the real danger of counterfeits at Christmas

In Strasbourg, in the aisles of the Christmas market, garlands and chalets shine brightly in the winter night. The smell of mulled wine, the gigantic fir tree on Place Kléber and the figurines delight visitors. Among them, some are already thinking about the gifts they will give or receive.

“The Nintendo Switch 2 games console for car racing,” hopes Natheo, 11, who came from the Vosges with his parents. “A Dyson straightener for my hair,” recalls Anna, a student in the Alsatian capital.

21 million counterfeits in 2024

Games console, hair straighteners, Dubai-style chocolate (filled with pistachio paste)… Very fashionable, these products will soon be found under the French Christmas tree. But be careful! The more successful an item is, the more likely it is to be counterfeited, whether in part or in full. All over the world, networks of counterfeiters make millions of copies. “Counterfeiting affects all products on the market, from a simple bag to an automobile part and even a battery,” explains Yann Ambach, head of commercial policy at French customs. Before Christmas, it particularly concerns toys and perfumes.”

In the age of online sales, fraudulent products blend into the endless flow of goods. In 2024, there were no less than 21 million counterfeits in France, compared to 12 million in 2022. From October to December, the phenomenon gets out of control, because the quantity of products on sale explodes to satisfy consumers.

Sprawling sectors

However, French customs are watching. At the beginning of November, nearly 1,600 agents intercepted 82,000 fake perfume bottles during a sting operation carried out across France. In September, they had already seized 56,000 fake toys and stuffed animals in freight centers in the Paris region. Among the goods, fake Labubu, these funny plush figurines with big ears and pointy teeth. Since college students love them, they have become the stars of counterfeiting, to the great dismay of their official manufacturer, the Chinese Popmart.

Ironically, customs estimate that 80% of counterfeits come from China, where, as early as the 1980s, factories were producing cheap copies to catch up with the country’s industrial backwardness. But the sectors are now globalized. Italian, Balkan or Asian mafias obtain their supplies from China and pass the packages through the ports of Antwerp, Belgium, Le Havre, France, etc. Since the 2000s, they have also obtained their supplies from Turkey, the new El Dorado of counterfeiting, where controls are rare. “Often, products arrive in pieces and clandestine workshops assemble them in Europe to avoid seizure. Many are in the Paris suburbs,” continues Yann Ambach.

These products are then sold in markets, on the street or… in Christmas chalets. But counterfeiters also put their versions of Labubu or the latest Paco Rabanne perfume on online platforms. Less scrupulous than Amazon, the Chinese giants Shein, AliExpress and TikTok host external traders of sometimes dubious origins. They transport products via millions of small packages. “In France, at Roissy airport, Chinese packages pass by every seven seconds on a conveyor belt. Customs cannot check them all,” recalls MP Christophe Blanchet (Modem), co-author of a parliamentary report on the evaluation of the fight against counterfeiting.

At Action or Noz

The counterfeiting virus does not spare mass distribution. “If traditional supermarket chains obtain their supplies from purchasing centers with well-established circuits, clearance stores, such as Action and Noz, carry out one-off operations and their supply chain is unstable. Without knowing it, they sometimes put counterfeits on sale,” reveals Marc Filser, economist specializing in consumption. Some specialized sales platforms also sell these items without their knowledge, because they have fewer resources than the Web giants to control their origin.

So, what to do if the Switch console, expected at the foot of the tree, is out of stock? First, be wary of Chinese platforms and specialized sites offering it at knockdown prices. Choose official stores and sites, checking the brand name and logo on the packaging. These precautions will prevent you from risking poisoning with a dangerous perfume and, what is more, financing a criminal network. On December 25, the smile of a loved one is worth gold. But the batteries of the new remote-controlled car should not go flat.