RECENTLY I have seen an awful lot of pages advertising they are selling fake designer bags, belts, watches etc and it got me thinking.
Do you realise where these products are made? They are made in sweatshops and almost always include child labour.
Don’t get me wrong I, like everyone, love to get a bargain, but at all times I try to buy Irish goods and support Irish shops and designers. There are enough shops and businesses selling genuine goods and who support and create jobs and industry in Ireland.
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Counterfeit goods are a huge problem internationally and create a huge loss of revenue for the governing bodies. In Italy if you are caught buying fake goods you incur a fine of €10,000.
Very steep, but certainly a deterrent. It would make you think twice before you hand over the €50-100 for a bag that is on sale in stores for €500 plus for the genuine article.
Quite simply, if your budget is €50-€100 there are shops that sell quality goods to suit all budgets. They may not have the all-important designer logo but they are of far superior quality than the fake ones on offer.
Think about the Michael Kors watch that is on sale for €20 on a buy/sell site, now think about a five year old child that you know.
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Imagine that child working for 14 hours a day to make that watch with its tiny hands, inhaling the fumes from the chemicals used and the cramps and pains that the child gets from sitting in the one position for hours on end. Is that €20 “designer-inspired” watch now so appealing?
We all have a part to play in stamping out counterfeit goods; just don’t buy them. If the market isn’t there, then the peddlers won’t have a business.
Shops also have a part to play in not importing these goods. The Hermes belts that are awash in the country are “knock offs”. They are not good quality and they are made in Asia in sweatshops. Do not buy them, be a little compassionate and think of those poor factory workers who make them.
It would be great to see our government use the same principles as their Italian counterparts and enforce large fines on those caught buying counterfeit goods.
It happens across the board from soccer kits to perfumes and sunglasses. There is also the dangers of counterfeit makeup and beauty products which have been proven in some cases to include rat poison in the formulas that they use.
Some food for thought…
Until next week,
Think before you buy!
Orlagh xx