Canon have released the results of a survey that reveals in 2013 about 18% of the consumer buying public unknowingly bought counterfeit or fake branded canon products. On top of this Canon reports that 12% of people knowingly bought fake products in 2013 because, according to the research, there is a general perception that fake products are of the same quality as real products. Elaborating further the report states that:
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Millennials surveyed were five times more likely than the Baby Boomers surveyed to purchase fake goods. iii
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While the majority of millennials (72 percent) surveyed consider themselves very knowledgeable in identifying a counterfeit consumer electronics product, about one in four continues to unknowingly buy one.
Although respondents cited performance and safety as their main concerns when choosing to buy electronic goods it also seems that there is a lack of understanding about the potential dangers of a fake product. A fake part might start a fire or harm other components in the camera. Fake batteries have been linked to being the cause behind house fires and to having a toxic effect on the user, but a lack of publicity keeps consumers unaware of the very real dangers potentially present in buying fakes, which will not have passed through the quality control process.
Overwhelmingly it seems batteries are the most commonly copied product and although having resources available online telling consumers what the real canon hologram looks like a lack of education or awareness is still catching buyers out, no matter what age group they are. Then again as shown on Canon’s websites some of the copies are incredibly tough to spot.
PopPhoto make a good point in noting that Canon have only released the standout results of the survey:
Unfortunately, the full study wasn’t released, so there’s a lot we don’t know about how Canon crunched these numbers. For example, if 18% of consumers don’t know they bought counterfeit goods, how did Canon get that number? Was it based on overall sale of counterfeits, minus those who knowingly purchased them?
Therefore it is not entirely clear how much faith to put in the figures released by Canon. Still with well made fakes creeping up from time to time even on respected sites like Amazon ( normally in purchase choices that say fulfilled by Amazon rather than sold by Amazon) it shows that fakes are becoming ubiquitous and why it is increasingly important to buy from trusted sources.
What do you think? Have you ever deliberately bought a fake?
