Here's a list of 8 reasons why the counterfeit industry is absolutely terrible.  Even though the cute Gucci purse is only $25 or the pretty Versace Watch costs less than a Fossil, before you consider purchasing knockoff merchandise to resell, please read this:

1. Real designers pay taxes (and LOTS OF THEM!). Taxes are used to provide services for USA citizens, this includes national programs such as national defense, veterans and foreign affairs. Social programs; physical, human, and community development as well as law enforcement and more.

2. Also, real brands hire employees, which provides jobs for the nation.  The employees also pay taxes.

3. Counterfeit merchandise is not made with the same standards as the actual brand uses. This includes childrens clothing that can catch fire with ease, cosmetics that are manufactured in a dirty room using deadly ingredients, batteries that cause explosions, power strips that ignite, hair dye that scalds scalps and more. Counterfeit products can literally KILL. Counterfeit baby formula can contain actual poison! Could you imagine literally killing one of your customers?

4. The merchandise is low quality, cheap stuff. If it doesn’t cause physical injury it absolutely will break quickly, therefore creating even more landfill waste for no reason in addition to be a financial drain on your wallet because having a toothpaste that gives you a severe illness means you now have to consume medicine and miss work.

5. Real, legitimate merchandise wholesalers, like BigBrandWholesale.com cannot compete with the prices of fake merchandise. Knockoff Victorias Secret panties sell for $1 or less. Fake Calvin Klein tees are usually around $4. However when we buy the real deal, a panty costs us no less than $3 and a t-shirt runs us $7 - $19. There is no possible way we could ever sell merchandise that cost us $12 for $6 and still stay in business. This means that counterfeit purchases hurt legitimate sellers as well as their families and employees.

6. You may think, “Counterfeit product makers are just trying to make a living!” - This is false. The money obtained through their black market industry is usually used to fund the drug or organized crime industry. These are NOT “broke people just trying to buy food”.

7. And lastly, the entire fake industry creates bad reviews and unhappiness for the REAL brand. People do not know how to differentiate between the counterfeit product and the genuine product because they look so similar so the fake-product-buyer assumes that the quality of the Lindor Truffles has gone down hill, therefore they stop purchasing it.

8.  For Petes Sake, it's a CRIME! It is not legal to buy and sell fake merchandise!  The FBI investigates knockoff sellers and buyers, do you want to be a part of an organized crime ring? Heck no!

As you can see, the entire counterfeit industry is a massive financial drain on the entire economy in addition to causing harm which drains the health industry as well as stress, sadness and overall chaos in the life of the purchaser who simply wanted a deal on Colgate mouthwash or a baby car seat. Below you will see REAL PHOTOS of actual “factories” that produce counterfeit products. Not only is it unsanitary and utterly disgusting but it is also beyond cringey to think that the product you are putting on your body, wrapping around your child or plugging into your bedroom electrical outlet could have came from any of these make-shift, fly-by-night “manufacturing plants”:

Next, make sure you read the second installment in this series: