Illicit

Illicit trade is going on throughout the world 24/7, 365 days a year. It happens everywhere but there are places where it happens more often such as Hong Kong, China. Products ranging from fake Rolex watches knock-off designer hand bags, and even pharmaceutical drugs. And buyers are either unaware of the things they are purchasing or are ignorant in the fact that they don’t care if they are fake, they just want to have the product by whatever means necessary. Sometimes the fakes are so good that even people in the company can't tell the difference between them and the real thing. And consumers, who buy the more affordable fakes to obtain the social and fashion status the brand names bring, are willing to pay more for the improved copies. It is a disease that is growing at an exponential rate. It doesn’t seem that there will be a stop to illicit trade.

As far as consumers go I can’t say that it is their responsibility to not buy the product, but a lot of the time they are unaware that they are buying illegal merchandise. You have to leave it to common sense: is it really legitimate that the bag you’re buying is one hundred dollars when it actually costs three thousand dollars? People aren’t the smartest when it comes to these kinds of things and if they are smart enough to know better than they could be people who are easily influenced into buying because of the deal they are given. In my personal opinion the vast majority of people have given up their sense of perspective when it comes to buying. People nowadays trust commercials and people if they can give you a reasonable explanation why they should buy the product. People forget to read in between the lines when it comes to buying. Is the consequence greater than the profit? Sure I sold some fake Gucci bags, but if I’m caught I could be fined or even sent to prison (just an example). A person is smart, but its people who are dumb and ignorant.