Iran a Haven for Counterfeit Smugglers; No Genuine Brands in Market / What You See Are Chinese Copies

Contrary to the common belief that genuine brands can be bought from luxury shops and large malls, surveys show that no original products exist in the market, and their number is so small that it should not be taken seriously.

According to Ambassador Arjan, most of us like to have clothes, sports equipment, cologne, cosmetics, electronic products, home accessories, bags and shoes from the world's original brands. But is it possible to put a bank card in your pocket, go to a luxury store and buy one of these?

Ambassador Arjan has examined this issue by examining the market and talking to sellers and experts. Our findings show that most of the goods in the market, despite all the fancy and courier advertisements surrounding them, are not original and we cannot be sure of their authenticity. But this indescribable appetite for brand wear has left the market open for all kinds of violations.

Acknowledgment of sellers to sew Turkish clothes in Iran

In recent years, Iranians have faced a decrease in purchasing power day by day, month by month and year by year. Once they were able to simply travel to other countries and buy clothes and accessories from famous brands. Not so long ago, a part of providing clothing was done in such a way that a person who was neither a businessman nor knew what the chamber of commerce was called, brought suitcases of clothes from different countries and hung them on the door and wall of his shop. All these items were original and the customer was satisfied with his purchase. But these days the situation is different.

After the rise of the exchange rate and the decrease in the value of the Iranian currency, traders, brokers and smugglers used new tactics to keep the market demand alive and the thirst for buying dynamic.

One of the sellers of Turkish clothes says: Maybe the fabric of these clothes comes from Türkiye, but the sewing is actually done in Iran. Of course, these days even fabric is not supplied from Türkiye and comes from other places. Because its total cost makes the final price of the clothes staggering and no one is willing to pay 60 million tomans for a t-shirt, for example.

Maybe the fabric of these clothes comes from Türkiye, but its sewing is actually done in Iran. Of course, these days even fabric is not supplied from Turkey and comes from other places

Another seller who claims to sell brand colognes, when I asked him about the quality of his products, he said: Madam, are you willing to pay 300 million for a cologne?

Comparing the cologne he was selling with the actual samples from the same brand, I noticed that these names are all fake, and for example, Chanel, which is also sold in the subway, is not Chanel.

But why, even though we Iranians know that these products are fake, why do we buy them, and why are foreign brands not present in Iran, while the Iranian community shows its interest in using their products?

I went to one of the economic experts to reveal the behind the scenes of this matter. Ironically, neither sanctions nor political issues seem to be involved. Rather, the profit-making that happens in the process of selling fake and smuggled goods has made us Iranians accustomed to second-hand goods in the world's markets, and it is enough to have a Zara brand on our clothes to be deceived and give the same to others.

In this regard, the university professor and economic expert told Ambassador Arjan: Basically, we don't have any foreign brands in Iran, and the samples that are thought to be original brands in stores are actually not original. It is enough to do a price comparison to make it clear that we do not have a main brand in the market for cosmetics, clothing and even household appliances.

Albert Baghzian added: After the revolution, due to cultural, social and economic conditions, none of the world's famous brands were present in Iran, and what we see in the market is not original. Some of these products are imported from the UAE, branded and the names of famous brands are pasted on the products and sold in Iran.

We don't have copyright, they can't sue us

Stating that China copies most of these famous modified brands and sends them to the Iranian market, he continued: The original price of the brands is several times what we pay in Iran, for example, for Nike shoes or Versace clothes. Our merchants in China order in bulk, and since there is no official copyright category in our country, that foreign brand cannot complain about copying its goods. And maybe even he is happy to repeat his brand name and the attention of Iranian customers.

Our merchants in China order in bulk, and because the category of copyright is not official in our country, that foreign brand cannot complain about copying its goods.

According to the economic expert, the institution that should check the originality of these goods, i.e. the Iranian customs, is actually failing in this field and there must be hands at work that allow this amount of fake sex to enter the Iranian market in the name of world famous brands.

Baghzian emphasized: On the other hand, the decrease in people's purchasing power has fueled this issue. I, an Iranian, who has a monthly salary of 400 dollars, cannot spend a thousand dollars on a pair of Nike shoes. In the past, Iranians got to know foreign goods earlier than their neighbors. Before the revolution, when the national income was high, Iran's market was full of authentic and not fake foreign goods, but today it does not have the power to buy them. For this reason, businessmen go to China, order copies in bulk and bring them to the market.

Citing an example, he pointed to the mobile side products that are sold even at low prices in the metro, while the mobile itself is expensive and is associated with significant price growth every day.

The government has abandoned the market of brands

The economic expert also pointed out the psychological need of the consumer to have the original material and added: the fact that people like to have appliances and equipment from famous brands but do not have the purchasing power has caused fake Chinese goods to fill the market.

Baghzian believes that in the current situation, the government is not concerned about this issue. As long as the exchange rate is like this, only very wealthy families can buy foreign brand goods from exotic and luxury shops in Tehran, and the rest of the people will turn to fake and Chinese goods.

He added: "It is the duty of the Ministry of Security and Customs to monitor the quality of goods and its health quality category, but when they say that we have 35 billion dollars of smuggling goods, this smuggling is the same goods that are sold to people under the name of brand goods. In fact, due to the high price, there is a demand to buy cheap goods even if they are fake, and the government seems to have abandoned this situation and is not interested in changing it."

When they say that we have 35 billion dollars in smuggling of goods, this smuggling is the same goods that are sold to people under the name of brand goods. In fact, due to the high price, there is a demand to buy cheap goods even if they are fake, and the government seems to have abandoned this situation and is not interested in changing it.

These days, there are stores in Tehran's malls claiming to sell brand products exclusively. They say that not only do they not sell copies, but they are original. They may offer significant prices even for affluent customers, but remember that the authenticity of these items has not been confirmed by any institution. Visit the website of the brands and see if the manager of one of them will simply smile if you see his products in Iran or not? It seems that in such economic conditions as we have, knowingly buying from Iranian brands, whether foreign in appearance but actually Chinese, is the best option for us Iranians.