Original, Not a Fake: How to Convince Customers of This

On marketplaces, classified ads, and online stores, non-original or refurbished branded items are often sold at the price of new, genuine ones. The goal of dishonest sellers is to make a quick profit.

Most commonly, fraudsters sell:

Replicas: Exact copies of original products. These are not counterfeits but inexpensive brand alternatives. Stores selling replicas violate copyright laws.

Counterfeits: Copies of original products with slight differences. This allows fraudsters to bypass copyright laws that prohibit direct brand replication. For example, they may change the color or add extra details.

Refurbished items: Products with defects or second-hand goods. Fraudsters might buy these and resell them at full price as new items.

Customers typically do not have the opportunity to inspect these products before purchasing. As a result, they buy fakes "blindly," losing money and trust in online stores.

The most common reasons why customers doubt product authenticity include:

• Fraud: For instance, when scammers sell counterfeits as originals in online stores, marketplaces, or classified ads.

• Lack of information about the product and returns: Buyers examine the product page, description, reviews, and return and delivery conditions. If information is missing, they become skeptical about making the purchase.

• Inability to physically inspect the product: In online shopping, customers rely solely on photos and descriptions. Since they can’t handle or inspect the item before purchasing, they can’t verify its authenticity.

• No reputation: If no one knows about the online store or there are no reviews for its products, this raises suspicion.

• Low price: If an item is priced too cheaply, buyers will doubt its authenticity.

Conclusion: Customers are hesitant to buy branded items online because they are unsure about the authenticity of the products. If they can’t physically inspect the product, there’s no detailed description, the price is unusually low, and the store has no reviews or information about delivery, this causes suspicion.

Q: Why are customers hesitant to buy branded items online?
A: They doubt the product’s authenticity.

We have gathered over 750 verified suppliers of authentic branded products, including Poizon, iHerb, Asos, GAP, and Macy’s. They offer brands such as Chanel, Dior, New Balance, Nike, Reebok, Guess, Tommy Hilfiger, and Michael Kors. We analyze supplier prices and compile the best deals into a single catalog.

Our key criteria when selecting suppliers are:

• Authenticity: Products must be genuine and free from defects.

• Price: Prices must be below market value, allowing our partners to profitably sell the products with their own markup.

Conclusion: We work with more than 750 verified suppliers of authentic brands. When selecting suppliers, we focus on product authenticity and price.

We work with suppliers from Germany, the USA, Spain, Poland, the Czech Republic, and other countries. We also collaborate with China, and our sole supplier there is Poizon. Poizon is an international marketplace that sells authentic sneakers, clothing, bags, watches, and accessories from popular brands like Nike, Gucci, Air Jordan, New Balance, Adidas, and Balmain.

Poizon is a highly popular marketplace in China, with an audience of 300 million active users. For comparison: Yandex.Market has about 17 million, Ozon and Wildberries have around 12 million each, Aliexpress has 7 million, and Amazon has 200 million users.

Poizon offers great deals on popular products, such as sneakers. Prices are often lower than in other stores. For example, New Balance 574 Grey White costs $86 on Poizon, while it’s $130 on Asos. The prices are lower because most factories are located in China, reducing logistics and customs costs.

Many global brands, such as Adidas, Nike, Marc Jacobs, and Levi’s, have their own factories in China to save on rent, tax benefits, and employee salaries. This allows Poizon to sell branded products at prices up to 20% lower than in retail stores. Importantly, the marketplace exclusively sells authentic products, with no counterfeits or replicas.

Poizon has its own product verification system called Legit Check. The company’s motto is “Check first, deliver later.” If a product is found to be counterfeit during the inspection, Poizon cancels the order, refunds the buyer, and blacklists the supplier.

Step 1:

Staff inspect the product for defects and flaws.

For example, when checking sneakers, they examine the quality of the box, the shoe's shape, the tongue, and the laces.

For each pair of shoes, Poizon takes at least four photographs: the appearance of the sneakers, the size label, and the side label on the shoe box. These photos are taken by a machine.

Step 2:

Poizon's appraisers check the product for authenticity. Here's what they inspect:

For sneakers: shoe size, stitching, insole glue, steel stamp, and side markings on the shoe box.

For clothing: collar tag, sewn-in label, embroidery, and stitching.

For bags: engraving on hardware, stitch quality, pattern, logo, and lining.

For wristwatches: the crown and hands. Time accuracy is measured using a watch calibration tool.

For cosmetics: seal, fonts on the bottles, logo engraving, and batch number details.

Step 3:

The product undergoes Legit Check, the authenticity verification process. Poizon employees scan the barcode up to three times. If the scanners confirm authenticity, the product passes the check.

If the product fails the authenticity check, Poizon cancels the purchase, refunds the customer, and blacklists the seller who sent the counterfeit.

Step 4:

The product is certified. A certificate and Poizon’s original tag are added to the packaging. The unique number and QR code confirm the product's authenticity.

Step 5:

The product is packaged and shipped to the customer.

4Partners is a dropshipping service that values its partners and reputation.

We've been operating since 2009:

With 15 years in the product business, we manage logistics, source suppliers, and help partners build their own businesses.

We work only with verified suppliers:

We trust every supplier because we have been collaborating with them for over 10 years.

• We deliver products from Europe — Germany, Spain, Latvia, and the Czech Republic. The guarantee of authenticity for these goods is based on European Union laws.

• Products from China are delivered by Poizon, which has its own system for verifying product authenticity.

• For goods from the USA, the guarantee of authenticity is backed by Federal Trade Commission law.

We confirm product authenticity:

Invoices confirm the authenticity of the products and their transfer from the supplier to the buyer. The invoice contains information about the items shipped, the quantity, the recipient, and most importantly, the sender.

Our suppliers are official distributors, companies authorized by manufacturers to sell their products.

We have many positive reviews:

Partner online stores like Shopotam, Eqsla, Dadamart, Happybunny, and Navisale have over 100,000 positive reviews.

We offer refunds:

If a product is defective, we will refund the money within 3-10 days.

Before making a purchase, customers consider the security of the online store and the authenticity of its products.

Offer the customer the following steps:

1. Verify the legal address of the online store. This confirms that the store is official. If issues arise, such as receiving a counterfeit or defective product, the customer can file a complaint to this address or report the issue to consumer protection authorities.

2. Check the product’s barcode after receiving it. The barcode confirms authenticity and shows the country where the product was manufactured.

On websites like Labeltest or Honest Sign (Честный Знак), the customer can verify authenticity by entering the barcode number and clicking "Check." If the barcode is genuine, a green confirmation with the manufacturer’s country will appear.

3. Review the product’s price. Genuine branded products won’t be sold at extremely low prices. For example, a customer won’t find authentic Chanel perfume for $10.

4. Compare the product photos in the online store with those on the brand’s official website. Counterfeit products will likely have differences in packaging and labels, and lack details in the design.

5. Read customer reviews. If reviews include photos, there’s a higher chance they are genuine and not fake.

To convince a customer to buy a product, it's essential to ensure they believe it’s not a counterfeit. We've gathered some recommendations on how to do this effectively, along with ready-made scripts for customer support in case a buyer has concerns.

Create a detailed product description and listing:

In an online store, the customer relies solely on the product description and images. By providing detailed information, such as the materials used, the size, and unique features, the customer is more likely to trust that the product is authentic.

Publish customer reviews:

Reviews are proof of product authenticity from other buyers. The more positive reviews there are, the higher the chance a customer will feel confident in making a purchase.

Build a strong reputation:

By setting up advertising, more people will become aware of your online store, start purchasing products, leaving reviews, and recommending your store to friends. This way, your customers will help convince others of the authenticity of your products.

Prepare response scripts:

Customers may contact support with various questions about the product, such as how to return a defective item or what quality guarantees the store provides. Your task is to respond quickly, help resolve the issue, and reassure the customer that the product is authentic.

Use the ready-made scripts from our team:

All of our products come from Europe and the USA, where counterfeits are illegal. Our suppliers are based in these countries and comply with EU and Federal Trade Commission regulations.

We work with suppliers from Europe and the USA—this is our primary guarantee of quality. Counterfeits are prohibited by law in these countries. When you receive the product, you can verify it on the manufacturer's website. The product will have a batch code, a serial number on the bottom of the box or bottle, a barcode, or a QR code. If the product turns out to be fake, send us a video of the unboxing and photos of the barcode, and we will refund your money. But rest assured, such cases have never occurred in our store!

It’s simple: each product has a barcode or QR code. You can go to the brand's website and verify the serial number, or you can use the Labeltest website.

We’ve never encountered such situations in our store. But if it does happen, of course we will refund your money. You will need to send a video of the unboxing and photos of the barcode.