Where there is a popular product, you can guarantee there’ll be a copycat.
It’s always happened, particularly in fast-moving industries like fashion. You used to be able to easily tell a fake from the real deal, but these days the quality can make it hard to know if you’ve been duped. Of course, there are some times when copycats are a great way to save money. But most of the time, you could be risking more than a waste of cash. Whether you’re buying for yourself or a gift for someone else, here’s why you should think twice about getting a dupe online.
Keep reading for more detail on each of these points, but the quick summary is that copycats often don’t undergo the same safety testing, adhere to UK regulations, employ unethical labour and are lower quality. This means you’re not only wasting money if something cheap breaks and you need to buy another, but risking your health and supporting unethical manufacturing by buying dupes.
In addition, many brands have been called out for outright stealing designs from small independent businesses, taking business away from them knowing that the indie business owner usually hasn’t got the legal firepower to fight back.
Electrical items, such as hairdryers, straighteners, and even wellness products like red light therapy masks that aren’t made in the UK may not adhere to our safety standards. This means your item is at risk of damage or causing a fire when plugged in. Our voltage is higher than other parts of the world, so buying from an international company that has not had rigorous testing and approval for UK safety standards puts your own safety at risk.
There are very strict rules about what can go into cosmetics in the UK. This is because ingredients need to be traceable and batches marked, just like with food, in case a batch needs to be recalled. Cosmetics are one of the biggest copycat or dupe sellers online – a scroll through Instagram will see many products advertised in your feed without you even trying to find them. However, without regulated ingredients, you don’t know what you’re actually putting on your skin. Or, worse, with ‘health supplements’, what you’re putting in your body! This means you could be at risk of rashes, dermatitis, or even burns from acidic ingredients.
That cheap dress looks amazing the first time you wear it… but then you wash it. And even though you’ve washed it according to instructions, it’s now half the size! More than that, buying cheap copycat clothes online means you can’t guarantee the sizing is correct, or that there is a legitimate returns process for things you’re unhappy with. So, when your new jumper shrinks the first time you wash it, you’ve wasted money because you’re left with a too-small and out of shape garment and no way to get a refund.
One of the most important things to know about copycat products is the reason they’re so cheap. Labour laws are different internationally, and many will allow poor practices that abuse human rights. Sweat shops still exist and they could be making your amazing cut-price dupe. Not buying these knockoff products will go some way to not funding the trade that abuses many workers’ rights across the world.
Finally, copycats coming from abroad set you up for two costly possibilities. The first is customs charges, where postage or customs fees are not paid by the seller and your parcel is held to ransom by the Post Office until you pay up. Parcels can also take weeks and weeks to arrive, as items are literally shipped rather than flown by expensive air freight.
The second is worse: your parcel doesn’t arrive at all! If you’re scammed by an overseas seller, it can be very hard to get your money back. There are some ways to claim a refund through your payment provider, but it’s a long process with no guarantee that you’ll get the cash back at the end of it.
There is one final scam: an item you didn’t pay for is sent instead. The seller will send a parcel that’s got barely anything in it, a cheap item and lots of packaging. When you try to claim that you didn’t receive your parcel, they have the tracking to prove delivery – and it’s very hard to prove that you haven’t made a false claim about it being the wrong item. The seller retains your cash, you’re without your item, and both payment provider and delivery courier can’t prove who is right.
As you’ve seen, most copycats are not good. However, supermarkets are a prime example of why dupes can be a good moneysaving tactic. Some even lean into it – we’ve all seen the Aldi adverts of: “I like this (brand) one, but I like this (Aldi) one, too”. It’s great marketing but there’s also a good reason behind why you should pay attention to own-brand copycats when you go grocery shopping. Many of these dupes are, in fact, made in the same factory as the branded version!
That’s right, they use very similar recipes and are made in the same place as the brands. In addition, a lot of the own-brand ‘dupes’ are actually subsidiary companies of the name-brand it ‘copies’. For example, Hula Hoops and Aldi’s own-brand Snackrite Hoops are both made by KP Snacks! The key thing here is that products are manufactured in the UK, sold widely in physical stores, and adhere to all UK food and sales regulations – so you know the product is safe to use.
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