Bytagand the publication "Shopping on AliExpress: a world of pretense"
Officially, Aliexpress prohibits and punishes counterfeiting. But this remains in theory, the Chinese online sales platform having a lot of trouble spotting the accounts of sellers of fakes, who hide the logos of copied brands on their ads or who deliberately make spelling mistakes. This does not prevent the most resourceful from continuing to equip themselves – at a lower cost – and thinking they are getting a good deal while impressing their friends. This search for fakes raises questions about the real motivations of these buyers.
By Jean-François Tatard – Photos: Pixabay.com, Flickr.com
=> SEE AS WELL : Generic or counterfeit, the economy we deserve
If there's a seatpost clamp on your "SL7" or the yellow on your Colnago-branded frame has turned white after an afternoon drying in the sun, or the left sleeve of your Castelli-branded jersey says Rapha, or the seams on your Specialized-branded shorts haven't lasted more than two washes, maybe you, too, ordered from AliExpress, the world's most unscrupulous counterfeiters. Yet each of us knows that it is forbidden to buy counterfeits, but that is not the most important thing in the end. The question is more to know what are the real reasons that motivate people to buy cheap fakes on Chinese sites.

For luxury products, there are already studies that determine which factors explain the purchase of counterfeit products. However, none of them are sufficiently consistent. Some emphasize income level. Others the age of the buyers. And some education and values. But for us Cyclards with Orkley glasses – and I did spell “oRkley” with an r – and what if the reason was more to be found at the level of self-esteem?
What product characteristics lead to the purchase of a counterfeit?
Obviously, This purchase is more likely to occur if there is a large gap between the perceived price and its actual price. If the latter is much higher like the price of a Factor One frameset at €5499 in France and sometimes less than €600 on AliExpress, the temptation to get a "good deal", to the detriment of the manufacturer in this case, will necessarily be very strong. The same applies if the gap is significant between the perceived quality and the actual quality. Moreover, it is not always visible externally, technically, and in the short term. Here again, the impression of having been smarter than the little friends can play a role. The risk of wear, defects or even danger in longer-term use is then neglected.
Social status
And is social status, supposed to be brought by what one "possesses", also a parameter to be taken into account? Indeed, although the socio-professional category is not a unique explanatory element of the purchasing behavior of counterfeits according to certain studies, the status or social role of the consumer cannot be forgotten. It is indeed this which can have a variable influence depending on the person. For some, the Pinarello F12 frame or the MAAP jersey is a means of social valorization, and possession of the product is particularly desirable, regardless of the law.
For others, the valorization will come through the possibility of showing that an original product like a pair of Roval carbon rims – and too bad if the hubs are Chinese Novatec instead of the originals – was acquired, although very expensive, to thus indicate “high financial means”. Yes, the social group to which one belongs also tends to either appreciate or denigrate a counterfeit purchase, and in this story, no matter which side you are on, everyone seeks not to feel excluded from their own group… sometimes at the cost of a little (or big) lie!

Appear above all
For you, perhaps, it doesn't matter if the shade of red on your Cipollini frame isn't the same as the original. That the finish on the outer sleeve of your Gobik jersey was sewn at random, with a much wider arm span. That the fabric of your Le Col tights Made in Italy: but written in Chinese calligraphy and received in passing in a gray package folded into a ball and smelling strongly of chemicals is so light that if you wanted to, you could tear it with two fingers. That the graphic of the logo of your Sworks monobloc hanger looks like it was written in Tipex.
Without entering into the discussion which could lead one to say that Cyber counterfeiting has the sole objective of generating dollars too, or also putting aside the debate of the " it's too expensive "," we are getting screwed »(sic), « they make too much margin ", etc., The deliberate purchase of counterfeits on these Chinese sites suggests the existence of deeper motivations...
In the collective mind, price is the main motivation put forward. Except that, ultimately, when you think about it, The deliberate buyer of fakes forgoes the quality and performance of the original in order to acquire its image at a lower cost. And in doing so, he aims to appropriate the brand of his symbols at a lower cost.
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Bytagand the publication "Shopping on AliExpress: a world of pretense"
The jerseys on aliexpress are good quality you are in bad faith because your jersey costs 100€ it is made there like a lot of cycle parts are made there and sold very expensively in France while it is always the same ones that smell like they fill your pockets you have to stop criticizing people who buy on aliexpress look at your next jersey or shorts at 100 or 200€ it comes from there it is marked made in china or masked by the manufacturer
No.
Not all high end jerseys are made in China. Most high end brands have their products manufactured in Europe.
Moreover, the problem itself is not manufacturing in China, but the sale of counterfeit products, where no serious traceability is possible. By buying copied products, you have no assurance of quality, or even that chemicals harmful to health have not been used.
Finally, the money from counterfeiting benefits organized crime networks and contributes to the financing of other types of trafficking (drug trafficking, prostitution, terrorism, etc.).
Aliexpress is a platform where you can find everything, especially counterfeits.