# Where do Chinese people get cheap knockoffs and counterfeits? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 9, 2013, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-chinese-people-get-cheap-knockoffs-and-counterfeits/646591 "2013-01-09T05:54:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2013, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-chinese-people-get-cheap-knockoffs-and-counterfeits/646591/1 "2013-01-09T05:54:09Z")
For everybody else in the world, the cheap knockoffs and counterfeits come from China. So, for Chinese people, the knockoffs are the normal products. If they wanted to save money, where would they get cheap counterfeits of Chinese “brand name” items? ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2013, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-chinese-people-get-cheap-knockoffs-and-counterfeits/646591/2 "2013-01-09T05:59:56Z")
They like to make their own knock offs. The market for US made cheap knock offs of Chinese name items is closed off to us. We’d complain more but we owe them a buttload of money. Is this about a column or something? ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2013, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-chinese-people-get-cheap-knockoffs-and-counterfeits/646591/3 "2013-01-09T06:07:56Z")
Moving to General Questions. I would imagine they buy this stuff off the street and in little shops just like we do. ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2013, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-chinese-people-get-cheap-knockoffs-and-counterfeits/646591/4 "2013-01-09T06:49:51Z")
> [@TubaDiva](#): > > Moving to General Questions. > > I would imagine they buy this stuff off the street and in little shops just like we do. I mean like which country? Would they get their generic toothpaste from India or something? ---
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2013, 8:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-chinese-people-get-cheap-knockoffs-and-counterfeits/646591/5 "2013-01-09T08:26:25Z")
> [@Superhal](#): > > So, for Chinese people, the knockoffs are the normal products. Which is where your premise goes awry. Why would you assume the average Chinese consumer want to fill their home with cheap replicas of Western consumer products? ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2013, 8:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-chinese-people-get-cheap-knockoffs-and-counterfeits/646591/6 "2013-01-09T08:29:31Z")
> [@penultima\_thule](#): > > Which is where your premise goes awry. > > Why would you assume the average Chinese consumer want to fill their home with cheap replicas of Western consumer products? Nope. A western person wants a cheap counterfeit Nike shoe, it comes from China. For a Chinese person, the counterfeit is the norm, so if they want to save money, what would they buy? In other words, the average Chinese couldn’t afford the Nike counterfeit, so from which country would they buy their shoes? ---
**Author:** ![the\_diego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2013, 9:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-chinese-people-get-cheap-knockoffs-and-counterfeits/646591/7 "2013-01-09T09:43:02Z")
Even among counterfeit goods, there are segmentations. Some are really good you can’t tell the difference. Others are so bad you can just buy online photos. So the Chinese buyer, like most everyone, has a choice. And to answer the OP, usually factory outlets or bonded warehouses (which is illegal.) ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2013, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-chinese-people-get-cheap-knockoffs-and-counterfeits/646591/8 "2013-01-09T13:02:08Z")
> [@Superhal](#): > > Nope. A western person wants a cheap counterfeit Nike shoe, it comes from China. For a Chinese person, the counterfeit is the norm, so if they want to save money, what would they buy? > > In other words, the average Chinese couldn’t afford the Nike counterfeit, so from which country would they buy their shoes? The Chinese just buy cheap Chinese shoes like everyone else. If they can’t afford Chinese shoes, then they can’t afford shoes full stop and just do without. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2013, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-chinese-people-get-cheap-knockoffs-and-counterfeits/646591/9 "2013-01-09T15:06:09Z")
> [@Shalmanese](#): > > The Chinese just buy cheap Chinese shoes like everyone else. If they can’t afford Chinese shoes, then they can’t afford shoes full stop and just do without. Likewise, sneakers are not the cheapest type of shoe. China churns out ultracheap slip-ons by the millions and people wear those. ---
**Author:** ![Floater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dc4da7/32.png) [@Floater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Floater)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2013, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-chinese-people-get-cheap-knockoffs-and-counterfeits/646591/10 "2013-01-09T15:31:59Z")
I own a counterfeit Canada Goose jacket (very low quality, so I never wear it) that someone had bought at a street market in China, so I assume that is where Chinese get stuff as well. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2013, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-chinese-people-get-cheap-knockoffs-and-counterfeits/646591/11 "2013-01-09T15:43:10Z")
> [@Superhal](#): > > In other words, the average Chinese couldn’t afford the Nike counterfeit… Says who? Do you have evidence that most folks in China can’t afford the knockoffs? If not, why would you make such an assumption? Seems to me the well-off Chinese could buy the genuine Nikes, and the not-so-well-off could buy the counterfeits, which would cost less than in other countries because they wouldn’t have to be shipped overseas. ---
**Author:** ![Waxwinged](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c2a13f/32.png) [@Waxwinged](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waxwinged)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2013, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-chinese-people-get-cheap-knockoffs-and-counterfeits/646591/12 "2013-01-09T17:22:47Z")
> [@Floater](#): > > I own a counterfeit Canada Goose jacket (very low quality, so I never wear it) that someone had bought at a street market in China, so I assume that is where Chinese get stuff as well. (Have to ask. What is it actually stuffed with?) ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2013, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-chinese-people-get-cheap-knockoffs-and-counterfeits/646591/13 "2013-01-09T17:38:53Z")
The other option for the rural poor is to make things they really need but can’t afford to buy by traditional methods. You might not have cash money to buy shoes made in a factory, but you can probably make sandals for yourself. Of course, usually the cost of factory produced goods is cheaper in opportunity cost than making them yourself, that’s why we make things in factories. My mom used to buy fabric and make clothes and puppets and stuffed animals to save money. Nowadays the materials to make yourself a dress are going to cost more than a finished product, even if you price your time at zero. So crappy factory made slippers are probably going to be cheaper and more durable for your average poor Chinese peasant than making sandals out of woven grass, because your poor Chinese peasant has to work for a living, and doesn’t have the time to sit there handcrafting items. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2013, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-chinese-people-get-cheap-knockoffs-and-counterfeits/646591/14 "2013-01-09T18:04:19Z")
Are not sure if this isn’t a whoosh but the answer is obvious - Chinese people buy the same cheap Chinese goods that Americans buy. Why would they need to find some place else to import them from when they’re making them domestically? It’s like asking “Everyone else buys oil from Saudi Arabia. So who does Saudi Arabia buy oil from?” ---
**Author:** ![epbrown01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ba0ec/32.png) [@epbrown01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/epbrown01)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2013, 10:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-chinese-people-get-cheap-knockoffs-and-counterfeits/646591/15 "2013-01-10T10:11:24Z")
And isn’t the stuff even cheaper there anyway? There’s not as much moving it around. ---
**Author:** ![Floater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dc4da7/32.png) [@Floater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Floater)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2013, 10:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-chinese-people-get-cheap-knockoffs-and-counterfeits/646591/16 "2013-01-10T10:50:51Z")
> [@Waxwinged](#): > > (Have to ask. What is it actually stuffed with?) It’s down, although perhaps not the best quality. The problem with it is that it leaks like a sieve, so when I wear it I end up looking like a live advert for Chicken McNuggets. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2013, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-chinese-people-get-cheap-knockoffs-and-counterfeits/646591/17 "2013-01-10T14:57:53Z")
> [@Waxwinged](#): > > (Have to ask. What is it actually stuffed with?) Shattered hopes and dreams. ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2013, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-chinese-people-get-cheap-knockoffs-and-counterfeits/646591/18 "2013-01-10T15:22:05Z")
From what I’ve read, there’s a lot of large markets in China; buildings with hundreds of small independent retailers, often specializing in one type of product. A very rough American equivalent wouldn’t be a shopping mall, but something like the Merchandise Mart in Chicago, only retail rather than wholesale. Also, a lot more crowded. I think we might need someone who has lived in China to better answer the question. Think about this: you can buy really cheap Chinese goods on sites like DealExtreme. Their prices are ridiculously low, and shipping from China is free. If Dealextreme can make a profit, the prices for similar items in China itself must be even lower. ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2013, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-chinese-people-get-cheap-knockoffs-and-counterfeits/646591/19 "2013-01-10T15:29:26Z")
> [@Lemur866](#): > > … > Of course, usually the cost of factory produced goods is cheaper in opportunity cost than making them yourself, that’s why we make things in factories. My mom used to buy fabric and make clothes and puppets and stuffed animals to save money. Nowadays the materials to make yourself a dress are going to cost more than a finished product, even if you price your time at zero. > … It wasn’t that long ago that most clothes were made by hand and having a “store bought dress” was really something special. Now, having hand-sewn clothes at all is special. It used to be in the 1990’s that lots of people built their own computers with this case, that motherboard, that video card, that hard disk, etc. and put it together themself to save money and get what they want. Nowadays you can “build” a PC on a website by selecting options from dropdowns and have it shipped halfway across the world to you and they are dirt cheap. Does anyone build their own from parts anymore or has it gone the way of homemade clothes? ---
**Author:** ![Minnie\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@Minnie\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Minnie_Luna)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2013, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-chinese-people-get-cheap-knockoffs-and-counterfeits/646591/20 "2013-01-10T16:38:01Z")
> [@elmwood](#): > > From what I’ve read, there’s a lot of large markets in China; buildings with hundreds of small independent retailers, often specializing in one type of product. A very rough American equivalent wouldn’t be a shopping mall, but something like the Merchandise Mart in Chicago, only retail rather than wholesale. Also, a lot more crowded. I’ve never lived in China, only visited. There are many markets like you describe, the vendors range from high-end quality goods, middle range goods to cheap stuff. Knock-offs come in all price ranges as well. You can buy what is probably a real designer bag (probably stolen from a factory) for a fraction of the retail price. If they were knock-offs, they were very well done. Made with high quality leather, proper linings and zippers/pulls. They also sell the cheaper knock-offs commonly seen on the streets of any large city in the US. Prices are significantly cheaper for many goods. We went to a touristy silk market in Shanghai, where I assume the prices are inflated. I paid something like $10-15 American for something I would expect to pay $50-75 for here. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-chinese-people-get-cheap-knockoffs-and-counterfeits/646591.md?page=2)