The rise of online shopping continues to be met using a surge inside the circulation of counterfeit goods. In Europe, over 20% of shoes and clothing sold are counterfeit and almost half of the sales are manufactured online. Anyone can now create an online store and attract customers with discounted prices on apparently luxury designer items. But while these fraudsters rake inside cash, it is the consumer who’s left having a dodgy creation that doesn’t meet their expectations.

The problem comes from the inability to see directly what you’re buying. Even if a product seems to be genuine inside pictures, the item in the picture is not necessarily usually the one you are likely to receive. Wednesday marked day one with the Sixth Global Congress on Combating Counterfeiting and Piracy but until the experts can clamp documented on counterfeiting once and for all, listed below are our top 3 tricks for the best way to protect yourself inside the meantime.

1. Buy designer products through the brand’s official website or from the well-known mall site. If the brand doesn’t have an online store, it will normally have a listing of approved stockists.
2. Ask for a guarantee. If your item is authentic, the seller can give you a guarantee, which should include the use of returning the goods within a certain period.
3. Get real. If the price seems too good to be true, it in all probability is. You have to pay that bit extra for quality materials and workmanship. Counterfeit items