Alibaba Is the Biggest Online Clothing Marketplace in the World, and Is Full of Fake Yeezys, Givenchy, and Everything Else

One of the world's biggest e-commerce sites is also one of the biggest homes for counterfeit and straight-up fake designer goods.

September 23, 2014

Image via Complex Original

Who knew that the biggest Initial Public Offering in the world was the biggest breeding ground for sellers of fake designer goods? Last week, the Alibaba Group, an online shopping platform based out of China (something like Amazon), earned the title of the largest global IPO ever after closing at $25 billion and valuing the company at approximately $231 billion.

Alibaba may be an unfamiliar name to a western consumer, but its operations in China and throughout the world make it worth more than tech giants like Facebook and Amazon. Unfortunately, while investors jumped at the chance to be a part of the shopping network's introduction to the stock market, they may have overlooked the group's seedy history in the luxury fakes market. Just last year, the e-commerce giant removed over $115 million worth of counterfeit merchandise—off of one subsidiary website alone.

Like a corner off of Canal Street, a trip through any of the sites in Alibaba's shopping network will uncover a treasure trove of mock-ups, copies, and comical fakes of big name designer products. From Gucci belts to Air Yeezy IIs, you can find just about anything that you've been lusting after (and with most clocking in under $100), but don't be surprised if what you receive isn't exactly what you thought you were getting. Buyers beware: this is A Brief Sampling of the Fake Products on Alibaba.