We all know that fake luxury goods are bad but do we know why they are bad?? I didn’t know anything besides the fact that they are stealing someone else’s ideas. That’s part of it but what else is there? I did my research and found many resources that explained why they are so harmful. If you’d like the sources please just email me. This is my summary on it all.
First off, this is a global issue. It is not just something we see in the US. The black market underground counterfeit industry contributes millions to the global economy. And it gets harder and harder each year to stop these organizations but we can work together to stop them by refusing to purchase or engage in their horrible acts.
One of the biggest markets in the US is the electronics industry. Everyone wants the cheapest stuff but with that comes the possibility of harmful effects to our bodies. For example, these cheaply made products have a higher probability of “exploding” and hurting us. When this happens, the negative effect harms the large companies who are not providing the counterfeit sgoods. It destroys their reputations which in turn leads to less profits and so on and so forth.
Because of this black market industry about
With a more negative reputation comes the fact that jobs are being lost by hundreds of thousands due to an increase in the unemployment rate globally. It’s a never ending cycle of someone losing their job, having to find a new one that probably pays less than they were making, and causing the state and federal welfare programs to go haywire.
And I’m not just talking about luxury items here, there are horrible human beings making counterfeit medications that can seriously harm us!! They have gotten so good at disguising their “medicine” as the real thing that the only way to differentiate between the two is to do chemical analysis. So be aware of what you are buying and always look at the label. If something does not look right, go see your local pharmacist who has knowledge of what exactly is in a pharmaceutical drug product. Your safety and health is way more important than any low cost medicine.
What’s crazy is that these products are illegal! Buying them is illegal! Selling them is illegal!! When you buy something that is counterfeit you are directly supporting money laundering as well as gun and drug trafficking! I’ll link a TED talk that discusses this and shocked me. https://www.ted.com/talks/alastair_gray_how_fake_handbags_fund_terrorism_and_organized_crime/discussion
Amazon and Ebay are notorious for selling “dupe” items that are all counterfeit. But there are ways you can prevent yourself from being bamboozled. If possible always try to buy from Amazon directly and not through a third party retailer. There is a less likely chance for you to receive a counterfeit item if you buy from Amazon directly.
I wrote a post about how I buy my luxury items used/preowned/vintage. Call it whatever you want but I saved my money to buy something that I know is from a reputable source. If you need help I can help you!! I don’t mind! I find it so fun actually. So save your money to put it towards something that is real and supports the global economy.
I did not know all of this but now I do. Now I’m passing the information along to you all. Don’t support illegal goods, it’s just not worth it. Don’t support people who push them either, that’s just not right. The way to stop all of this is to stop buying these items! Stop funding them.
I’m no better than anyone else because I most likely have bought a counterfeit item or two in my life and I just didn’t know. Now I’ll be more aware of my surroundings.
Thanks for listening/reading.
I also want to thank www.helloitsloh.com for bringing this up and starting the conversation. She’s a smart woman with a strong sense of self which I admire. You can follow her on instagram @helloitsloh.
Xox, Z
