Hindustan Times
The craft of selling a fake in China
I am now used to being flattered about my ‘so big Indian eyes’ at least once a day. But on Saturday, a Chinese salesgirl peddling a fake Jimmy Choo bag in a Beijing basement actually clutched my ‘so long Indian eyelashes’.
The shiny electric blue artificial leather bag, with Jimmy Choo etched on the clasp, was a poor imitation somewhat resembling the Roquette from the luxury brand’s latest collection. On the Jimmy Choo website, this miniature is listed for 661 pounds or Rs 48,384.
The salesgirl’s first price was 350 yuan (Rs 2,450). “Oh you are from India! Your eyes are so big and so beautiful. For you, 350 yuan.’’
The sales pitch continued while she blocked all my attempts to walk away.
“Because you are so nice, I won’t ruin you. No profit for me…220 yuan (Rs 1,540).’’
“You Indians have so long eyelashes, so beautiful. Look, our eyelashes so small.’’ She let go of my eyelashes and thankfully clutched her own to make a dramatic comparison while the price hit 100 yuan (Rs 700).
“You are my first customer. Look, it is after 1 pm. You have to buy…80 yuan (Rs 560).’’
“Only for you, no profit. Sixty yuan (Rs 420).”
“Fifty-five yuan (Rs 385).”
“Fifty yuan (Rs 350).”
I finally fled while she chased me partly down the empty corridor.
Beijing's biggest market for cheap imitations of designer products. Photo by Reshma Patil
I was not shopping. I was there just to observe how China’s infamous seven-storey market for fake designer products was affected by the economic crisis and the recent closure of 29 counterfeit stalls that were temporarily shutdown after legal action from some luxury brands. The standoff had led the salesgirls to stage noisy dharnas (protests) while the police protected the lawyers.
Every year, about 15 million shoppers throng this market called Silk Street, which operates almost next door to the posh apartments of diplomats. Among last year’s shopping millions were 11 first ladies.
I thought I would encounter whispered underground deals from vendors afraid to end up in court again. But the counterfeiters are back with a vengeance.
In nearly every handbag stall, aggressive multi-lingual salesgirls from some of China’s poorest provinces openly flashed palm-sized Louis Vuitton catalogues, ready to yank the wrists of unsuspecting customers and drag them inside the stalls.
“Louis Vuitton? Prada? Dolce & Gabbana? Chanel?’’ They refuse to let go.
The Jimmy Choo stall was stuffed with bags of every label. The salesgirl opened a suitcase to show her surreptitious stash.
“Prada? Look. All colours.’’
Louis Vuitton bags were unzipped furtively from another black suitcase. A drawer was unlocked to show tacky imitation wallets labelled Louis Vuitton, Made in Paris, France. “Only 180 yuan.’’ (Rs1,260).
I said I wasn’t looking for an imitation product. “But everything here is imitation,’’ said the salesgirl incredulously. “Now you are making me suspicious.’’
The weekend crowd I had dreaded was missing as shoppers cut back on personal spending. A woman had begged for money when I had arrived. I noticed nobody was trying on the imitation Max Mara and Dolce & Gabbana coats you can get for 100 yuan (Rs 700). And a salesgirl asked me for Indian rupees as ‘souvenir money’.
The legal battle against the shadowy makers and merchants of counterfeits will not end while the officialdom looks the other way. And the battle is not only against counterfeit luxury brands. A legal source says the Chinese can counterfeit everything from iPhones to toothpicks. In Beijing, the Quality Brands Protection Committee (QBPC) tries to fight fakes with its group of over 180 multinational member companies that represent a total of over 70 billion dollars in investment in China.
Last year, I had telephoned a senior official of the only Indian and Mumbai-based company listed in this association. He had quickly and vaguely assured me that everything was fine.
When I returned from Silk Street this weekend, I first checked if my eyelashes were intact. Then, I checked the QBPC website for its 2009 membership list. There in the list, tucked between Hermes and Hitachi, remained Hindustan Pencils — India’s largest pencil manufacturer.
(9 votes, average: 5 out of 5)
Loading ...Posted by Reshma Patil on Sunday, March 22, 2009 at 6:15 pm
Filed under China · Tagged Chanel, China, Chinese, Dolce & Gabbana, Louis Vuitton, luxury brands, Prada
Hi. I read a few of your other posts and wanted to know if you would be interested in exchanging blogroll links?
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A very informative blog,I must say. The Silk Street sounds like a Chinese version of the famous Palika Bazaar in New Delhi (there are more raids there than one can count),except that Silk Street must be safer of course.
By the way, I hope clutching eyelashes isn’t the norm over there?
P.S. I liked your piece on Alibaba in HT.Very insightful.
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Reshma Reply:
March 24th, 2009 at 9:05 am
Thanks. Grabbing customers wrists and not letting go till they buy is the norm at Silk Street.
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arthur Reply:
April 16th, 2009 at 8:26 am
Madam, you are way too Exaggerating
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reshma Reply:
April 16th, 2009 at 1:32 pm
it sounds implausible, but this has been the experience for me and my friends every single time at silk street. i have even seen salesgirls chase foreigners down the stairs and demand that they return and make a purchase. thanks for writing in. best wishes.
Interesting post..people are the same everywhere arn’t they?? That eyelash clutching salesgirl could have been a salesboy in palika, nehru place or a dozen other places in our metros. By the way, are foreigners specifically targeted for more lucrative bargains there too?
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Reshma Reply:
March 24th, 2009 at 9:14 am
I’ve not shopped at Pallika but at least in Mumbai nobody physically grabs you till you buy. the salesgirls at Silk Street don’t just flatter, they are among the world’s most tenacious sales staff.
Yes, mostly foreigners shop there in large numbers…including bus-loads of Indian tourists.
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Very interesting blog. Looks like both the original and the counterfeit manufacturers are suffering with the downturn in the economy. Both depend on the secondary effect of surplus cash in a growing economy albeit in the pockets of totally different customer groups.
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Reshma Reply:
March 24th, 2009 at 9:26 am
And it’s a vast, shadowy industry indirectly supported by Beijing’s sympathy. officials don’t want to end up with more unemployed (and angry) masses, especially not this year…
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hi
would like to add that Chinese people are producing fake medicines and selling to other countries.our own domestic market is flooded with these products.
so it doesn’t come as a surprise that the market is loaded with these things like the bags etc.
in India also there are many places where the shopkeepers tend to hold u and not let u go till u have actually bought something from them
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Hi Reshma,
Nice blog . it stirred up so many memories!!!
I also used to be complimented about my big eyes and long eyelashes and yes, at least once a day!!!
That is the thing I miss most!! The compliments!!! Back in India, I am like any normal looking girl! No compliments!!!
i had the good fortune of not getting my eyelashes yanked but yes, many girls asked me what mascara I am using or which eyeliner I had put and when I would say, ” nothing, all natural” they used to be so envious!!!
This definitely increased my self-esteem. Now I know, i may be an ordinary looking girl in India but in East Asia, I have the most amazing eyes and hair and in Europe the skin color, to die for!!!
In Europe I was asked, how many hrs. I spend in sun to get my lovely tan color!!! People used to be so envious!!!
Such a refreshing change!!!1
All Indian girls should travel abroad. it will give a huge boost to their self -esteem.
Now, sometimes, when my relatives say, i look ordinary. My reply is, “yes, to you i look ordinary but there are people I know, who will die to get my complexion or hair quality or big eyes and eyelashes or my kind of a nose pin!!!!”
Another interesting story about nose-pin, In India, in the traditional households, young girls’ nose is pierced by the family elders at a young age. Same was done to me. Now when I went abroad, to Europe, there they know all about piercings!!! On eyes, eyebrows, tongue, lip and what not but nose they did not know. So suddenly I was put in the bracket of most hippest and happening girl!! it was very amusing to see people’s reactions!!! my japanese colleagues in Japan initially refused to talk to me openly as they thought i am very hip, modern , haughty and snob !! All because of my nose-pin!! When somebody hesitantly they the cat out of bag, it took me some time to convince that nose-pin in India is a very traditional symbol and done to young girls without their consent and not a style statement!!!
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reshma Reply:
April 25th, 2009 at 9:14 pm
Thanks for writing in Jaya, I agree with u completely abt ur experiences and observations…
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Hey very nice blog!!
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ohh…nice post but really?/?
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