How to spot authentic from fake branded products

Hello,

I'm just wondering how to recognize brand products in order to avoid buying replicas or fakes, since there are a lot of them out there. It's easy to recognize brands like, adiddas, Nike, Louis Vuitton etc.. but there are still a lot of brand there that are not popular and cannot be easily recognized. For example if I want to sell clothes and am considering importing them from China, can I get into trouble if I sell clothes that look like a brand item, but doesn't have the name of any brand on it? If yes how do I know that a particular type of skirt or shirt belongs to a brand name?

Thanks for your reply.
Diane

one word of advice do not look for brand names from china they are all fake. you do not get them cheap unless they are reburished then somthing else :) my training program i posted teachs you all of this :)

I'm trying to avoid all brand names as much as possible. Would you please address my questions specifically? Could you also please give me the title of the training that address my concern, because I've listened to some trainings related to Chinese suppliers but couldn't have the answer to my concerns.

Thanks

Hi Diane

If a product is made to look like a branded product, a replica as such, that's fine. The problem starts when the brand id is copied as well, that then makes the replica into a fake, which is fraudulent.

You say it's easy to recognize some brand such as Adiddas and so on, in fact it's not easy at all and that's where you can get into trouble. If someone can produce an excellent replica, then they have the ability to also produce a fake. Just because the product says Adiddas on it, doesn't mean it's authentic.

When dealing with branded products you can ask for proof of authenticity from the supplier. If they are unable to provide this, then stay well clear. A simple tip when dealing with Chinese suppliers, don't buy anything at all that is branded, no matter what they say. Stay to unbranded items from China.

Just to add: Almost everything you buy now is 'Made in China'. However, this does not mean you can buy them from China. This is where the common misconception comes from. People think because items are made in China, you can buy them from there. However, the large companies have very strict, closed manufacturer and distributor channels, preventing 'branded goods being available from China'.

Thanks for the clarification

When I say it's easy to recognize brand items, I mean if your goal is to avoid brand names products, then you will stay away from anything that has a brand name on it, whether original or fake. I agree that it's very difficult to distinguish some original products from fake ones. My concern was about an article that looks like a brand one but doesn't carry the brand name or ID on it and if there was a site where all brand names a listed, since there are a lot of them out there.

Hi Diane,

OK, now I understand.

What you also need to be careful of is licensed products. They don't always come with a noted brand, but do come with a license to sell. Products such as Disney and so on.

Thanks Marc,

How do I know whether a product is licensed or not. Is there any place where I can check?

Hello Diane,

It would help if we asked the supplier for a copy so we can be sure if they are licensed or not.

Here is a thread that you can look into, a few tips on how to go about ensuring your products are licensed.

Link hidden: Login to view

Hope this helps.

Hi Diane,

No reference site, but they are usually pretty easy to identify. The example I used earlier, Disney. You automatically know that a anything with Disney on it is going to be sold under licence. If ever in doubt, just ask the supplier if they have the license to sell the merchandise and if so, to send you their authorization.

Of course the suppliers in our directory has been verified, so no issues when dealing with one of them.


Cheers

If I sell a toy that looks like a Disney character, but doesn't have Disney written on it, and it has no brand, can I sell it without a license? Can I mention that it's a Disney character with no problem?

When you say "looks like a Disney character" that would be more than likely a fake you are speaking about and NO, you can't legally sell that because that would be covered by copyright and trade mark laws. If it looked like the real thing, it would need to be the real thing to be a legal product.

Because it's a disney character? let's say it's a toy that's not a disney character, just a toy that copies another toy, but with no brand? still?

An exact replica will breach copyright, it would need to be substantially different not to infringe on intellectual property rights.

so when it comes to the replica hand bags, they also have to be substantially different, even if the brand name/markings were not copied?

Also, thanks for all the help btw

Hello Jeremy,

I am not entirely sure what we mean by copied.

Yes they would have a few differences, like trademark stitching, the obvious quality of the fabric or material used.

Hope this answers your question. :)

jeremy.alexandr wrote:so when it comes to the replica hand bags, they also have to be substantially different, even if the brand name/markings were not copied?

This is a real grey area in many cases. To the letter of the law, they would most definitely need to be different or they would infringe on intellectual property rights. The problem is that not everyone goes after fakes. I think it's fair to say that handbags are well monitored, but things like fashion in general are all over the place.

For example, some Princess turns up wearing a dress from a famous designer and 24 hours later you have cheap knock-offs available online for thousands less. You would think that would be an issue, but the vast majority of designers don't even bat and eye lid, they almost treat it as a form of flatery in most cases. So intellectual property rights can be a bit of a mine field.