$500 billion is lost to counterfeiting every year. That's 3.3% of world merchandise, and The states, Italian, French, and Swiss brands are the most affected.

Table of Contents
  • Footwear
  • Article of clothing
  • Leather Goods
  • Electronics
  • Watches
  • What's Left?
  • Other Effects of Counterfeiting
  • Well-nigh Common Apocryphal Platforms
  • Conclusion

That's co-ordinate to a March, 2019 report from the System for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD): Trade in fake goods is at present 3.3% of earth trade and rise.

With counterfeiting websites on the ascension, many fake sites volition steal pictures of the original item to lure in unsuspecting consumers.

Despite these false pretenses and the huge number of fraudulent transactions, fewer than 10% of counterfeiting victims will ever report to law enforcement.

What industries are at the most risk for counterfeiting?

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Most Counterfeited Products 1: Footwear Industry.

22% of all apocryphal goods seized are footwear. The well-nigh common brand victims are Nike, Adidas, Louboutin, and UGG.

Have y'all ever heard of 'FUggs'?

2.five million pairs of simulated UGGs take been seized by US Customs since 2007.

If yous do a Google search for counterfeit shoes, you lot'll find dozens of cases of knockoffs existence seized beyond the US, and approximately twenty% of the people who admit to buying imitation shoes also admit that they began their search looking for the genuine item.

This counterfeit industry is then big that a short documentary was produced by Vice News on the story backside People's republic of china'southward fake sneaker capital letter.

Why are shoes are the well-nigh counterfeited item in the globe?

Most Counterfeited Products: Shoes Sneakers.

The demand in the 'accurate' shoe industry has been skyrocketing.

With dozens of celebrities endorsing shoes and fitness programs, the appetite for new, fashionable shoes, particularly sneakers, has exploded.

With the luxury brands driving prices up to maintain their exclusivity, the shoe manufacture has created an impossible demand for products that counterfeiting industries are happy to fill up.

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Most Counterfeited Products 3: Clothing & Apparel.

Clothing

Many of the fashion-frontward desire to proceed up the advent that they're on pinnacle of the latest fashion trends.

This is a very expensive endeavor, and with social media dominating today's civilisation, owning brand proper noun clothing has more impact on people'south impressions than always.

Apocryphal wear accounts for 16% of all counterfeit appurtenances in the world, with the EU losing the equivalent of 10% of their total sales to counterfeit clothes, shoes, and accessories.

However, unlike nearly every other manufacture that is a victim of counterfeiting, when you Google apocryphal vesture, instead of finding news nearly counterfeit goods existence seized, the search results instead yield dozens of sites that direct you to sites where you tin can buy the most high-quality fakes — only good luck returning them.

And the most popular brands to counterfeit are the summit outdoors habiliment store, The North Confront, Levi's, and Ralph Lauren's signature polo shirts.

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Most Counterfeited Products 4: Leather Goods.

Leather Goods

The leather goods industry, which makes up 13% of seized counterfeit appurtenances, is habitation to the most luxury brands, from Michael Kors to Coach to Louis Vuitton–the most pirated luxury brand in the globe.

Who wants to spend a few thousand dollars on a designer purse when they could go a pretty good copy of information technology for just $300?

Who's going to discover?

How about this one:

They expect the same, right?

They are. The paradigm on the left comes from a knockoff Gucci website and sells for $298.97. The image on the left comes from the existent Gucci site and goes for $two,500.

This manufacture takes counterfeiting so seriously that Michael Kors and Gucci both quit the International Anti-Counterfeiting Coalition when Alibaba, a Chinese visitor notorious for listing and selling counterfeit products, was allowed to bring together.

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Most Counterfeited Products 9: Electronic Devices.

Electronics

12% of apocryphal goods are electrical equipment, and the electrical equipment apocryphal industry is so expert at what they do that they've even got their employees fooled.

In China, 22 faux 'Apple' stores were close downwardly. They had an Apple logo and the employees all sported the signature blue shirt and all of them believed that they were employed by Apple.

This might make you express mirth but these counterfeit products are too some of the most dangerous within the counterfeiting world.

In 2013, a 23-year-old Chinese flight attendant was electrocuted and killed past a fake Apple phone charger.

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Most Counterfeited Products 10: Watches & Jewelry.

Watches

Only while Apple fakes may win the award for almost convincing industry, watches are past far the most theatrical.

In 2010, 7,000 Rolex replica watches were confiscated and promptly crushed by a steamroller.

Luxury brands are not simply expensive, but they are also exclusive and sophisticated. The high cost of owning a designer sentry means that 15-30% of people searching for watches on the internet are looking for replicas.

Watches alone take upwardly 7% of the counterfeit goods seized in the world, simply with the counterfeits being so disarming, information technology is not difficult to believe that there may be many more slipping through the cracks.

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Most Counterfeited Products 11: Pharmaceuticals.

What's Left?

Medical Equipment, Perfumes, Cosmetics, Toys, Jewelry, Pharmaceuticals, and more than…

Unfortunately, what these industries lack in counterfeit product quantity, they brand up for in the number of deaths and injuries their counterfeits can cause.

It is a skilful thing pharmaceuticals, at 1%, are the least counterfeited industry listed, because they can do a lot more than than embarrass you if someone finds out the product is fake.

Tamiflu, a prescription medicine that is used to treat the flu, is ane of the most counterfeited drugs in the world, and the fakes are estimated to impale at least one million people a year.

Walt Disney Company is another one of the nearly counterfeited brands in the world, and although Elsa may look the same no matter who manufactures this toy (ahem…China), counterfeit toys are far more than probable to harm children than the real detail.

Additionally, counterfeits like false medical instruments can provide people with fake readings, and it is not uncommon for false cosmetics to contain cyanide, lead or mercury.

The moral of the story? Become legit.

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Most Counterfeited Products 12: Economic Effects.

Other Furnishings of Counterfeiting

Even though not all counterfeits are going to physically impairment you, it doesn't mean they don't accept harmful effects.

Counterfeits hurt the economy, popular brands, and the workers, both in and out of the counterfeiting earth.

Workers who are after legit jobs are less likely to find work and more than likely to lose their jobs equally companies are forced to compete with the faux industries.

Additionally, the facilities that are making these knockoffs, 88% of which are in China, do not come across the safety regulations or comply with the worker's rights that are enforced in the United states and other countries throughout the world.

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Most Counterfeited Products 13: Most Common Platforms.

Virtually Common Counterfeit Platforms

As much every bit nosotros beloved that ii-day shipping, Amazon is i of the most commonly used platforms for counterfeits.

Additionally, Taobao and Aliexpress, 2 major companies endemic past Alibaba in China, have been pinpointed as major hotspots for buying counterfeit goods. It is estimated that 67% of items sold on Taobao are counterfeit.

Although eBay is another common platform for counterfeiters, it is also 1 of the easiest sites to combat counterfeiting. Not only tin can buyers opt to use a setting that guarantees them legitimate products, but any product establish to be counterfeit can exist taken down fast.

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Most Counterfeited Products 14: Consumer Awareness.

Conclusion

Counterfeit products accept the potential to harm everyone.

Consumers tin can be severely affected whether they experience damage to their reputation or concrete damage to themselves due to unsafe products.

Brands lose out on massive amounts of revenue to counterfeiters and can accept the make's reputation threatened if a faulty counterfeit is taken for a legit production.

Approximately 2.6 meg jobs are lost due to counterfeiting and considering these products are smuggled and sold without revenue enhancement it threatens the growth of the economy equally well.

Even the counterfeiters aren't condom as being convicted of counterfeiting can result in fines up to $250,000 and jail time of up to twenty years depending on the severity of the offense.

So, what tin can yous practise?

Exist vigilant. Exist on the sentinel for signs of counterfeited products or websites and spread sensation about the damaging effects of counterfeit goods.

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