Fakes can be better than the real thing? Don't buy it!

IN 2013, the World Customs Organisation reported that over 84 per cent of counterfeits seized originated from China. These counterfeits did not come only from the category of fashion products but also included such categories as pharmaceuticals that many would deem as potentially harmful to users. International AntiCounterfeiting Coalition (IACC), the watchdog for retail industry with over 250 members including Apple, Cisco Systems and Chanel, reported that the estimated value of cross-border trade on counterfeits is over US$1.7 trillion.

For several years, Alibaba's online marketplace Taobao - the largest Chinese online platform - has tolerated the selling of counterfeits. Under pressure from many luxury brands, Alibaba vowed to fight counterfeits by joining I…