With “fake brand-name goods” being made to exact copies of traditional manufacturing methods and even incorporating IC tags just like the “real thing，” pawn shops are going out of business one after another as the quality of these goods increases．
Before the advent of consumer finance, pawnshops were the most familiar form of financing for the general public. You can also use luxury watches, luxury brand items, kimonos, etc. as pawns to borrow money immediately or have them purchased. Even now, there is strong demand from people who suddenly need cash. [Photo] Can you tell which one is real? We’ve lined up the “real” and “super copy” Chanel and Vuitton. A problem is occurring that is shaking up the pawnshop industry. There are now counterfeits on the market of luxury brand items, which are commonly used as pawns, that are far better than the traditional “super copies.” A generation ago, fake brand-name products were often so poorly made that even an amateur could tell at a glance. However, in recent years, the quality has improved dramatically. Among them, many super-copies have been found that are difficult even for professional appraisers to determine their authenticity. Mr. A, who has run a pawnshop in a local city for many years, says the following. “The quality of counterfeit branded goods has risen dramatically in recent years. They are entirely designed to fool us professionals. The appraisal work is now more difficult than lending money or managing pawned items. It’s too much of a burden for pawnbrokers.” The main items currently being pawned are luxury watches such as Rolex, luxury brand bags such as Louis Vuitton and Hermes, and gold products and jewelry, which are continuing to rise in price, but there are a lot of counterfeits of all of these. What’s more, some fakes are so well made that they can even fool scientifically-based authentication machines. A counterfeit craftsman with skills comparable to a saddler Many of the bags brought to Mr. A are from the luxury brand Hermes. It is not uncommon for classic bags such as the Birkin and Kelly to be traded for several times their retail price, and counterfeits are becoming more sophisticated and sophisticated. “In some stores, counterfeit goods are brought in almost every day,” said Mr. A, revealing the extent to which counterfeits are rampant. What surprises Mr. A is the high level of perfection of the fake. There are so many bags that are so well made that it’s disappointing to wonder why they are fakes when they are so well made. “To put it bluntly, the fake Hermes bags on the market today are better made and of higher quality than bags made by traditional Japanese craftsmen. “Hermes started out as a saddlery manufacturer, so the Birkin bag is made using traditional techniques used to make saddlery, but even those techniques have been copied,” says A, who is amazed. “The craftsmen who make these fakes are so good that I wonder if they could become real saddlers.” Along with Hermes, Louis Vuitton is also a popular brand brought to pawn shops, but the quality of the fakes is said to be astonishing. “Recently, Louis Vuitton has started embedding IC tags in its products. However, there are counterfeits that even copy it. What’s more, the IC tag used is from the same manufacturer as the genuine product. Where they get them and incorporate them into their fakes is a mystery.”
What’s more, whenever a new model is released, fakes of that model appear on the market within a few weeks. Because it is a new product, dealers often do not have much knowledge about it and end up buying counterfeits. So how do counterfeiters copy new products? Mr. A said, “I was simply amazed at the speed.” Source below.
If you can’t tell the difference, then it’s fine to have the real thing. And it would be a waste if the original company didn’t employ those craftsmen.
It’s been well-known for a long time that Chinese semiconductor manufacturers sell fake products that are identical to the genuine products with fake markings in order to make extra money, but perhaps the economic situation of Chinese craftsmen has deteriorated to the point that this delicate balance is being upset.
>>10 I guess we’ve reached that point already, the brand is going to collapse. Older items that don’t have the blueprints or manufacturing techniques handed down may be sold at high prices like fine art.
I used to think that buying from major pawn shops, buy-back stores, lost property sales at train stations, or government-imposed seizure brands was safer than buying from any other store, but now it seems that even the major stores are suspicious and the only option is to buy from official stores at the regular price.
>>23 I guess it’s the difference between making it during working hours at the factory or during overtime. So overtime means higher labor costs (except in Japan).
During the coronavirus pandemic, they said there were a lot of Chinese people in sewing factories in Italy. There are probably some in France too. That makes sense, since they learn the job and make things in real factories.
It’s because China has become the world’s factory. If luxury brands had made their products domestically instead of being obsessed with short-term profits, technology wouldn’t have leaked out.
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