Some advice is offered to let people know what canada goose

Beware of fake products this holiday season

As the holiday season slowly approaches, it’s time to start making lists of what to buy loved ones or what you want to find waiting under the tree for yourself.

With expensive electronics, designer clothes, fine jewelry and popular toys gracing the top of many people’s lists, it’s tempting to want to cut corners to reduce costs. However, finding a deal on an item that seems too good to be true probably means it is.

Craig Crosby founded The Counterfeit Report in May 2012. This California based company is the first of its canada goose jacket outlet kind, dedicated to alerting consumers, retailers and manufacturers to counterfeit products being sold under the guise of authenticity. He says most people would be surprised about the number of items for sale online that are routinely counterfeited.

“I don’t feel like this is the old days of a Rolex watch or a canada goose black friday sale designer handbag where you got it for $25 on the street,” he says.

Instead, unsuspecting consumers are buying products they use Canada Goose online every day that look almost identical to the real deal. Common counterfeit products today include iPhone accessories, razor blades, toothpaste, designer fragrances and, perhaps most dangerous, prescription medication.

“A United Nations report lists phony medicines as the ‘greatest concern’ when it comes to counterfeit goods. This is because not only can they result in the deaths of people using them, but medicines with insufficient doses can lead dangerous pathogens to become resistant to even the Canada Goose Coats On Sale legitimate drugs,” writes Steve Hargreaves in a September 2012 CNN Money article about counterfeit goods.

Mr. Hargreaves says things like apparel and fashion accessories still make up canada goose outlet the bulk of counterfeit goods, but the real goose outlet canada danger comes from more unconventional items the average consumer wouldn’t think about being faked.

Other phony items could pose serious risk to consumers as well, such as electronics malfunctioning and shocking the user, or fake perfumes containing urine, antifreeze and other harmful chemicals. The worst part is the counterfeiters make so much money from this industry, they have no reason to stop now.

“This has a $700 billion revenue tag, and it’s expected to double in two years. It’s so profitable that there’s no reason cheap canada goose not to do it,” Mr. Crosby says, noting that manufacturers are becoming overwhelmed by the amount of counterfeit goods out there that are mimicking their products.

Mr. Some canada goose outlet advice is offered to let people know what canada https://www.estrategias.de goose outlet in usa to look for when buying a product, but what he mainly wants consumers to know is that they most likely will never know the difference, because fake products now look so uk canada goose similar to the real thing.

While some people might pick up a counterfeit purse or pair of jeans at a garage sale or in a marketplace while on vacation, Mr. Crosby says the top two sources that sell counterfeit goods, unknowingly or otherwise, are Amazon and canada goose outlet store uk eBay. He warns consumers to be very wary about purchasing products online, especially if an ad boasts a great deal or offers a product in bulk.

He also urges consumers not to assume they are smarter than counterfeiters and can tell for themselves whether something is real or not. Having an ego when buying a product often causes people to make poor purchasing decisions, leaving them with a lemon instead of the item they really wanted.

“They just won’t accept that they were taken. They think, ‘No, I’m smarter than that person, I know not to buy a counterfeit,'” Mr. Crosby says.

If you do decide to purchase products from an online marketplace, there are certain things to look for to try to make sure your product isn’t a counterfeit.

First, canada goose clearance sale make sure canada goose outlet canada the picture on the ad is of the actual product the seller has in their possession, not a stock photo from canada goose outlet shop the manufacturer’s website. A manufacturer’s photo or no photo at all are tip offs that the product is fake.

Also, keep a close eye on how words are spelled, how stickers and labels are placed and the overall appearance of the product. Crooked labels, discoloration, obvious visible flaws and general “cheapness” or poor visual quality mean the item is a knockoff. However, Mr. Crosby reiterates that most counterfeiters today aren’t lazy, producing items that look almost identical to real products.

If you have concerns about an item after buying it online, call the manufacturer’s direct customer service line to talk to a representative. Most companies employ people who are trained to know what to look for and what questions to ask to determine if a customer has purchased a fake version of their product.

Unfortunately, manufacturers and websites can’t reimburse you with a refund or a new item, nor can Amazon or eBay do much to prevent further canada goose outlet jackets counterfeit transactions from occurring besides filing a report on individual sellers. Consumers simply must learn from their mistakes and move on, cheap canada goose uk hoping to be more canada goose store vigilant in the future.

“If you’re not awake and you’re not canada goose outlet parka protecting yourself, no one else is. You’re just paying canada goose outlet store good money for bad products,” Mr. canada goose clearance Crosby says.

Although some people are content with fake goods like clothes or toys if they believe they won’t cause any personal danger, Mr. Crosby says that’s fine, and he can’t do anything to change people’s minds. But just be aware that some products aren’t as harmless as they canada goose outlet new york city seem.

Quoting Ted Leggett, a researcher at the United Nation’s Office on Drugs and Crime, Mr. Hargreaves writes, “It may be hard to get people worked up over the economic costs of bootlegged DVDs or illegally downloaded music. But as Leggett points out: ‘When the toy that you thought was from Disney contains lead paint, then you care.'”.