Where to buy fake goods in Bangkok?

Somebody recently posted a question on a forum asking where to buy fake goods in Bangkok. Well, that made me smile because you just have to step outside your Hotel. You don`t even have to go far. In fact personally I think it is very difficult to tell the genuine goods from the fake goods because they fake it so well!

I visited the fake markets when I was in Bangkok in 2006. I bought DVD`s, PlayStation games,T-shirts,Perfume and electronics. Let me tell you what my experience was. The T-shirts were excellent quality. The colour didn`t fade, it didn`t shrink or stretched. It was good material and lasted for many years.

The DVD`s were good quality. I think out of the bunch I only had a handful that wasn`t good quality. The PlayStation games  were not compatible with our PlayStation in South Africa and we had to make a small modification in order for them to work.

Perfume and electronics in Bangkok.

The perfume and electronics were a different story. When I sampled the perfume I was handed a bottle of Estee Lauder `Beautiful`. It smelled exactly like the original and the price was very good. Estee Lauder perfume is normally a little oily when you feel it on your fingers. It was genuine. I was handed a closed box that looked exactly like the original Estee Lauder perfume boxes and I was happily handing over my money. When I arrived back home, I opened the box only to find a watery liquid! It didn`t smell at all like the perfume that I was trying on in Bangkok.

I decided to treat myself and bought a new I-pod and car kit. Well, the I-pod was beautiful and I was very happy with my purchase. It was a long flight from Bangkok to Johannesburg and by the time we landed my new I-Pod was dead. How strange I thought. The Apple I-pod is known for its long life battery. I charged it back home but after 1 hour it was dead.

The following week I took it in and asked them to have a look. What could be wrong with my new I-Pod? The guy had a good look at it, asked me where I purchased it and called another guy. He went over to the counter and took out another I-Pod. I nearly collapsed when he told me that my purchase was in fact NOT an original but a fake. A very good fake. How could he tell the difference? My I-Pod had 4 screws at the back and an original doesn`t have any screws.

Eventually it just died. I bought a new original I-Pod from an authorized Apple store a year later.

Where to buy fake goods:

• Pat Pong Road (night market)
• MBK Shopping Center (that is where I bought most of the things)
• Sukhimvit
• Suan Lum Night Bazaar
• “Radar” in Pratenam (Fake Diesel shoes)

On a more serious note. I read a book the other day called `Gomorrah` by Roberto Saviano. The book discusses fake goods in great detail and cheap labor that goes along with it. I started to think differently about fake clothing and who is suffering in the process. Yet, there is a market and people keep on buying.