As long as there has been a market for consumer goods, there has also been a section that has demanded counterfeit goods. You can go back as far as the 18th Century when there was a great demand for the precious materials such as gold, silver and copper. People would pass off inferior metal as the precious materials in an attempt to profit from the fake metals. This document will examine the impact fake products have on the consumer market. Cost, Quality and the keeping up the joneses all contribute to the proliferation of fake goods.

The main reason that there is such a demand for counterfeit goods is the cost. Often times fake products are sold for a fraction of their true value. This is extremely popular with a segment of the society that is unable to afford the real thing. When expensive high end products are released likes designer clothing, designer bags, certain electronic devices and jewelry; there is sure to be a knock off waiting to be purchased also. When an original product is released and it is a hit on the market, then the counterfeit is sure to follow. People would rather spend money on a product that costs one tenth the cost of the products true price. This enables people to still feel as if they have bought a wonderful new product for a fraction of the price.

The quality of fake goods is another reason many people continue to purchase and invest in fake products. Many times you have shabby production and the imitation goods live up to their reputation as being an inferior product. However this is changing as counterfeit products are becoming harder to spot. This is due to the fact that the quality has reached to a level where to an untrained eye; there is no difference between the two. This is bad news for owners of the original products, as they are competing with a product that is similar in production design, yet a lot cheaper in price.

Keeping up with the Joneses has been on of the major reasons for people investing in fake products, Many people feel as if they have to have certain products in order to be among the trendsetters in society. Even if they cannot afford it, they will still spend their money to attain this product. Fake goods can help people to be in the race, as it is cheap, but still gives the impression that they have it.

In the end there will always be a market for counterfeit goods. There will be a segment of society that can afford the original products and another segment who will gladly buy the fake one. This is because the cost is usually a lot less than the real thing. With the quality of the goods reaching a level where it is almost the same, people will still continue to purchase it. Finally there is keeping up with the Joneses which will always push people to have the latest product even if they cannot afford it.