Did you get an especially good deal on a high-end stock lot of clothing? Stock lot meaning the same style and brand in case packed size scale? I’m throwing around a lot of terms here, but I’m just trying to find out if the clothing you are reselling is real or fake? Do you know for sure? If they are knock-offs or counterfeit you could potentially be in deep doo-doo if you know what I mean.
In the course of my experience within the wholesale industry I’ve known of a few resellers who have got into some pretty hot water selling counterfeit goods. I’ve got a lot of info to give you within this post and I think it might be best if you sit back and enjoy a nice movie before we begin:
While large scale counterfeiting operations might not be the norm, I do see a lot of small scale Grey Market transactions taking place. I think the most common originates from factories oversees who hold contracts with large clothing brands. When production quotas are meet, some factories will take the over-run units or excess amounts of fabric and continue to produce more stock. When the lights go off at night what does it hurt to run a few more hundred or thousand units? These unauthorized runs are usually sneaked out the back door and discreetly posted on sites across the internet. How else can one order 50 Polo Blake Oxford shirts for $8 per unit?
Kinda scary, huh? If you’re currently sitting around boxes of liquidation clothing you purchased from Macy’s you’re ok. Obviously, apparel shelf pulls and customer returns from Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s are safe to resell. If you’re buying direct from a large retailer such as Victoria’s Secret or ColdWater Creek you safe.
I’m really trying to get you to stay away the shady sites online that give you no indication as to who they are or where they are selling from…stay away. Also, as a precaution never under any circumstances send a Western Union money gram for payment. Western Union is untraceable and often used by fraudsters.
There are several sites online dedicated to spotting fakes, grey market goods and counterfeited items. While these two sites are specific to clothing, you should know that any item can be counterfeited including shoes, handbags, makeup, jewelry, memorabilia, etc. – The list is endless.
Lacoste
For eBay Resellers
Sell counterfeit goods on eBay and you risk have your auctions pulled and, potentially, receiving the scary cease and desist letter.
“eBay has created the Verified Rights Owner (VeRO) Program so rights owners can report listings that infringe their rights. Any person or company who holds intellectual property rights (such as a copyright, trademark or patent) which may be infringed by listings or items sold on eBay is welcomed to participate in the VeRO Program”
