What are marketplace counterfeits?

Marketplace counterfeits are listings on third-party marketplaces and social shops that sell fakes or misuse a brand’s name and images. They can be outright replicas, copies that use your photos, or gray-market goods sold as new.

How common is it

Global trade in counterfeit goods was worth about $467 billion in 2021, according to a May 2025 report by the OECD and the EU Intellectual Property Office. Clothing, footwear, leather goods and electronics are among the most affected categories.

Who it hits

Branded consumer goods with strong demand, especially apparel, footwear, accessories, beauty and electronics.

What it costs

Lost sales, price pressure on your own channels, and damage to your reputation when buyers blame your brand for poor-quality fakes. Counterfeit health and beauty products can also be unsafe.

How to prevent it

• Register your brand and trademarks with the marketplaces you sell on.

• Monitor listings for your brand name and images.

• File takedowns with evidence, and track repeat sellers.

• Publish an authorized seller list so customers know where to buy.

FAQ

Are all unauthorized sellers selling fakes?

No. Some sell genuine gray-market goods. Counterfeits are fakes, and those can be taken down for trademark infringement.

Do marketplaces remove counterfeit listings?

Most have brand protection programs and takedown processes, but sellers often relist under new names, so monitoring needs to be ongoing.