The financiers of the Palermo Provincial Command, thanks to the extensive investigative activities carried out in the sector of combating counterfeiting, have confiscated more than 10,000 Pumpkin (which is 3,000 in a toy shop in a famous shopping center in Palermo). The soft toy, originally designed by a Hong Kong artist and sold worldwide by toy production and sales giant Pop Mart, quickly became a real trend, creating a surge in purchases after being worn on social media by international music and film stars.
Fake Labubu investigation
In particular, Green Basques from the Pronto Impiego Group, through an analysis of the distribution and sales of toys in Palermo and based on constant monitoring From the social profiles created by operators in the sector, they identified seven commercial businesses that also own the iconic soft toys, focusing mainly on the selling price, considering that original toys, depending on the type and size, are sold at prices ranging from around 35 euros to several thousand euros for less common or limited edition items.
Fighting counterfeiting in Palermo
After a preliminary inspection carried out in the identified toy stores, the financier selected seven, which, due to the prices charged, invoices and product packaging, were of particular interest. suspicious about its originality and origins. Inspections carried out at seven commercial establishments revealed that almost all Labubu cases were perfect imitations of the originals, made with lower quality materials but reproduced with such care that it made it difficult for the average buyer to distinguish genuine specimens from fakes.
Fake pumpkins are difficult to distinguish from the original
These products, purchased without invoices from unauthorized channels or from e-commerce platforms, are mostly large-scale distributions, sold at prices slightly lower than the prices charged for genuine and reported products. logoscolors and packaging completely similar to the latter, often accompanied by inappropriate or completely falsified labels and identification codes. These elements, combined with the fact that, in some cases, the shops that offer them for sale specialize in all kinds of original toys and from the most well-known brands, can certainly make potential buyers think that it is a genuine product sold at a favorable price.
The store with the highest number of fake Pumpkins is part of a well-known distribution chain
Specifically, in one case, Green Basque’s intervention was carried out in a toy store belonging to a well-known distribution network and located within the city’s shopping center. Precisely in this commercial place larger amount fake dolls, as many as 3000 between the store and the warehouse, where many cartons full of pumpkins and packaging boxes were found, a clear sign that the shop workers also created surprise packages, which became very popular thanks to their distribution through blind boxes, namely surprise boxes, which eventually created a real buying addiction for collectors all over the world.
