I was particularly shocked and intrigued when I recently heard a story from one of my close friends about his shopping experience in China. As it turns out, the great nation has a thriving fake bag industry in many of its markets and major cities.
I could hardly believe that people were actually willing to buy bags made of cheap materials with labels and designs alluding to famous brands. I’m sure some of these bags must be particularly convincing, as my friend had mentioned to me that he had encountered markets with designers labeled bags from Dior, Louis Vuitton, and Chanel among others.
It seemed peculiar to me that Chinese counterfeiters would go to such great lengths to trick consumers; these fake bag markets seem to be doing brisk business yet the quality of these bags is subpar at best. I also felt slightly offended that there could be people out there who wouldn’t mind spending their hard-earned money on a product of lesser quality.
In a way, it struck me as curious and indicative of the fact that the demand for designer accoutrements is becoming so pervasive that mere mortals are meeting this demand by trying to pass off fake bags as genuine luxury brands.
When I asked my friend about his opinion on the matter, he told me that buying the knock-off bags is really just a practical decision – after all, if you want to look fashionable for a fraction of the cost then buying knock-off bags is the best way to go about it. He also pointed out to me that these knock-off bags can be acquired from online wholesalers or at flea markets in China, which offered a greater variety than the ones found in the local marketplaces.
Knowing how big of a market the fake bags business is greeted with in China, I thought it would be interesting to delve deeper. After doing some research, I was astounded to find out that the counterfeit bag industry in China (and abroad) is vast and heavily unregulated. It is estimated that these days China accounts for more than 25% of all fake goods sold in the world. In short, this is definitely a topic worth exploring.
In terms of the actual production and distribution of these fake bags, most of them are made in small factories on the outskirts of major cities where the cost of land and labor is lower. According to news reports, these factories often produce fake bags in bulk and in complete secrecy, meaning that most of the work done ends up being untraceable.
Wait! That’s not all! The manufacturers of fake bags in China don’t just stop at branding them with the popular logos and designs of luxury brands. These manufacturers are also notorious for taking advantage of the lax labor regulations in the country and are known to employ underage workers and use low-quality materials in the construction of their bags. This is an extremely alarming situation and yet these reports seem to go largely unnoticed.
Moreover, it seems like these fake bag manufacturers have extensive and intricate networks that connect manufacturers, wholesalers, and retailers all the way up to the end-consumer. Furthermore, a large portion of fake bags sold are also distributed through online sources, making it even more difficult to trace the source of the products.
I’m just appalled at the thought of that fake bag manufacturers in China are profiting off of a market that is so unregulated and hard to trace. It’s truly sad that these activities are allowed to occur and that a massive portion of the population perhaps isn’t even aware of the true history of the bags they possess.
What’s worse is that the majority of these fake bags are distributed through legitimate wholesalers and retailers who never take responsibility and often have no idea that the bags they are selling are fake. This makes me so frustrated and angered, not to mention worried.
At the end of the day, all I can think is that the fake bag industry in China is an unfortunate reality that doesn’t seem to be going away anytime soon. I am so aghast at how widespread it is and how willing people are to purchase products of questionable origin.
On this note, I feel it is essential that all of us become more aware of the types of goods that are being manufactured and sold in our own countries. We should also make an effort to always buy designer bags from legitimate and trustworthy sources. Finally, if and when we do end up buying from online sources, we must be sure to crosscheck and verify the authenticity of the products before going ahead with the purchase.