I was recently in Lanzarote and the shopping scene is insane. Everywhere you look you could find a vendor selling fake bags. I should have been more prepared for the pitfalls of an overseas journey, but I was taken aback by the sheer quantity of counterfeit goods.
I couldn’t help but wander around, gaping with amazement at the designer knockoffs. It may be incredibly unethical, but honestly, some of the bags weren’t bad at all. The knockoffs weren’t perfect but they were just as stylish and half the price than the actual designer versions.
Once I got too close to one of them, the vendor walked up to me and told me an unbelievable price for the piece of leather that was in my hands. He expected me to buy it despite the bad quality, but I kindly refused. I thought to myself how could people work on something that is a copy of a well-known designer piece?
Nevertheless, curiosity got the better of me and I asked a few more questions about the entire process and how much people can earn doing this kind of job. He told me that even though the result isn’t that great compared to the original, they manage to sell a few hundred of them in a single day.
I kept hearing about how awful this industry is, but it was insane to witness first-hand how people are able to live off of these copies despite how wrong it is from an ethical standpoint.
As I was strolling through the alleys I also noticed a few other suspicious items such as sunglasses, watches and wallets. Fake bags were all around me and it seemed to me even the most cynical shopper wouldn’t be able to resist the temptation of getting a piece of leather that looked just like a luxury designer’s.
I thought about how easy it can be for people to buy stuff like that without taking into consideration the origin of these items. It’s sad to see how some people are getting their hands on these knockoffs that will only last them a few months if they’re lucky.
On top of that, this industry has grown to proportions which are all but good, and it’s easy to see why. It provides inexpensive goods to a wide range of people, although they often don’t last as long as the products they’re replicating.
Whether it’s designer goods or everyday items, Lanzarote is saturated with fakes and it’s hard not to be aware of it as a tourist. It can be difficult to know what to do, so I’d suggest not buying anything that looks too good to be true. There are always other considerations to make such as: is it ethical to buy these items? Despite the fact that they can be cheaper, these items would no longer be legal and if you get caught carrying them, you might face a hefty fine.