Vent - How to compete with counterfeits - and why do people buy them?

[banana*shoe*boutique]

This is typically my best time of the year.  Even better than Christmas but I've been incredibly slow.  A quick check in Terapeak showed me that the top sellers of Birkenstocks are all selling fakes at a third of retail price.  

They are obviously fakes to anyone who knows the brand. 

The models are listed with the wrong names and the color names are not correct.  They don't have boxes and are coming from China (with over 30 day shipping).  Some of these sellers have sold over 50 of them in less than a month and have very low feedback. 

So, while I venting because it's crazy that I have to compete selling a genuine product against garbage, I have to wonder why on earth people are buying junk like this?

And, when they realize they've been duped (as if they shouldn't expect it already), the seller will close up shop and reopen it with a new account and eBay will let them.  Oh and the buyer will tell all their friends not to buy the brand on eBay.

Grrrrr

[silverstatetreasureboxes]

@banana*shoe*boutique 

     It's ok to vent..I am listening. As a former Birkie wearer ( cannot wear them anymore) I too cannot understand why anyone would buy that cheap China junk of anything!

     I'm sure your business will pick up as the warmer months come into play, I peeked at your listings and just " drooled". Good selling to you!

[banana*shoe*boutique]

@silverstatetreasureboxes 

Thanks for listening and the kind words!

[luckythewinner]

They are obviously fakes to anyone who knows the brand.

The models are listed with the wrong names and the color names are not correct.

I have to wonder why on earth people are buying junk like this?

Perhaps these sellers attract the buyers who do not know the brand.

when they realize they've been duped

*If*  they realize they've been duped, they have a Money Back Guarantee and can get their money back. 

How to compete with counterfeits

The best was to compete with fakes is to get them removed by Birkenstock. Have you contacted the company about the problem? 

[banana*shoe*boutique]

@luckythewinner 

I have contacted Birk in the past and they basically said they have full time staff getting listings like these removed here and other places and that it hasn't solved the problem.  I have also contacted eBay and reported the listings but IF a listing gets pulled, it's quickly replaced.  It's an uphill battle.  I just don't understand how a new seller is allowed hundreds of sales in a week's time when delivery is quoted at 6 weeks.  It's begging for trouble.

You're also right that there are people who might be tempted by listings like this as they only care that they can proudly display a brand and don't care if it's real.  I remember this when I used to sell Doc Marten's and I would see fakes on the river with reviewers who admitted they knew they were fake but couldn't afford real ones so the fakes were good enough.

I just hate that it ruins the brand's reputation and the reputation of the site and it's honest sellers.

[farmalljr]

I can tell you exactly why "most" people would buy a fake. It's because it's WAY cheaper than the true brand and all the buyer cares about is touting their " Brand X" item like they are ballers. 

Why do people who make good money, go DEEP into debt buying a fancy house/car/boat/toy/vacation? Because most people are all about what other people think of them. They are shallow. They can't actually afford the thing they want to "flash", so they buy fakes or go into debt. 

I get why this upsets sellers and makers of these things. But there is a DEMAND for it, and "seedy" people/countries are happy to oblige because they are making bank doing it. The only way you will change the trend, will be to change the mentality of the buyers.  Ever hear the saying "campaign taste on a beer budget"? Welcome to what people live like today. Honestly, not much anyone is going to do about the whole mess, without changing the buyer's mentality. 

[titipeo]

This is double edge sword, that sometimes I think is created by the actual brand names themselves. These brands establish a reputation and have a following, there is a sense of  "honor" mystique or show off to be seen wearing/using the brand. The lack of accessibility of the goods to everyone due to price or supply makes then even more desirable and that is where counterfeits come to satisfy the demand. 

Could you imagine how desirable a Louis Vuitton purse will be if they where priced at $19.99 and everyone in the block will have one? Not so much. Unfortunately is a side effect of what they try to accomplish.   

I'm sure that the majority of counterfeit buyers are aware of what they are getting, yet they don't seem to care.  There is no mention of the durability of the product. Heck they can easily purchase an everyday brand that probably has better durability, but they don't care, they want the "allure" that it received using said brand.

[bbravo65]

...this same scenario happened to Chanel Coco Mademoiselle eau de parfum as well...the rating in review for this Chanel perfume is only 4 stars and almost everyone mentioned that the perfume didn't last with unpleasant odor due to low price of counterfeit goods from several sellers...in reality, this perfume and Chanel No.5 have a very elegant, long lasting scent, side by side, in famous Chanel history...

...anyone whom experienced Chanel products could know that their merchandises are not cheap...in another case, an authentic and brand new Chanel Bleu de Chanel 3.4 fl.oz./ 100 ml. can not be sold for $70 or even under...may be in an auction from estate sales, perhaps...otherwise, that fake Chanel may contain 50% of alcohol and mineral water, 40% of other scents, and only 10% of original Bleu de Chanel aroma...

...people nowadays forgets this quote, "you get what you paid for"...

[48hrs-clothing]

This illegal activity is a global concern and will never cease as Counterfeit products are as profitable as drugs with less risk.

Contrary to popular belief this problem of producing counterfeit product is not exclusive to China and for a fact all countries through out the world have producers involved in production of these Fake / counterfeit items and like drug cartel they have a bigger budget than law enforcement agencies.

You shut one down and 2 appear.

Proving that an item is Fake is notoriously difficult and to catch the criminals is even more of a challenge your brand comments to you suggest as such.

Every countries customs are first line of defence and they are under resourced to deal with this criminal activity in a fast moving world.

I am sorry that I can not offer any words of comfort other than buyers who support this criminal activity were never genuine brands or your customers. 

[banana*shoe*boutique]

@48hrs-clothing 

Very well said. I hear you on the concern that fakes come from other countries too, but in my case here, they're all shipping from China....or the US with the same exact stock photos and exact (wrong) color names but at higher prices.  Which makes me think that now they ship boatloads to people in the US to sell them who lie about how they got them (store overstock, shelf pulls etc). I could go on and on about how dishonest these sellers are.

I don't think people realize that they are actively supporting illegal activity when they do this. 

As they saying goes, "If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem."

[48hrs-clothing]

If these criminals have 4 container loads confiscated at port of departure or port of arrival and 1 gets through then they have still made a lot of profit from 1 that got through to cover cost of 4 that got caught and then some.

[48hrs-clothing]

You may or may not be familiar with term" Ramping" 

An overseas legitimate factory/ producer receives an order to produce an item and is given a sample to follow. Producer is not required to brand the item with any prints, embroideries or labels that can be associated with any given brand. Possibly no illegal act on part of producer as he may not know that he is involved in what will end up being a crime.

Item arrives into the buyers country and is custom cleared and even if there was a physical examination of goods the custom officer has no way of knowing that intellectual property laws have been violated  or will be violated (A sweat shirt or shoes without Nike or adidas logo is just a sweatshirt or a pair of shoes).

Goods are taken to a location and item is completed with Print, embroidery, logo, label, hang tag, printing of bags and boxes etc that matches the genuine brand details and you now have a counterfeit item in circulation. 

This in UK is what we refer to as " Ramping" and we have 2 government agencies (Trading standards & National crime agencies) who are tasked to investigate and prosecute these people and organisation and they are backed up with proceeds of crime act that allow confiscation of all assets including homes of these criminals and despite this we are fighting a loosing battle.

As an example genuine item may be on sale in UK for £75-00 and a counterfeit item is on sale for £25-00.