That’s not a quote from another Naomi Klein screed but the catchy title of an article in Wired about westerners buying imitation jeans in Thailand and then selling them to other westerners back home over eBay. Instead of foreigners deciding to become drug mules to fund their stay in Thailand, they now act as clothing merchants.
With the ability to connect and transact with individuals overseas with a few clicks of a mouse, and being able to mail out small quantities - if they wish - of merchandise to their respective buyers, it is no wonder more people are turning to this moneymaking opportunity.
The potential for high profit margins is big. Knock-off jeans bought from Bangkok’s Mah Boon Krong mall by Aaron, one of the people profiled in the article, cost him around $15 and could be sold for between $45 and $100, plus shipping.
The risks involved are also quite low. On the Thailand side any crackdown on counterfeits is more likely to be felt by the manufacturers and store fronts, and in any case is directed more at the sale of pirated DVDs and software. With a total of 89 million listings on eBay, it is extremely difficult to police the sale of items violating copyright laws.
And as along as there will be willing customers who don’t mind buying “good quality” imitations, the selling of a tuk-tuk load of newly purchased merchandise should not pose an insurmountable problem.