Shopping on AliExpress: A World of Pretenses

Officially, Aliexpress prohibits and penalizes counterfeiting. But this remains theoretical, as the Chinese online sales platform has a lot of trouble identifying the accounts of sellers of fakes, who hide the logos of copied brands in their ads or intentionally misspell words. This doesn’t stop the most resourceful from continuing to equip themselves – at a lower cost – and thinking they’re getting a good deal while impressing their friends. This pursuit of fakes raises questions about the real motivations of these buyers.

By Jean-François Tatard – Photos: Pixabay.com, Flickr.com

If there’s a seatpost clamp on your “SL7” or the yellow of your Colnago-stamped frame has turned white after an afternoon drying in the sun, or on the left sleeve of your Castelli-branded jersey it says Rapha, or the seams of your Specialized-logoed bib shorts didn’t hold up for more than two washes, it might be that you too placed your order on AliExpress, the global haunt of the most unscrupulous counterfeiters. Yet each of us knows that it’s forbidden to buy counterfeits, but that’s not the most important thing in the end. The question is more about what are the real underlying reasons that motivate people to buy cheap fakes on Chinese sites.

For luxury products, studies already exist that determine which factors explain the purchase of counterfeit products. Nevertheless, none are sufficiently consistent. Some highlight income level. Others the age of buyers. And some education and values. But for us, the Cyclards with Orkley glasses – and I did write “oRkley” with an r – what if the reason was more to be found in self-esteem?

What product characteristics drive the purchase of a counterfeit?

Clearly, this purchase is more likely to occur if there is a large discrepancy between the perceived price and its actual price. If the latter is much higher, like the price of a Factor One frame kit at €5499 in France and sometimes less than €600 on AliExpress, the temptation to get a “good deal,” at the expense of the manufacturer in this case, will inevitably be very strong. The same applies if there is a significant difference between perceived quality and actual quality. Moreover, this is not always externally visible, technically, and in the short term. Here again, the impression of having been smarter than one’s friends can play a role. The risk of wear, defect, or even danger in longer-term use is then neglected.

Social status

And is social status, supposedly conferred by what one “owns,” also a parameter to consider? Indeed, although socio-professional category is not a unique explanatory element of counterfeit purchasing behavior according to some studies, the consumer’s status or social role cannot be overlooked. It is this that can have a variable influence depending on the person. For some, the Pinarello F12 frame or the MAAP jersey is a means of social valorization, and the possession of the product is particularly desirable, regardless of the law.

For others, valorization will come from the ability to show that an original product like a pair of Roval carbon rims – and never mind if the hubs are Chinese Novatec instead of the originals – was acquired, despite being very expensive, thus indicating “high financial means.” Yes, the social group one belongs to also tends to either appreciate or disparage a counterfeit purchase, and in this story, no matter which side you’re on, everyone tries not to feel excluded from their own group… sometimes at the cost of a small (or big) lie!

Appearance above all

For you, perhaps, it doesn’t matter if the shade of red on your Cipollini frame isn’t the same as on the original. That the finish of the outer sleeve of your Gobik jersey was sewn haphazardly, with a much wider arm amplitude. That the fabric of your Le Col tights Made in Italy but written in Chinese calligraphy and received in a crumpled gray package that smells strongly of chemicals is so light that if you wanted to, you could tear it with two fingers. That the graphic of the logo on your Sworks one-piece handlebar seems to have been written with Wite-Out.

Without getting into the discussion that could lead one to say that cyber-counterfeiting has the sole objective of generating dollars itself, or by also setting aside the debate of “it’s too expensive,” “we’re getting ripped off” (sic), “they make too much profit,” etc., the deliberate purchase of counterfeits on these Chinese sites implies the existence of deeper motivations…

In collective thought, price is the main motivation put forward. Except that, ultimately, upon reflection, the deliberate buyer of fakes gives up the quality and performance of the original to acquire its image at a lower cost. And by doing so, they aim to appropriate the brand’s symbols at a lower cost.

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