. Ask them to show you photos of the boxes, tag detailsof the zippers in the case of clothes or bags (there you almost always catch them) or that they show you a copy of the purchase invoice, are ways of vaccinating yourself against possible fraud.
If it is a fake, it is normal that they do not bother to answer you. Buying fakes is up to you if you know they are. Selling counterfeits is a crime. Also, it does nothing to build trust with honest sellers trying to do business legally, but rather helps to destroy that trust.
Portals and apps should perhaps take more seriously to implement more control measures that make it even more difficult to sell counterfeit products. And most importantly: if you detect that you are being deceived with a fake product you must report it, both to the website where it is sold and to the security forces.
The seller is obliged to return your money and the portal or app in which it is advertised must immediately withdraw the product from sale, under penalty of facing significant penalties. All this not to mention that manufacturers and distributors of counterfeit products are not innocent little angels. They normally belong to organized crime networks, in which counterfeit products are one of their legs.
If we complain that the big transnationals pay few taxes, they don’t pay any.
Image: DepositPhotos
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