Illicit Trade of Counterfeit Goods

In my opinion, people don’t really understand what buying a counterfeit item really does to the market. The sale of illicit goods or knock-offs for bargain prices at first looks like a really good deal for the consumer. There are many “designer products” that sell for outrageous prices in the boutiques. The average person in America cannot afford to pay these prices. People who want that ‘look’ are the target market for the counterfeiters. Some of the knock-off artists are really good at making copies. So good in fact that there is even a difference in price paid for a good knock-off and a poor one.

From the perspective of the consumer faced with a tough economy, the availability of knock-offs is a good thing. It seems that even the counterfeiters need to make a living. Unfortunately, the existence of counterfeit goods actually causes the price of the real thing to go up.

From the designer’s perspective, their business is harmed by the counterfeit market. Many designers spend big money going after the knock-off artists to protect their designs. The cost of doing this is added to the price of the real designer item. Some designers even go to great lengths to incorporate some unique feature into their goods so that a knock-off can be easily spotted.

Over all I wish that the counterfeiters could be stopped because I think that the real designer original would then become a little more affordable. I personally would rather have the real thing.