Officers with the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement seized over 100,000 counterfeit merchandise products in the city of Chicago during Fiscal Year 2012. The retail value of the counterfeit products was worth over $5 Million. In on raid alone, agents seized 12 vans filled with counterfeit Louis Vuitton, Prada, Chanel, and Burberry purses that was being sold at a local flea market.
According to a private security firm that works with brand owners, Chicago is the third-largest marketplace in the United States for counterfeit goods.
Source: Brian Dukerschein, “Counterfeit luxury goods invade Chicago,” Crain’s Chicago Business, April 15, 2013.
The United States Customs and Border Protection announced that it seized 1.500 counterfeit Hermes handbags in February 2013 at the Los Angeles – Long Beach port complex. The two shipments that were violating the trademark of Hermes were originally shipped from China.
The Los Angeles – Long Beach Port is a major entry point of fake goods entering the Untied States from Asia. According to the Associated Press, seizures have included 20,000 pairs of counterfeit Christian Louboutin shoes and roughly 79,000 counterfeit sunglasses with logos similar to Armani, Coach and Gucci.
Source: AP, “1,500 counterfeit Hermes handbags seized at California ports,” Washington Post, March 5, 2013.
The United States Customs and Border Protection released their annual seizure statistics of counterfeit items for Fiscal Year 2012.
7,800 counterfeit clothing items with a retail value of $133 Million was seized in 2012, down from the 8,094 fake items worth $142.3 Million in 2011.
$511 Million worth for counterfeit handbags and wallets, $186.9 Million worth of counterfeit watches and jewelry, and $103 Million worth of counterfeit shoes were also seized by US Customs during the fiscal year.
Law enforcement agencies also took down 697 websites that were facilitating the sale of counterfeit goods online.
Source: Sarah Karmali, “Number Of Counterfeit Fashion Seizures Down,” Vogue, January 21, 2013.
According to a study conducted by the website CouponCodes4u.com, three-quarters of women admitted that they had knowing purchased a counterfeit fashion item. Over half of the respondents stated that they bought the fake product because they couldn’t afford the legitimate item, and 37 percent stated that they wanted to impress people with their fake item.
2,105 women answered questions in the poll.
Almost a third of the respondents bought counterfeit handbags and wallets, and nearly 25 percent of the women bought a fake designer dress. 20 percent bought jewelry or shoes.
Source: Patricia Reaney, “In quest for designer look, U.S. women admit buying knockoffs,” Reuters, January 8, 2013.
According to the Anti-Counterfeiting Group, the luxury market in the United Kingdom losses up to 10 percent of sales to counterfeit goods. The entire luxury market in the UK is worth $372 Billion (£234 Billion), thus around $37 Billion in sales is lost to counterfeits.
Source: Laura Chesters, “Far East fakes: The burgeoning underworld of counterfeit goods ,” Independent, November 9, 2012.
According to the CEO of luxury fashion company Hermes, up to 80 percent of the products sold on the Internet with the brand name Hermes is counterfeit.
The counterfeit purse market is estimated to be worth $70 Million.
Source: Olivia Bergin, “Hermès employees found to be in on counterfeit ring,” Telegraph, Fashion, June 18, 2012.
The counterfeit goods market in Turkey is estimated to be worth $6 Billion in 2011, double the market value of $3 Billion in 2010.
Counterfeit purses are the most counterfeited product made and sold in Turkey.
Source: Constanze Letsch, “Turkey cracks down on counterfeit goods,” Guardian, October 17, 2011.
A report found that almost half of foreign travelers from the United Kingdom purchased counterfeit goods while traveling abroad.
The most popular countries where counterfeit purchases took place were Greece, Turkey, Spain, Thailand and China.
The most popular counterfeit goods purchased by UK travelers was counterfeit purses, followed by counterfeit clothing, sunglasses, watches and jewelry.
Source: “Tourist traps: Over half of UK holidaymakers buy counterfeit goods abroad thinking they’re saving money,” Daily Mail, July 21, 2011.
In the first half of 2011, Louis Vuitton was the most seized counterfeit good in South Korea.
1,232 counterfeit Louis Vuitton items were seized in the first six months of 2011, followed by LeSportsac, Chanel, Gucci and Nike.
LeSportsac had the most counterfeit purses seized, with 1,180 counterfeit bags seized by authorities. 257 counterfeit Louis Vuitton purses was seized during the time period.
Source: “Louis Vuitton Knockoffs Most Favored in Korea,” Chosun Ilbo, July 14, 2011.
According to KPMG’s Counterfeit Christmas Index Basket, a basket filled with counterfeit goods purchased in 11 major cities around the world was only 24 percent cheaper then a basket filled with the legitimate product.
The basket was filled with the following products, according to the Daily Finance:
- DVD – movie in current Top 10 chart
- CD – album in current top 10 chart
- Counterfeit software
- High end trainers
- High end polo-shirt
- Leading designer handbag
- High end branded watch
- High end sunglasses
- Branded jeans
- Good quality branded whiskey
- Branded cigarettes
Source: Chris Wheal, “Counterfeit goods are more expensive,” Daily Finance, December 20, 2010.
