Why consume something if we know it is false? After the departure to the Spanish market of Hacoo, this question is more relevant than ever. It is an application that has become viral for its catalog of falsifications of luxury items: “I downloaded it because I was looking for shoes, the originals are worth 120 euros. Thinking about how little I was going to put them, I decided to play it and buy an imitation for 25, ”explains Alberto (25 years). A reasoning that prevails in the users of this application.
With this approach, thousands of young people have launched imitations in HACOO: “Falsification has abandoned its marginal or clandestine connotation, and has become visible in a space that simulates a real purchase,” explains Gaspar Brändle, a doctor in sociology for The Complutense University of Madrid. “Falses, as a substitute for reality, have a place in the society in which we live, in the simulation culture. Many social processes are characterized precisely because these imitations of reality are, ”he abounds.
For the sociologist, in recent years the concept of luxury has been redefined that, in a way, has “democratized.” “Now everything can be replicable. Due to the ease of obtaining a substitute for certain articles, we could say that the concept of luxury in objects has been devalue of an object, but of experience, something much more difficult to replicate. ”
In other words, the question arises that, if something seems real or behaves like something real, what does it matter if it is not? For Miguel Ángel Serrano, manager and member of the FACUA legal team, falsifications should worry: “A buyer of this platform [Hacoo] It is not certain that the products you acquire have all security guarantees. For example, products may not comply with dyes or toxic regulations, ”he warns. He also recalls that not all HACOO users can be buying imitations consciously: “Many buyers can be acquiring falsified products in this application thinking that they are authentic.”
If you doubt the legitimacy of a purchase website, Serrano advises to check if, for example, your registered office consists: “If we suspect an application it is best not to market with it, because the possible savings we have in front of the competition can leave very expensive. ”
Buyers who become prescribers in Tiktok
Although it is possible to buy falsifications in HACOO, some specific products may be very elusive. The application does not offer imitations either in the search bar or in the image search tool. This could be a way of avoiding future legal responsibilities: “Hachoo is a platform that is qualified as an intermediary of the information service. The regulations allow them to avoid punitive responsibilities unless they are knowledgeable that some kind of illicit act is being committed. The platform cannot have knowledge of all sellers that trade through it, but it is aware that illegal products or counterfeit products are being sold. You have to proceed to withdraw it if not, you can incur different responsibilities, ”says Serrano.
Given the impossibility of looking for an article directly, users help each other to find falsifications in Hacoo. “Kids, sweatshirts, shoes, you have everything to choose to the search for imitations in this application. In Telegram there are several help groups in Spanish, some with more than 15,000 users. Even several users have created spreadsheets with links to brand sneakers imitations, separated by price and availability. “The comments in Hacoo are great, they are very useful to make sure you are not buying a bad imitation,” Miriam abounds, another buyer (26 years).
For the sociologist, the digital field generates elements of altruism and horizontality among users. “People are associated or groups within social networks, they have a sense of community. This makes many people spend time offering their knowledge or contacts so that other people take advantage of it. ”
Brändle clarifies that not all users in social networks purely work. Haul Haul of application products have arrived, videos uploaded to social networks where a user shows everything he has acquired from one or several stores. In this application you can provide links or even discounts for your followers to buy the same products. I do allow an individual to recommend products from your account, and also facilitate discount codes within numerous profiles. “There are people who in this sense seek profitability, which can be economical or other, such as expanding their followers or their relational capital.”
A difficult crime to pursue
From Facua they regret that, due to the characteristics of HACOO, the infractions that the sellers of this application can commit are difficult to pursue: “It is difficult to initiate an instruction procedure against a company that has its domicile outside of Spain and the European Union,” SERRANO laments, which suggests that the battle against these imitations resides at our borders. “In practice, the scope of the Spanish authorities is intercepting products that do not comply with European security regulations on the border. Luckily the European Union is much more demanding than other countries of the world, ”celebrates the FACUA manager.
Serrano encourages consumers to communicate to the authorities if they suspect that they have mistaken precautionary way. It is necessary to address the platform where the article has been acquired, and demand the return of money. ”
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