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4 days ago
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Source: AFP
TikTok abounds with viral videos accusing prestigious brands of secretly manufacturing luxury goods successful China truthful they tin beryllium sold astatine chopped prices.
But portion these "revelations" are spurious, down them lurks a well-oiled instrumentality for selling counterfeit goods that is making the astir of the disorder surrounding commercialized tariffs.
Chinese contented creators who represent themselves arsenic workers oregon subcontractors successful the luxury goods concern assertion that Beijing has lifted confidentiality clauses connected section subcontractors arsenic a mode to respond to the immense hike successful customs duties imposed connected China by US President Donald Trump.
They accidental this Chinese decision, of which AFP has recovered nary trace, authorises them to uncover the hidden underbelly of luxury goods manufacturing successful China.
They promote Western consumers to bargain straight from the websites selling these goods, which carnivore nary logos oregon labels but are said to beryllium of the aforesaid prime and plan arsenic the costly originals.
The prices are alluring too, dropping from $38,000 for a luxury container to $1,400.
Brands targeted -- which see Hermes, Chanel and Louis Vuitton, whose goods are produced successful Europe and the United States according to their websites -- declined to respond to AFP questions astir the claims made successful these viral videos.
But for Jacques Carles, caput of the French Luxury and Design Centre, a absorption consultancy, the conception that luxury brands would manufacture goods successful China is simply "absurd".
"It would beryllium suicidal. If determination was grounds -- and determination isn't -- it would beryllium the end. These brands aren't stupid," helium told AFP.
While the TikTokers constituent to the accomplishment of the Chinese workers, presented arsenic the small hands down the large luxury names, "these counterfeit workshops perfectly bash not respect each the required stages successful the manufacturing process", helium said.
'Creating doubt'
Carles cited the illustration of Hermes's Birkin bag, which requires "hundreds of hours of work" to produce.
He said the net clip makers were, "by creating doubt", really looking to "open up an opportunity... to displacement their stocks" of counterfeit goods.
"It's a viral run that's dispersed connected societal networks (and) is hard to counter," helium said.
Luxury brands chose to stay soundless and "treat the improvement with scorn", which was a mistake successful his view, helium added.
The accusation that luxury goods officially manufactured successful Europe were successful world being secretly made successful China "does not marque immoderate sense", concurred Michel Phan, prof of luxury selling astatine emlyon concern schoolhouse successful France.
Source: AFP
He rejected the statement made connected TikTok that this was a Chinese retort to US commercialized tariffs.
"Hurting European luxury brands volition not alteration thing (for) the US authorities due to the fact that they are not related to those brands," helium said.
"All the videos online mentioning that luxury brands manufactured their products successful China and past enactment the 'Made successful France' statement earlier selling them are nonsense.
"It is amerciable to bash truthful and nary marque volition instrumentality the hazard to get caught (sic) doing it."
The e-commerce section astatine China's commercialized ministry said successful a statement: "Any misleading marketing, infringement, oregon counterfeit activities" by entities posing arsenic subconstractors for established brands "will beryllium promptly referred to instrumentality enforcement agencies for probe and action."
'I'm specified a sucker'
Comments connected the viral clips, portrayed arsenic coming from net users alternatively than the video creators themselves, look to amusement that the connection resonates.
"I'm truthful annoyed. I paid apical price!" said 1 successful a video comment.
"I'm specified a sucker," said another.
Some permission comments asking for the names of "suppliers of luxury goods" successful China from whom they can bargain the coveted items connected the cheap.
Meanwhile, Chinese vendors are besides selling counterfeit luxury goods straight connected TikTok, with links to their websites. These TikTok unrecorded reels garner hundreds of views each.
They amusement enactment upon enactment of shelves afloat of luxury items, each numbered.
"DHL delivery. Products identical to those successful stores. The lone quality is the price," says one, utilizing an AI-generated dependable successful French.
Internet users are invited to scan a QR codification oregon click connected a nexus to implicit their acquisition via WhatsApp oregon PayPal.
AFP has recovered a people of akin unrecorded feeds, released simultaneously successful English and French, suggesting that the main targets are net users successful Europe and the United States.
China is regularly accused of being the world's apical shaper of counterfeit goods.
Some estimates suggest 70 to 80 percent of each fakes are manufactured there.
In European Union states and a fig of different countries determination are hefty penalties for purchasing counterfeits.
In France, that could mean a three-year situation word and a good of 300,000 euros ($340,600).
Customs authorities whitethorn besides confiscate counterfeit goods and good the purchaser the equivalent of the items' existent value.
The European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) says counterfeiting costs European manufacture 16 cardinal euros a year, with the clothes, cosmetics and artifact sectors being the worst affected.
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Source: AFP
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