Shoppers and boutiques are seeing a rise in fakes. The difference, though, is that fashion experts have tools that tell them whether something is a dupe. But how does the average shopper know if something is real or fake?
“If you’re paying $200 for a Chanel bag, it’s too good to be true,” said Lisa Rosenberg, owner of ClosetNV.
ClosetNV is a luxury consignment boutique in West Bloomfield Township.
In a report by the federal research division, 60% to 80% of all counterfeit goods are bought by Americans. Contributing to an industry worth trillions.
“It supports so many bad things in the world, child labor, drug and human trafficking,” said Rosenberg. “I would just say buy a less expensive bag than a dupe.”
There are some tell-tale signs it’s a fake. For one, luxury products don’t smell like plastic or chemicals.
“We look for quality, stitching, you can smell a dupe, and it’s not good,” said Rosenberg.
“We know the difference between counterfeit electronics and real,” said Les Gold, owner of American Jewelry and Loan in Detroit. “So that’s why you won’t see fake electronics. Tools, electronics, memorabilia, jewelry, you name it, they’re counterfeiting it.”
Gold has seen his fair share of fakes. He showed a display of Rolex watches, with only one of them being real.
“This one doesn’t have a serial number on the bottom; this one does the same as that one (real), so the super fakes are almost identical,” said Gold.
He said technology is fueling the rapid rise in dupes.
“They’ll take the watch apart, they’ll take each part separately, and remanufacture it,” he said.
Designers, though, are working to protect their luxury brands.
“The designers are trying to put more serial numbers or chips like the new Chanel bags; they’re trying to do things to avoid having their bags duped,” said Rosenberg.
“Buy from a reputable company, no matter if it’s online or in-store,” said Gold.
If you’re shopping from someone local and you’re not sure it’s legitimate, you can head to stores like Gold’s and Rosenberg’s.
Rosenberg has a tool that detects whether an item is fake or real. She can take photos of the leather and logo, and the machine compares them to millions of products.
Within 10 minutes, she can tell you if it’s fake, so you know what you’re buying.
It’s not just fake purses or jewelry sold online. Fake cosmetic products, like Botox or medication, such as Ozempic, are being sold.
Experts warn that those products could be missing an active ingredient or have dangerous ingredients in them without you knowing.
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