Avoiding fakes at August Bank Holiday car boot sales and markets

Bank holiday bargain hunters are being reminded how to avoid buying counterfeit goods when visiting car boot sales and markets over the weekend.

Counterfeit goods can pose significant risks to both consumers and legitimate businesses and cost the UK economy an estimated £9 billion every year.

Common fakes include counterfeit hair styling products that can cause electric shock, fake designer makeup which can contain dangerous prohibited chemicals and fake designer clothes and footwear which can shrink or fall apart. They all cost honest businesses dearly, and put jobs at risk.

To help people spot fakes, Staffordshire County Council’s Trading Standards team are reminding people to look out for the ‘3 Ps’:

• Price: If the price looks too good to be true, it probably is.

• Packaging: If the product is being sold without its packaging, or the packaging appears to be of low quality, or includes printing errors (for example, blurry pictures, typos, spelling, or grammatical errors) it is probably counterfeit.

• Place: Consider where the product is being sold. Ask yourself if you would normally expect to find the product sold in this type of environment. Deal only with legitimate, established retailers.

Victoria Wilson, Cabinet Member responsible for Trading Standards at Staffordshire County Council said: "We all love a bargain and car boot sales can be the ideal place to pick one up.  But, if you end up with a fake or faulty product, you’ll not only end up out of pocket, but you could end up with items that could be dangerous.

“Fake products may seem harmless, but they are ultimately the responsibility of organized criminal networks operating both within the UK and overseas. These same criminals engage in drug smuggling, human trafficking, and other serious crimes. Think carefully about who you want to give your hard-earned money to.

“Following the advice from our Trading Standards team should help keep you safe and help support law abiding businesses at the same time.  We do rely on reports from the public so please report the sale of such goods to the team.”

For more information and guidance on consumer rights and protection, visit the Staffordshire Trading Standards website. 

People can also report sales of counterfeit goods by calling the anonymous Staffordshire Fight the Fakes line on 01785 330356. Or Report it Online: Trading Standards Report It