20% of the online goods are fake, claims study

Truth: One out of every five products being sold online like Amazon, Flipkart, Paytm Mall or Snapdeal is turning out to be fake. That’s 20-22% of goods received by customers from leading online shoppers in the past six months.

According to a survey conducted on a sample size of 30,000 by Local Circles, a community network focused on governance and urban daily life. When questioned which e-commerce site ships the highest percentage of fake goods?

The respondents pointed to
Snapdeal 37%
Flipkart 22%
Paytm Mall 21%
Amazon 20%.
The most fakes among the product categories are
Fragrances and cosmetics top the list with 35%
Sporting goods 22%
Bags 8%

Not only locally, globally too phony products are a major challenge for the likes of Alibaba and Amazon with the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative warning affiliates of China's Alibaba group to check the rise of fake or fake goods making their way into America. The endemic reflects the industry-wide challenge of operating a marketplace with third-party sellers on a large scale.

At a time when e-tailers are in the final leg of their festive sale season trying to achieve higher sales of goods, virtually at any cost—a reason many believe is an enabler for several sellers to quickly ship goods, bogus at times, to meet higher demands—here’s hoping your receipt’s free of deception!