A company called Blue Sky Distribution has warned Takealot that it will seek criminal prosecution against the platform and its chairperson after allegedly allowing counterfeits of a RapidLash-branded product on its platform.
RapidLash is a trademarked eyelash hair loss serum developed by an American company and distributed exclusively by Blue Sky in South Africa. The product has not been authorized for sale on the platform, yet counterfeits were regularly found there. Blue Sky apparently sells the serum only through licensed professionals and had informed the platform of this. In a recent segment on Carte Blanche, one of the knock-offs was purchased by Blue Sky through Takealot as a test and sent to RapidLash headquarters in California. RapidLash’s tests found that the product sold through Takealot was indeed a fake, comprised mostly of water.
When Blue Sky contacted Takealot to provide details about the counterfeit — including who the merchant was and how much was sold, Takealot provided some vague information, which has led them down this path. Despite the lack of help, they tracked down the vendor who sold them the fake.
RapidLash’s attorneys in South Africa, Adams & Adams, served her with a cease and desist letter. The vendor has confessed to trading in counterfeit goods as part of a civil case against her and that the next step is a criminal case.
Blue Sky also intends to subpoena the platform to provide proof of efforts to prevent counterfeit sales and disclose the volume of fakes sold.
The issue of counterfeits extends beyond this case, as other companies have faced similar challenges on other major e-commerce sites.
Takealot may be stung by this, and will most certainly increase efforts to prevent counterfeit items from being sold on the platform.
Lesson for today? Do not buy counterfeit goods for resale in South Africa.
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