‘I got it from Dubai' – 8 fake designer red flags to watch out for

News24

6 days ago

Imagine thinking you've found a bargain for your wishlist designer item, only to find out it's not an authentic piece.
The designer counterfeit market is huge globally and experts fear that increasingly sophisticated illegal copies of luxury goods are becoming.
Michael Zahariev, co-founder of Luxity, a consignment store in Sandton, notes, 'The modern counterfeit is engineered to deceive even seasoned collectors. While 'superfakes' don't command the price point of authentic pieces, they're calibrated to exist in that tantalising sweet spot – expensive enough to suggest authenticity yet discounted enough to create the illusion of discovering that rare bargain.'
In South Africa, counterfeit goods are illegal. The South African Revenue Service notes that you can be detained if you are found with, but not limited to, the following:
- Being in possession of or having control over counterfeit goods for the purpose of dealing therein;
- Manufacturing, producing or making of counterfeit goods, including the keeping, storing or packing thereof, other than for private and domestic use;
- Counterfeit goods being exposed for sale or being sold, hired out, bartered or exchanged.
There are a few ways to protect yourself from unintentionally purchasing a fake designer item. Luke Calitz, also a co-founder at Luxity, offers the following tips:
Red flag 1: Social media pages
'If you buy any luxury goods from a social media page or an Instagram page, which specifically does not have contact details, this is a red flag. Do not buy from those kinds of pages,' Luke warns.
Red flag 2: 'It fell off the back of a truck'
'Next thing is luxury does not fall off the back of a truck. People say that 'I got this, it's cheap because it fell off the back of a truck'. That doesn't happen. They will tell you any story to try to sell you that counterfeit good.
Red flag 3: No shipping or return policies
'We have shipping and return policies. We have obviously contact details, staff – we are legitimate. Part of feeling that you have trust in a brand that you can buy from.'
Red flag 4: No website
He says, 'If they don't even have a website, it's also a red flag. We all know, you know, anyone can pop up a website, and even if they do, it doesn't still mean that they are legitimate.'
Red flag 5: Refusing to meet in person
'They don't want to meet with you, if they want to send it in the post – red flag, red flag,' Luke cautions.
Red flag 6: Price is too low
He says, 'If the price is too cheap, it's definitely not real. Everything has a resale value in the luxury industry.'
Red flag 7: Gifts
Think about whether your broke friend is really able to buy you a designer item as a gift.
Luke says, 'What happens is that people get gifts and they go, 'It's expensive, I'm going to sell it for cash', but then it's not real.'
Red flag 8: 'I got it from Dubai'
'People get the counterfeit goods in Dubai, the shopping malls in Dubai, and obviously we all don't even go near China for they're probably the biggest producers,' he says.