LOUISVILLE, Ky. — From September 1 to November 27, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers in Louisville seized 164 shipments containing counterfeit goods worth more than $95 million, a 75% increase from this same time period last year.
Officers have been seizing counterfeit designer bags, jewelry, shoes sunglasses and much more. The products, if authentic, would have a manufacturer suggested retail price of more than $95.6 million. Ths is roughly $582,000 per shipment, and during this holiday season this threat is not going away.
During these seizures, CBP officers work with CBP’s Consumer Products and Mass Merchandising Centers for Excellence and Expertise, the agency’s trade experts to verify through the trademark holder that the products are counterfeit.
“Driven by the rise in E-commerce, the market for counterfeit goods in the United States has shifted in recent years from one in which consumers often knowingly purchased counterfeits to one in which counterfeiters try to deceive consumers into buying goods they believe are authentic,” Louisville Port Director Thomas Mahn said. “Often times the counterfeits are priced competitively just below a genuine product to avoid scrutiny by the consumer. The consumers are unaware that they’re buying a dangerous product as the Counterfeit is just that good.”
Learn more about CBP at CBP.gov.
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