Counterfeit refers to a fake item. This can be anything under the sun, from small things like a pen to even a vehicle. The business of counterfeiting is widely prevalent in India. It was one of the reasons why we, Indians, had to deal with demonetization. This is an illegal act despite which if you log onto any online store or even go to a store, you can find shelves after shelves full of fake products.
Consumers usually buy counterfeit without knowing they are fake. Sometimes, they are aware that the item they are purchasing is fake but do not care. That is rather dangerous. Not just for business but also the one making the purchase.
Why you should not buy fake products and how to identify them? are as follows:-
While the sale of fake products is detrimental to the business of real products, how can it be dangerous for the user?
Knockoff tends only to imitate the aesthetic of brands:-
The quality is compromised in the wake of this. Take an example of sunscreen. A traditionally branded sunscreen is not made to smell appealing but also protects you against the sun. But an imitation will only smell appealing. Rather than protect you from UV rays, it can lead to skin allergies or even, sometimes, cancer.
They usually do not have long shelf lives:-
Usually, there is a reason behind why certain products come with heavy prices. One of them might be because you can rely on them for centuries to come. This is most definitely not the case with fake products. Since they are made of low-quality materials, they are prone to get destroyed after a single use. In retrospect, you lose more than you gain.
Cosmetics:-
Cosmetics are made from various chemicals. The back of a product is filled with an explanation (however vague) about the ingredients. A single google search would inform you about the uses of these substances. While these can be potentially dangerous, real goods makers make sure to let you know of them. Most of the time, if used properly, the said goods’ advantages are more than the disadvantages. The same could not be said for fake products. The main concern of these criminals is to imitate the product as closely and with as little money as possible. It leads to them compromising with the ingredient. There are certain chemicals added to neutralize the harmful side effects of another ingredient. These people tend to skip that step altogether. Most of the time, the most useful product is skipped over because it does not contribute to imitation. They do not care about how the product is helpful as much as they care about the money.
Medicines:-
Unfortunately, faking of medicine is ripe on the market. You have to be extremely careful while purchasing these. Otherwise, rather than helping you, they might provoke your immune system to fail or force them to sabotage yourself. Since, like in cosmetics, the focus is on imitation rather than viability, the usefulness is compromised. The consumer ends up in a worse state than they were in before.
Cause allergies:-
The main concern is the ingredients used in the products. Like with the example of medicines and cosmetics, these counterfeit items can leave you with itching skin, rashes and a compromised immune system. You might find yourself rushing to the doctor just because you chose to spend a few bucks less and buy something you knew to be fake.
Below standards:-
You are such an awesome person. Fake products are nowhere near as amazing as you. Actually, they have abandoned cobwebs. Most of them are useless and only creating clutter. In retrospect, you just wasted your resources on buying them.
Not an investment:-
Real gold is an investment. Fake gold is a scam. So why treat a stick of kajal any different?
The disadvantages of indulging in fake products are clear from the above list. But how to differentiate between the real and the fake?
- Look at the packaging. A branded item is packed well. There is a whole documentary made on just the packing process of real products. Not a single molecule of gas can pass through the pores. While the packaging of a fake product looks like a lousily wrapped gift. The content falls out. The label is slapped on as if a parking ticket.
- Design of the product. Brands want to be distinguished from other brands. Hence, the boxes they come in have iconic colour palettes. Take an example of perfume bottles. All of them are so unique from the rest. Fake products try to replicate these designs. But to get through loopholes, they tend to move certain curves to the right when they should be to the left.
- And the Discounts. The biggest reason why people opt for the fake product is the money. These come with attractive prices. A Gucci purse at the KFC Chicken? Now that is what you call a deal. No. That is not a deal as much as it is the biggest mistake of your life.
- Spelling and grammar mistakes. Take a real brand product and an imitation of the same. Now carefully observe. Do not skip even a single alphabet or punctuation. Notice the shape of the mascot and the pimples on it. To get into the market, they tend to omit little stuff, which ends up helping customer distinguish between real and fake.
- Poor quality. Does this need an explanation? This is one reason why you should opt for real over fake. Poor quality refers to the consistency of a cream, texture of a fabric, stretchability of underwear, etc.
- Fonts and graphic. Companies often have rights to exclusive fonts. Using these fonts by any other enterprise is subject to legal battles. Hence, counterfeiters are forced to opt for a font that looks like that font but is not an exact copy. The same goes for graphics.
- Contact Details. There are times when the contact details are given, and then there are times when no contact details are provided. The latter is a sure way of knowing if the item is fake. In the case of the former, check to see if the address, number and email id given matches with the one given by the real company.
