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.The counterfeit market |
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| When it comes to delicate
subjects, Thailand has to deal with more than
its fair share. Along with drugs and prostitution
there's also a flourishing counterfeit market.
The sale of fake luxury goods is on view all
over Bangkok and is often the sole means of
income for some of the street vendors. |
| ©
http://www.bangkok-thailand.org |
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| One of many stalls offering
copies of brand name watches in the Patpong
night market, Bangkok. |
 Before
buying any fake European or American goods
and taking them home, it's worth checking
out the laws in your country. In France for
example, it's strictly forbidden to bring
any counterfeit goods into the country. Customs
and Excise state that any import, export or
simple possession of fake goods is strictly
against the law regardless of whether they've
been obtained from within or outside the EEC,
even if it's for your own personal use. The
laws have been tightened and the purchase
of a fake brand can lead to immediate confiscation
of the item, large fines and even legal proceedings.
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| .A
Rolex for 2,000 baht ! |
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>> Finding fake goods
in Bangkok is pretty easy, just head for the
busy areas and take in the street stalls there,
you'll find them without having to look too
hard and even if you don't find them, they'll
find you! There is every possible kind available,
impossible to miss - they're everywhere, even
in the most unexpected places. Not only do
they have a strong appeal for the tourists,
the locals also love to kit themselves out
with a nice copy at a bargain price.
The most obvious place to buy these fakes
is in the streets. The street hawkers lay
out the perfectly replicated luxury goods
(to the untrained eye) on their precarious
tables. "What do you need? A scarf, sports
shoes, a watch? OK a watch!" The 'business
man' gives his sales patter about the quality
of the goods backed-up with pictures from
the official catalogues. If by chance he doesn't
happen to have the exact model you've chosen
(from the brochures), don't panic, it's in
the 'warehouse' and an assistant will run
off to find one. If it's music and videos
you're after, the street stalls are often
vast and well stocked with the latest releases,
even albums you can't find in the main outlets
or films that haven't appeared in the cinemas
yet. The same can be found for handbags, jeans,
T-shirts, Polo shirts...
Even more curious are the specialists, the
respectable shops along the main avenues of
Bangkok that sell a whole range of a brand
of products under the official logo. In the
same way, in the heart of the 'Computer Mecca'
- Pantip Plaza in Bangkok, you'll find little
shops selling pirate software compilations
made to order for just a handful of Baht (around
150). And in the same league, note the hypermarkets
that follow suit with their fake reproductions.
Internationally recognised labels above the
shelves offer promotions on the counterfeit
goods (like a famous brand of sunglasses for
example). (/LA) |
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Version française de
cet article 
|
| Shopping |
 Le
besoin
de se
sentir
exister 
 Mon
hyper
est
vraiment
super
 Damnoen
Saduak
Floating
Market
 Counterfeit
market -
A Rolex for
2,000 B!
 Night
market - Steamy nights in
Patpong
 The
charms of
Taling Chan Floating
Market
 Small
business
- Street
stalls of
Bangkok
 Chatu
Chak,
the reference
of the popular
market
 Pantip
Plaza: Bangkok's
Computer
City
 Business
-
Battery
cockroaches
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