Buying counterfeit goods is all too easy these days. As well as market stalls and car boot sales merchants can set up websites that look authoritative but are not delivering official goods to the public. This has long been a problem for retailers and brands. The brands spend a lot of money on establishing their name in their industry. It is their brand name and associated imagery that is built up to be worth a lot of money and that is what counterfeiters seek to profit from.

In the past a counterfeit product may have been fairly simple to spot on a market stall but there are two factors which make it harder to spot them today. The first is online selling. When buying online there is no way of inspecting the goods other than looking at the information and images provided by the seller. Reviews from previous customers and the quality of a website can be used as signs that a seller is providing legitimate goods. The second factor is the quality of the counterfeit products being produced. Counterfeiters are getting smarter and producing goods which in some cases are incredibly similar to the original product.

There are a number of reasons to ensure that you're buying original authentic goods especially when it concerns hair and beauty or electrical products. For cosmetics to have the necessary effect claimed by the manufacturer they need to have the right quality ingredients. In an attempt to clone a product and make more profit counterfeiters will try to source cheaper materials which will leave them with an inferior product. Electrical products if not put together properly could have a higher risk of being a fire hazard and could also have a shorter lifespan.

The hair straighteners company GHD launched an advertising campaign to try and raise awareness of fake goods. It has a feature on its company website which allows anyone to check whether or not the dealer they are going to purchase from is an official stockist. The company also carried out research which revealed that only 30% of women were aware of counterfeit goods being made available.