New Zealand – August 5 -- A potentially dangerous knock-off chainsaw sold on a local auction website has triggered calls to only buy from reputable distributers.
John Hudson, a correspondent for TV ONE's Sunday programme, found a counterfeit Stihl chainsaw being sold as the legitimate product on Trade Me.
Hudson traced the fake Stihl chainsaw all the way back to a sweatshop in regional China where he quizzed staff about the potentially dangerous fakes.
Winifried Mickely of Stihl in China says "you could consider this organised crime".
"There are many provincial, or lower level authorities which do not really take high efforts to stop this business," Mickely said.
Further investigation by TV ONE's Sunday programme has found that extraordinary numbers of counterfeit products are regularly being seized at New Zealand borders.
New Zealand Customs spokesman Shane Panetiere said nearly all the counterfeit products they seize have originated in China.
While a large number come from Hong Kong, "probably 80% to 85% of counterfeits are sourced from China", Panetiere said.
Fake iPhones, MAC makeup and Gucci sunglasses are among the counterfeit items which have been collected by Customs.
China has anti-counterfeit laws but the fines are just three times the value of the goods seized, with the rewards for such counterfeits usually exceeding such punishment.
http://www.tvnz.co.nz
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