Ronan O’Brien, ceo of Ireland’s biggest online fancy dress shop www.TheCostumeShop.ie, shares his opinion on the growing presence of fake and counterfeit product in the party market.
A Big Problem
“Counterfeits are a huge problem, especially online where a licensed photo can be used to sell counterfeit goods. Customers are correct to shop around for the best value, but its impossible for them to discern if the items have met the safety standards.”
Educated Risk
“The party industry has become very competitive, people who sell fakes make a conscious calculated decision based on the information they have. If they have got away with very obviously selling fakes for several years and got nothing bar a solicitor’s letter with zero follow through, then they can make an educated decision that it’s a risk worth taking.”
Power To Prosecute
“We have frequently reported counterfeiters in the past. The feedback from the large costume companies was that the sellers were too small to be able to pay the court costs associated with prosecution or that the websites were too big and valuable accounts for them to cut off.”
Customer Service
“We do try to educate customers, as in the past we have had customers bring up price differences on other websites. In these instances the best we could offer was a letter from the manufacturer explaining the website in question was not selling the official costume.”
