The psychology behind buying fakes

Beyond price

It is easy to assume people buy fakes only because they are cheaper. Research suggests the motives are more varied, and often social.

A study published in the Journal of Marketing Research found that social motives, such as wanting to make a certain impression on others, play a large part in whether people want counterfeit luxury brands (Wilcox, Kim and Sen, “Why Do Consumers Buy Counterfeit Luxury Brands?”, 2009).

Common motives

• Status: the logo signals belonging or success, whatever the quality behind it
• Resentment of high prices: some buyers see fakes as a protest against luxury pricing
• Situational ethics: people who would never steal may not see buying a fake as wrong
• Curiosity and trend-following: trying a look before committing to the real thing

Three kinds of buyers

• Deceived buyers, who believe they are paying for the real thing
• Complicit buyers, who know or strongly suspect the item is fake
• Deliberate seekers, who look for fakes on purpose as a cheap alternative

Authentication tools exist mainly for the first group: people who want the genuine item and deserve to know what they are buying.

Finding out changes how people feel

Learning that something is fake can change how a buyer feels about it. People often feel let down or misled, enjoy the item less and start noticing quality problems they had overlooked.

Why it matters beyond the wallet

Counterfeits skip the safety testing genuine products go through, which matters most for cosmetics, chargers and toys. Reports by the OECD and the EU Intellectual Property Office have also linked counterfeit trade to organised crime.