Living in India, I get a lot of opportunity to buy knock off goods, otherwise known as black market merchandise. That can include branded sports gear such as Nike, Reebok, Puma, for like Rs. 600... (That's about $12 US dollars!) the latest books for Rs 50..($1 US dollar!) or even Lacoste t-shirts for Rs 150....($3 US dollars) I could go on with this list, naming all the things I could buy off the black market for dirt cheap but I'll refrain...
Let's start with my favorite black market purchase: BOOKS!!! Counterfeit books are so made on the streets of India by street hawkers. They get their hands on original books which they then have illegal copies made by local printing shops.(Slip a couple hundred rupees under the table and the printing companies get their cut off this black market deal.) The books can then be bought off the street for 1/10th of the price. Famous author Jeffrey Archer gave an interview to the Pune Mirror when visiting Pune. He was pretty surprised when he was handed a counterfeit copy of his own book by one of the interviewers. I think he was more shocked at how efficiently his book was copied to be made into a pirated book. I dont have a very good picture but here's a small snap of the article in Pune Mirror with the headlines "Jeffrey Archer Stumped By His Pirated Thriller"
Now black market merchandise can ideally be categorized into 2 groups. There's the stuff that's real, which is usually made here in India itself or in countries like China by the brands themselves. When a surplus of merchandise is made and the brands don't need all of it, they have whatever they need shipped back to the good ol' USA or Europe or wherever they need it and the extras go into the black market to be sold. Then there's local "craftsman" who like to make imitation merchandise. It's not the real thing but some of them do a pretty damn good job of copying the real thing, that you end up liking the imitation better than the real thing! Below are some examples of counterfeit sneakers you DON'T wanna buy... Lol... yeah they have some goofy stuff out there. But you gotta know where to find the good stuff...
(These ones don't even look real...but believe you me there are the percentage of Indians who don't know any better and buy it just to wear something that says "Adidas"! Talk about brand starved people??!?)
This photograph below shows one of the many stalls on the street where you can buy counterfeit clothing.As you can see at this stall they're selling boxers with brand names such as Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein, Hugo Boss, Emporio Armani, Reebok and much more... (You name it, they have it!)
My point is this. Why should I buy a pair of Pumas for $90 when I can get the same thing for $12? Generations today have become so obsessed with brands that they are willing to pay through their nose to have "Nike. Just Do It" pasted across their chest. Why should we be paying companies for advertising their brand names on our clothes? If anything WE should be getting paid for being their personal billboards.
The even more surprising bit is you'll probably get a better pair of branded sneakers off the street than by going to the actual store. Most of the actual stores in India dont take the effort of maintaining their merchandise. If you've ever been to India you'll know there's naturally a lot of dust in the air. The shoes they offer are so musty with the dust from around the store, they almost look used. You don't even get the joy of having squeaky white new shoes to wear, when you buy them brand new! But these street sellers? Theyre pros. They know people are going to buy something that looks nice. So even if they have their stall right next to an overflowing gutter of garbage and travel through the smog ridden city, they make sure their goods are nicely wrapped away in plastic to retain newness. Isn't this what we learned about in school? Supply and demand, competition? If you have a better product you're going to get more people crazy about buying it! Is it our problem if the fakes are selling better and look more appealing than the originals? So why should we feel guilty for buying on the blackmarket? this light is turned off.
Comments (130)
It's stealing, plain and simple. As well much of the profit behind counterfeit goods are used to fund illegal activity like terrorism.
i never do.
It's dishonest. The people who worked hard to make the real product (i.e. the authors who sat and wrote a books for months or perhaps years) aren't getting the money they deserve. If you don't have a consciouses it's great and go right ahead. But I'm not okay with stealing from people who work hard to create these items. Yeah, the people who are bootlegging them are working at this as well... doesn't make it right. A robber doesn't deserve what they steal because they managed to break in to a well-armed house, right?
I always wear a pair of Cnovesre when I go to Mcdowell's.
The best part about buying it cheap is you get to laugh at the poor sweat shop kids that make it and kick dust in their face with the shoes you just bought.
it's a chain reaction. it means stores/markets will have to raise the price of there goods ='s unhappy consumers.
hmm..something to think about...
Better question: Why do some brands sell a shirt, for example, for $70, when it cost only $0.12 for a little girl in a sweat shop to make it?
@lil_squirrel4ever - I think you're mistaking counterfeit items for drugs. And even still, I'd like to see the evidence before it's assumed that there's motive other than somebody trying to make money.
@IfIWereAchilles - http://www.interpol.int/Public/ICPO/speeches/SG20030716.asp
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/12/business/worldbusiness/12iht-fake.4569452.html?_r=1
http://www.wisn.com/news/2191330/detail.html
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article432410.ece
While some people are saying they buy these expensive goods b/c of the "sweatshop" scenario in which *Tina* is 4 and is making fake adidas, in a distant 3rd world country...I call bullshit.
Who do you think makes them in America? High school dropouts. Underpaid workers with no benefits, long hours, and tireless work. I could go on. I'm not saying that it justifies *Tina's* situation. I'm just saying that we have our own version of sweatshops over here.
This is how the market works. It's like buying the grocery store brand of cheese rather than Kraft. If a company can make the SAME product for 40% less, then the customer decides how to spend his/her money. If they choose to purchase the cheaper brand, then that is like the market's version of Darwinism.
Someone will always work harder, sell for less, be more greedy, be more complacent, and it goes on.
It's human nature. We always have to fuck everything up.
question for everyone saying they wouldn't... do you download music for free?
I buy brand names... in the long run, it's worth the money you shell out.
@Kevin_is_a_pirate - hahahahahahahahahahaha
eh, i hate branding, so i wouldn't for that reason alone.
i also hate spelling mistakes, so misspelled brands would piss me off even more! haha
I don't wear clothes that make me look like a walking billboard anyway, but when I was in Thailand that stuff was everywhere! I bought a ton of local clothes, if I wasn't backpacking I would have gotten even more.
It depends really. I am reading a book called Factory Girls. Its a book that documents several young girls work in huge sweat shops, and how things are done. Its a really great eye opener and everyone should read it. I also read that a lot of people steal parts of the REAL things and then put them together to form the real thing. So even though they are "black market" they are the real deal. They aren't made any crappier, because these people are skilled in making the product.
I would probably buy something from a black market if it looked good, or if it was made from the real materials like I suggested above. Why? Because I believe in helping people. I really don't give two shits about the people who are rich and already make millions per year. Why not pass on some of that wealth to starving people that work hard in the factories to provide us with the luxuries we have? Honestly now.
Tempting as it sounds about how cheap it is, it's not something I would ever do.
I hate low-quality shit, and quite frankly, if I don't know where it's coming from, I don't want anything to do with it.
Don't get me wrong, I love a good sale. I love a good bargain. But this is not really the same thing.
And me buying $2 'calvin klien' underwear is not going to save some factory-worker's life.
I have no problem doing it. I just bought a purse the other day. =)
Go ahead, tell me I'm stealing and tell me i'm supporting those sweatshops.
Everyone who buys those REAL labels are too. Mine just cost less.
The problem is that you're stealing copyright infringements. if you want to wear cheaper merchandise, don't buy brand names or go to a goodwill or thrift shop. if you want to get cheaper books, buy them used or borrow them from a library. if you want the latest handbag or designer label, don't put up a front and pretend you have money by buying fake merchandise.. you're not fooling anyone, especially yourself.
who do you really think you're impressing with your fake channel and versase bag or luis vutton or goachi wallet? no one, and you're only lying to everyone that you want it cuz it "looks cool" but not because of what the brands actually represent.
if you made something.. and spent countless hours designing it.. or making it.. and painstakingly went through the process of getting it patended or protected by the international committee.. paying the fees and whatnot.. what would your reaction be, if you saw your design, your product, on the streets of india, or canal st in new york, or chinatown in san francisco.. selling for 95% off of the price you had set? how would you feel if you knew why you weren't making any money, yet the brand/design is selling light hotcakes? makes you wonder where people are getting your stuff, if you're not making any money, right?
and why should we feel guilty for contributing to the black market? hmm, let's take a look at what other things that the black market supply to the world: guns, bombs, weapons of mass destruction, drugs, rape, war, violence, gangs, mafias, blood diamonds, etc etc. if you want to help contribute to any of the aforementioned things, then by all means, please continue to buy counterfeit merchandise.
I'll buy it if I think it's worth it.Â
someone will always get screwed along the way. i never feel like i have to justify myself by always buying legitimately .. its nice to get a good deak ONCE in awhile.
@ooh_to_be_thin - call me goodie two shoes but I NEVER dl music illegally. I believe people deserve to get paid for their work. If people don't think they don't deserve it then they shouldn't be listening to it.
@J_Damask - EXACTLY. People don't seem to understand that willful ignorance is not an excuse!