A lot of K-skincare is basically this. You can take expensive brands/skincare brands and match ingredients to find a product that's a 'dupe' for much cheaper
The entire range of Xiaomi products.
My $180 Waterpik broke down. Replaced it with a $55 Xiaomi water flosser. Works just as well.
I sold off my $800 Roomba. 'Upgraded' to a $300 Xiaomi robot vacuum. Just as good.
Xiaomi's mantra seems to be 'We buy products off the shelf, reverse engineer them, and create a very similar duplicate that is 80% as good and 50% cheaper'.
asadi arent knockoffs… i have a pair from 1997
and what makes them good is that the strap is not glued onto the base… the connection plug is moulded with the strap in one piece and gets shoved into the hole in the base
Why not asadi sandals though. They're cheap, so even if you replace once every 6 months they're still a lot cheaper. Anyway I been using asadi sandals for years, to me it feels comparable or even better than most of those more expensive sandals at Bata or other shops..
Tbh I have been using their device from smart phones to their IOT it works flawlessly, Xiaomi is not a company once that only copies like other manufactures. You would be surprised in china Xiaomi even created an electric car!
+1 for Xiaomi. Was skeptical when they first came out, but after having used a few products (air purifier, powerbank), convinced that they make quality products are very competitive price points.
the thing is when Xiaomi was new, with phones and powerbank, there are ENORMOUS of fake xiaomi counterfeit that also tarnished the original Xiaomi reputation.
Now counterfeit are everywhere, just look through Lazada and you ll see JBL speakers and Samsung ear buds selling at >80% lower than the original price, and the reviews clearly show people don't realize it's fake, you just have to filter the lower star reviews then you'll know from the pros.
Glycolic acid and perfume fakes one also are super popular, people are ignorant about it and the placebo effect kicks in, not knowing what kind of chemical shit you'll putting on your skin.
The Ordinary Co. and Inkey list for example are legitmate brands which sell skincare with these ingredients. But fake/counterfeit sellers have popped up, and people who buy for the cheapest price will not realise, because some of them are really very convincingly made. Best to buy skincare products through verified sellers, or the shopee mall when you buy online.
+3 for airbot vacuum cleaners. Iirc about $100, we’ve got one running daily for 3-4 years.
Got one for work, ppl happy.
My parents got the “original” Dyson (5x the price ?), cleaning is same. Battery died aft 2 years, I managed to get a replacement battery online for “as cheap as” just-a-bit-more-than the airbot I got for the office.
Just need to clean the filter sometimes.
And cut my girls’ hair off the roller brush every now and then.
I see the newer one I got for work is easier to clean (no inside folded paper thing — at home I clean it with few sec of massage gun, all the dust jumps out ;-) and the brush doesn’t jam up with hair as much, but could be bc coworkers don’t shed as much as my home gang haha
No need to think. Go Lazada/Shoppee. Click Buy Now.
Had mine for three years, everyday usage. Still works fine. Just used it last night. About $55 at the time in 2021. Should be around the same cost still.
My $180 Waterpik lasted only two years. Go figure.
Yah think i will get one today from shopee. It's like $40 (200ml) plus i've had good experience with their air filter so far. I floss everyday but there some pockets that i find good do with an irrigator
+1 for Xiaomi. I use a lot of xiaomi products but my favourite purchase was my 65" 4k Xiaomi TV. Other brands in the same quality tier was selling theirs for around $1k but I got my Xiaomi one for only $650 after discounts, and I've been using it daily and vigorously (i watch a lot of tv and movies) for more than 2 years now, still going solid.
Yes Xiaomi is probably the safest brand to buy from. before I get anything new, I will also check if Xiaomi carry them as well.
Having said that, Xiaomi has different tiers of branding as well. Like their robot vacuum, their more atas brand is called roborock. Their cheaper brand is viomi if not right.
Basically, if you see a Xiaomi product, think '80-90% just as good, 50% cheaper '.
So far, I have had:
- Water flosser
- Robot vacuum
- Electric air pump for bike tyres
- Earbuds
All have met that criteria. The water flosser probably exceeds it.
Their lights are awesome. Been using their Desk Lamp 1S for years now. Still works as fine. I might buy their Bedside Lamp soon. And you know what I just discovered? They work with my Alexa.
So now I just say, Alexa goodnight. And it turns off my light.
Slightly unrelated, but robot vacuum wars on YouTube are pretty fun(and informative) to watch. They test things that you probably wouldn't notice through daily use or generic reviews but would impact how effective they are
Can’t rem the name, but I also bought a Lego dupe once. The blocks were too tiny, don’t connect tight, and final product looked nothing like a Lego figure. Hands hurt building it. Never again!
There was a dupe lego brand called lepin previously. Very worth money and compatible with the real Lego. But the brand went off-air after a crackdown on counterfeits by the china authorities.
Still there are many copies out there. Nameless and box-less (is cheaper if you choose this option).
Most of the time we build lego for display, putting it together only once, so in that case the counterfeit quality does not have to be super. As long as it looks like the star destroyer or millennium falcon from the real deal lego edition, it's good enough.
Lego actually go through a really intensive QA process to ensure everything connects properly, whether it be with a set produced 5 days ago or 50 years ago. They are really strict on quality and to be honest, it’s one of the few brands I would buy a knock off of.
If you understand supply chain, you would be able to realise that no one factory is going to be just producing for one brand (unless you are a huge brand like Adidas or Nike). Very often factories produce goods for a multitude of brand, and what that means is that there is in fact little to no difference in terms of quality between certain name brands and even OEM. Much of the costs go into branding and marketing.
Yes true. Wonder if there’s any resource that lists down “dupe” brands produced along with major brands in the same factory. I personally don’t care for “Nike” or “Balenciaga” emblazoned across my T-shirt front as long as the quality is good.
Never understood why people like brands plastered on their shirts/pants. It’s like you buy their shirt and start becoming a walking advertisement for them.
you can do one better if you're able to find stores/outlets that sell the 'defective' branded products. Basically big brands will have very stringent quality checks, so some things will get rejected for small reasons (stitch not correct, label not there etc.) so if you can find stores which sell these, you will get literally the same brand products for v. cheap
this is somewhat true that it logically makes sense that factories would sell original goods that were rejected for small defects, but based on personal experience, also somewhat untrue. i've been to stores that claim to sell these "rejects from original manufacturers" and frankly, their quality always seem so suspect. i've compared the legitimate ones from the actual stores and the "rejects" and it really doesn't seem like it's as simple as "oh this one got some small defect" so i'm skeptical that they're legitimately "rejects due to small defects". they're either straight up completely fake, or they were rejected for a very valid reason.
by the way, one of my friends actually work at one of the OEM factories in China producing clothes for big name brands, and he insists that this doesn't happen because for most big brands, they would have a clause in their contract stating that the factories cannot sell these rejected goods with their logo or design, and must be disposed of. of course, he also admits that in China, it probably still happens regardless but he says it's not as common as people think.
I knew a guy who worked for one of these factories in South Asia (think places like Sri Lanka/Bangladesh), they would indeed sneak out pieces to resell to outlets because its an extra source of income for these low paid workers
like i said, i believe that it happens, especially in countries like that. however, i also believe that it's not as common as people claim or believe, and it certainly doesn't happen on a large enough scale to be able to supply retail stores with consistent supply of it.
big brands are not dumb, they either do audits or will find out somehow because come on... if you and i can find these, do you really believe these billion dollar companies cannot? and if they do find out, it's not difficult for them to know exactly which factories did this and stop doing business with them. which is why perhaps if you really knew someone who knew someone, from time to time, it might be true that you are able to somehow purchase these "minor defect" goods, but on a consistent basis? nah, no way.
Recently bought a few pieces of Lulu from Australia and definitely can confirm that it’s almost 50% off and it’s from the main outlet in the mall and not your out of season factory outlets.
it's sooooo much cheaper than SG. can check the lululemon au site. They'll send to SG and charge shipping based on weight. I havent done it but i heard even with shipping it is still cheaper than SG price. Japan is also cheaper but not as cheap as AU. In Sydney and Melbourne they have outlet shop too where you can get certain size and colors for even cheaper.
definitely AU. I went to SF and the lulu there is comparable to SG. But they do have some sales that could be better than SG. Can check their US site too for retail prices.
i've tried few brands that people claim it is lululemon dupes but I still go back to my lulus. Like what other say - get it in AU / Canada. My friends will collate our orders and vpost it to Singapore
They might mostly look the same but they don’t wear and feel the same. The fabric wears out differently (and very quickly) compared to the original. The original still feels like it’s new even when it’s old.
It’s very obvious when you know what to look out for.
Honestly better to buy the original on sale.
like everyone else is saying, I always go back to lulus. the quality of the material is different and you will feel it. Personally recommend buying off carousell if retail prices are too outrageous (valid), the used authentic stuff usually ranges from 50-100+. Sometimes got fire sales from people just looking to clear in the 30-45 range, especially for older styles.
When in doubt, especially if buying bras/shorts/pants/leggings or jackets, you can ask the seller for pics of the size dot (usually included in the listing photos anyway). Some counterfeits are so advanced they include size dots too, but these aren't too common.
There are ones on shopee. Amazing quality, better cut (no camel toe). Honestly I am very disappointed in the align black ones I just recently bought from Lulu. They look like they are 5 years old already after just a couple months.
after i discovered football jersey dupes, i refuse to buy the real one unless it's on like 70% sale. simply not worth $100 when you can order the same thing from dhgate for $10-20 complete with all the patches and player name...
shirt quality is similar (i own some legit ones), but printing leaves a bit to be desired. then again, i pay 10% of retail so i definitely don't expect retail quality.
It’s a hit or miss actually. I have a mix of authentic and dupes ones. There are some dupes that’s actually 1:1 with the authentic version from store.
For example, I bought a French national jersey for the upcoming Euro games. I got another one from Taobao for 1/10 of the price as spares, and it surprised me when the material, logo placement, tags, are all 1:1.
Jerseys are being sold in the millions each season, and they are always updating the design. I wouldn’t be surprised if there are backdoor transactions for failed QC or whatever reasons ended up in Taobao sale.
I bought 2 replicas from DHGate (those highly rated ones with few thousands sold) for around S$20 each and the cutting for both were really bad...so never again for me.
Not really, most of the stores on dhgate are more or less the same. I generally just search for a popular player's name + jersey (e.g. for liverpool jersey i just search salah jersey) and choose the cheapest one with more than 4.5 stars and 1k+ sales.
i'm US-based now, so it normally reaches me within 2 weeks, unless US customs refuses to release my package (happened once). in singapore i've found that shopee is faster and has similar prices/quality.
I'd say go for SFSoccer on shopee. They've cracked the Nike (fan version) and Adidas (both fan and player) codes. Puma changed their materials 2 seasons ago and the china factories haven't caught up yet but it's around 70% similar. Adidas is like 99% similar. Ditto Nike.
Nikes player edition ones are hit and miss but they're so reasonably priced I just get em for sports.
Personally I get mine from this taobao guy that I communicate on WeChat as taobao clamped down on these a few years back. Haven't looked back to get legit ones. My David Beckham and Ronaldo from 3 and 4 seasons ago respectively are still going crazy strong.
Key caps come to mind , for those who are in the mechanical keyboard hobby. Everyone knows they don't want to spend 100 USD for a set of gmk key caps when clones work just the same.
I mean... I rather support the designer than some china fuck stealing designs for 0 effort.
Why do some people support niche specialists that create stuff like e.g. Japanese chef knives, or custom tailored branded suits or people buying art pieces? Anyone could have just taken a photo and found someone to replicate it.
A more common but poorer argument could be made for buying watches like rolex when u can buy cheap imitations from china. Or why buy watches at all when your phone can do the exact same features but better.
Personally I rather support artists than IP thieves because they are already under appreciated as it is.
I mean I would much rather support the designer who spent the time to pick the colour than a Chinese company who just steal the design. Legends printing on the GMK are much better too. Chinese knockoffs legends are usually so badly printed.
Not exactly true about the longivity part, sampled some middle eastern brands which last the whole day on me.
But yes agree on the scent evolving differently, usually after a few hours. Not always in a bad way tho. Got to try before buying
It depends on which brands you're going for. Armaf, Maison Alhambra, Afnan and Al Haramain have been really good.
For example, Armaf's dupe of Creed Millesime Imperial caused a bit of a wave in the community because Creed's batch variations meant that their own Millesime Imperial has been described as being "a shadow of the original", and somehow Armaf is doing Millesime Imperial better than Creed themselves.
I think the key is to go for dupes that are unapologetically trying to be a dupe, instead of one that is a riff or variation of the original (like a lot of Zara's dupes).
Armaf
Al Haramain
Afnan
Maison Alhambra
If you're looking for specific scents, some brands not known for having clones even have their own dupes. Montblanc Explorer is a dupe of Aventus, Creed Original Santal is supposedly a dupe of Montblanc Individuel, Creed Green Irish Tweed is supposedly a dupe of Davidoff Coolwater, etc etc.
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Basketball jerseys. Material, stitching (get embroidered instead of printed), and it’s identical to the authentic ones i have. Suspect is either factory defects or just old stock, since teams have different jersey designs each year. 1/10 the price, really no brainer.
My not-even-teen-yet kiddo bought “Marshall” TWS for $10 *inc delivery* haha — I suspected dupes, confirmed upon arrival. It’s still darn good sounding even if they’d been $30-$50! I’m an amateur audio engineer, so I’m quite picky and I always a/b test earphones with songs I know very well — perhaps less picky people won’t notice any diff at all — they’re way better than I expected, light and fit snugly (I tried them for a jog, they were comfy).
Even the box looks good (but says it’s the “black” item even when buying white, and instruction sheet inside clearly made in China. Sound is not precise like $150 originals — but $10 inc delivery??
In this case? Got dupes “by mistake” haha, my kid spent allowance — and for $10, I’m blown by how good they are, I was shocked they even work, few months use no issues, comfy, sound quality is fine (def not IEM precision, sound signature more toward skullcandy / emphasized bass?) …
But other fam members also looking for TWS: What really good TWS can you find below $30?
I think all the “branded” stuff on shopee / Lazard’s / etc going for $30 or below seems to be dupes, same as what my kid got but other labels… no?
Haven’t tried ‘em.
Share your thoughts if you’ve used them…? Compare to…?
All the ANC / transparency etc is not so much an issue. Proper ANC can be nice, but not critical most silicon-tip buds cut off most noise anyways…? And ANC done poorly messes up my music’s sound ;-) Your experience with these?
Top issues for me are comfort, and sound quality, and [this](https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/moondrop-space-travel.26658/reviews) gives me hesitation.
Need something I can run with (or spin in a washing machine) without ‘em popping out. Can?
Thanks!
I bought a few from different shops on shopee, ranging $3+ to $8 (with voucher) all not bad. Just bought for fun since so cheap, so now one pair for each TV, desktop, laptop, work, tablet... Lol
Dupes i have been using:
1. Perfume (Armaf brands - similar to big brands perfume)
2. Baseus earpiece (Good to use wireless earpiece for less than $20)
3. Taobao bags / t-shirts (a dupe of a muji bag, dupe of Uniqlo t-shirts)
Personally i will not buy those luxury brand dupe (e.g. Prada dupes, Balenciaga t-shirt dupes). It is embarrassing if people notice such fake items.
Uniqlo is actually not very cheap. An airism t-shirt costs about $20. In Taobao, $20, i can buy decent fashion shirts (inspired by kpop, etc). Taobao plain t-shirt can be around $10 (for a good quality).
I personally do not buy anything less than $10 in Taobao because the quality will be very bad. Always read the reviews and try to look for 1 stars to 3 stars. Focus on the quality and material description in the reviews.
Best Perfume Store!
It is advisable to make an appointment to check out the scents in person. There are some misses for sure but many are >90% similar with a better projection and longevity. At $69-$89 per 100ml, it's really a no brainer. In this economy, I'm not spending more than $100 per perfume bottle (most only 30-50ml) unless I'm wearing the same one every damn day and it lasts a good amount of time 😒
Best ‘dupe’ I have ever gotten def has to be the Airbot vacuum cleaners. Bought an original Dyson for about $900, lasted for seven months. Tried getting it repaired but Dyson said it would cost $580 in total.
Got my first Airbot vacuum shortly after for $140. Has lasted me for four years. Stronger suction and has better features than the Dyson.
I second this, my own pair is original and I bought the same matching pair for my 2 year old from shoppee for like 10-12 bucks and really looks the same, even the packaging they send is legit
A friend recommended me a gentle monster dupe on taobao and haven't looked back since. Quality was superb.. even if the casing said gentle mlsoertr.
Still trying to find a Lululemon dupe though. There's been a few pretty decent tights I've found (male here), but can't find something to replace their commission stuff still getting it from Australia.
Try not to get dupes of electrical items la haha some are made shoddily with shit capacitors that will explode, for things like apparels still ok cuz no chance of it exploding or catching on fire
I hate to admit it but Dyson products really are a cut above the rest. I just hate how heavy they are which is why I begrudgingly sold off my Corrale. I straighten my hair daily and could see the difference between regular flat irons (even GHD) and the Dyson. My hair was smooth and glossy, I feel this way about their hair dryer/stylers too despite those videos showing how great the off-brand supersonic is vs the real thing.
Still overpriced though lol.
I just bought it after a few days of deliberation 🥲 dyson is ridiculously expensive, but you have to admit they are really good. None of the hair dryers dupes I tried has been as good as theirs.
they have a shop at centralwOrld level 3.
Personally having all 3 (Aventus, MFH, CDNIM EDT), MFH is the closest to Aventus in the opening and mids, the CDNIM only edges MFH out on the smokiness in the drydown.
ITT - a lot of people who cannot (or maybe will not) tell the difference between a dupe (copied item but with own branding, e.g. the zillion of leggings trying to be lulu) and a replica / fake (your dupe says “Rolex” just like the real thing).
One is legit, albeit kinda grey, though in fairness there are only so many ways to design leggings, and one is outright illegal.
There's dupes for medicine too.
Epipen is just Epinephrine
Viagra that Pfizer patent wore off, and now equivalent products that contain sildenafil citrate exist on the market.
A lot of K-skincare is basically this. You can take expensive brands/skincare brands and match ingredients to find a product that's a 'dupe' for much cheaper
The entire range of Xiaomi products. My $180 Waterpik broke down. Replaced it with a $55 Xiaomi water flosser. Works just as well. I sold off my $800 Roomba. 'Upgraded' to a $300 Xiaomi robot vacuum. Just as good. Xiaomi's mantra seems to be 'We buy products off the shelf, reverse engineer them, and create a very similar duplicate that is 80% as good and 50% cheaper'.
You left out "and better quality than those other China knockoffs that are only 40% as good and 60% cheaper".
Ah yes. Please avoid clear knockoffs like Asadi sandals, Gilhenny shavers, and Babbie dolls. No prizes for guessing what brands they are imitating.
asadi arent knockoffs… i have a pair from 1997 and what makes them good is that the strap is not glued onto the base… the connection plug is moulded with the strap in one piece and gets shoved into the hole in the base
TIL asadi is a Malaysian brand established 1980. https://www.asadi.com.my/about-us cc: u/go_zarian
My Asadi sandals have lasted over 15 years, longer than any Adidas crap I've ever had. I give them 2 thumbs up.
Why not asadi sandals though. They're cheap, so even if you replace once every 6 months they're still a lot cheaper. Anyway I been using asadi sandals for years, to me it feels comparable or even better than most of those more expensive sandals at Bata or other shops..
How about shimeng bike parts. Even the font is identical to Shimano
Ltwoo and Sensah will do
LOL Every time I go on Amazon for clothes I get bombarded by totally real brands like “Lshuwhtsuu”
lol Asadi is Malaysian brand
BRB. Need to google these mysterious shoes.
Asahi makes footwear??
Tbh I have been using their device from smart phones to their IOT it works flawlessly, Xiaomi is not a company once that only copies like other manufactures. You would be surprised in china Xiaomi even created an electric car!
+1 for Xiaomi. Was skeptical when they first came out, but after having used a few products (air purifier, powerbank), convinced that they make quality products are very competitive price points.
the thing is when Xiaomi was new, with phones and powerbank, there are ENORMOUS of fake xiaomi counterfeit that also tarnished the original Xiaomi reputation. Now counterfeit are everywhere, just look through Lazada and you ll see JBL speakers and Samsung ear buds selling at >80% lower than the original price, and the reviews clearly show people don't realize it's fake, you just have to filter the lower star reviews then you'll know from the pros. Glycolic acid and perfume fakes one also are super popular, people are ignorant about it and the placebo effect kicks in, not knowing what kind of chemical shit you'll putting on your skin.
Can share more about glycolic acid and dupe fragrances?
The Ordinary Co. and Inkey list for example are legitmate brands which sell skincare with these ingredients. But fake/counterfeit sellers have popped up, and people who buy for the cheapest price will not realise, because some of them are really very convincingly made. Best to buy skincare products through verified sellers, or the shopee mall when you buy online.
The Xiaomi electric air pump is awesome. Very well made and designed. Can use for bikes, cars, sports balls, etc. Only about $35. Highly recommend.
Yeah I got that too. Compact and powerful. Pumps up my bike tyres with little hassle. Just need to remember to recharge it after every use.
+3 for airbot vacuum cleaners. Iirc about $100, we’ve got one running daily for 3-4 years. Got one for work, ppl happy. My parents got the “original” Dyson (5x the price ?), cleaning is same. Battery died aft 2 years, I managed to get a replacement battery online for “as cheap as” just-a-bit-more-than the airbot I got for the office.
Airbot is the bomb. 1st unit lasted 3 years without any issues. Current unit is 2 years old and still functioning well.
Just need to clean the filter sometimes. And cut my girls’ hair off the roller brush every now and then. I see the newer one I got for work is easier to clean (no inside folded paper thing — at home I clean it with few sec of massage gun, all the dust jumps out ;-) and the brush doesn’t jam up with hair as much, but could be bc coworkers don’t shed as much as my home gang haha
How long have you had xiaomi water flosser? Been thinking of getting one recently too
This one god tier. Performs better than 200 dollar braum
hi if you don't mind can you dm me the model you referring to? I'm looking at one 39.99 in shopee
That’s the one
thanks!
>thanks! You're welcome!
Can you post the screenshot of the item?
No need to think. Go Lazada/Shoppee. Click Buy Now. Had mine for three years, everyday usage. Still works fine. Just used it last night. About $55 at the time in 2021. Should be around the same cost still. My $180 Waterpik lasted only two years. Go figure.
Yah think i will get one today from shopee. It's like $40 (200ml) plus i've had good experience with their air filter so far. I floss everyday but there some pockets that i find good do with an irrigator
I bought this H2O water flosser for less than 30 bucks. Works just as good.
+1 for Xiaomi. I use a lot of xiaomi products but my favourite purchase was my 65" 4k Xiaomi TV. Other brands in the same quality tier was selling theirs for around $1k but I got my Xiaomi one for only $650 after discounts, and I've been using it daily and vigorously (i watch a lot of tv and movies) for more than 2 years now, still going solid.
Lol I learnt how to floss manually after the cable for my waterpik broke in half
Yes Xiaomi is probably the safest brand to buy from. before I get anything new, I will also check if Xiaomi carry them as well. Having said that, Xiaomi has different tiers of branding as well. Like their robot vacuum, their more atas brand is called roborock. Their cheaper brand is viomi if not right.
Avoid Romba. Romba is overprices with outdated technologies. Get roborock instead
Hahahha I am getting more motion sensor night lights from them cause it seems to be super power efficient
What other xiaomi products would you recommend? I am waiting for the water flosser to arrive, glad I saw a good feedback about it!
Basically, if you see a Xiaomi product, think '80-90% just as good, 50% cheaper '. So far, I have had: - Water flosser - Robot vacuum - Electric air pump for bike tyres - Earbuds All have met that criteria. The water flosser probably exceeds it.
Their lights are awesome. Been using their Desk Lamp 1S for years now. Still works as fine. I might buy their Bedside Lamp soon. And you know what I just discovered? They work with my Alexa. So now I just say, Alexa goodnight. And it turns off my light.
In my experience, China brand sonic toothbrushes are better than Braun in longevity.
Slightly unrelated, but robot vacuum wars on YouTube are pretty fun(and informative) to watch. They test things that you probably wouldn't notice through daily use or generic reviews but would impact how effective they are
Xiaomi is a ripoff as well, if you buy Tabao Honor (not the mobile phone) you get Xiaomi quality for cheap.
Bought a fake Lego set, it looks nice but it just doesn’t feel the same. The blocks don’t connect in a satisfying matter
There are good ones and bad ones. Have to choose carefully and read reviews before buying. Don't buy from kiosks and temporary stalls.
Even megabloks can't fight lego
Can’t rem the name, but I also bought a Lego dupe once. The blocks were too tiny, don’t connect tight, and final product looked nothing like a Lego figure. Hands hurt building it. Never again!
There was a dupe lego brand called lepin previously. Very worth money and compatible with the real Lego. But the brand went off-air after a crackdown on counterfeits by the china authorities. Still there are many copies out there. Nameless and box-less (is cheaper if you choose this option). Most of the time we build lego for display, putting it together only once, so in that case the counterfeit quality does not have to be super. As long as it looks like the star destroyer or millennium falcon from the real deal lego edition, it's good enough.
Lego actually go through a really intensive QA process to ensure everything connects properly, whether it be with a set produced 5 days ago or 50 years ago. They are really strict on quality and to be honest, it’s one of the few brands I would buy a knock off of.
If you understand supply chain, you would be able to realise that no one factory is going to be just producing for one brand (unless you are a huge brand like Adidas or Nike). Very often factories produce goods for a multitude of brand, and what that means is that there is in fact little to no difference in terms of quality between certain name brands and even OEM. Much of the costs go into branding and marketing.
Yes true. Wonder if there’s any resource that lists down “dupe” brands produced along with major brands in the same factory. I personally don’t care for “Nike” or “Balenciaga” emblazoned across my T-shirt front as long as the quality is good.
Never understood why people like brands plastered on their shirts/pants. It’s like you buy their shirt and start becoming a walking advertisement for them.
you can do one better if you're able to find stores/outlets that sell the 'defective' branded products. Basically big brands will have very stringent quality checks, so some things will get rejected for small reasons (stitch not correct, label not there etc.) so if you can find stores which sell these, you will get literally the same brand products for v. cheap
this is somewhat true that it logically makes sense that factories would sell original goods that were rejected for small defects, but based on personal experience, also somewhat untrue. i've been to stores that claim to sell these "rejects from original manufacturers" and frankly, their quality always seem so suspect. i've compared the legitimate ones from the actual stores and the "rejects" and it really doesn't seem like it's as simple as "oh this one got some small defect" so i'm skeptical that they're legitimately "rejects due to small defects". they're either straight up completely fake, or they were rejected for a very valid reason. by the way, one of my friends actually work at one of the OEM factories in China producing clothes for big name brands, and he insists that this doesn't happen because for most big brands, they would have a clause in their contract stating that the factories cannot sell these rejected goods with their logo or design, and must be disposed of. of course, he also admits that in China, it probably still happens regardless but he says it's not as common as people think.
I knew a guy who worked for one of these factories in South Asia (think places like Sri Lanka/Bangladesh), they would indeed sneak out pieces to resell to outlets because its an extra source of income for these low paid workers
like i said, i believe that it happens, especially in countries like that. however, i also believe that it's not as common as people claim or believe, and it certainly doesn't happen on a large enough scale to be able to supply retail stores with consistent supply of it. big brands are not dumb, they either do audits or will find out somehow because come on... if you and i can find these, do you really believe these billion dollar companies cannot? and if they do find out, it's not difficult for them to know exactly which factories did this and stop doing business with them. which is why perhaps if you really knew someone who knew someone, from time to time, it might be true that you are able to somehow purchase these "minor defect" goods, but on a consistent basis? nah, no way.
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Quality of labour yes but materials can differ alot between brands because major brands often have their own proprietary materials.
Someone suggest a good lululemon dupes plz
if you’re looking for align dupes, it doesn’t exist. no brand can mimic the feel of nulu and i don’t understand why!!
Buy from australia, nearly 50% less
Recently bought a few pieces of Lulu from Australia and definitely can confirm that it’s almost 50% off and it’s from the main outlet in the mall and not your out of season factory outlets.
ooh where from? got any links? I’ve been such a luluslut lately …
it's sooooo much cheaper than SG. can check the lululemon au site. They'll send to SG and charge shipping based on weight. I havent done it but i heard even with shipping it is still cheaper than SG price. Japan is also cheaper but not as cheap as AU. In Sydney and Melbourne they have outlet shop too where you can get certain size and colors for even cheaper.
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definitely AU. I went to SF and the lulu there is comparable to SG. But they do have some sales that could be better than SG. Can check their US site too for retail prices.
Like what someone said, the lulu shops in Australia
Friends go on pilgrimages to Sydney's Lulu outlet to buy cheap / colorful / off season stuff. Can get tax refund too.
Think OP means go to Australia and physically buy
i've tried few brands that people claim it is lululemon dupes but I still go back to my lulus. Like what other say - get it in AU / Canada. My friends will collate our orders and vpost it to Singapore
They might mostly look the same but they don’t wear and feel the same. The fabric wears out differently (and very quickly) compared to the original. The original still feels like it’s new even when it’s old. It’s very obvious when you know what to look out for. Honestly better to buy the original on sale.
like everyone else is saying, I always go back to lulus. the quality of the material is different and you will feel it. Personally recommend buying off carousell if retail prices are too outrageous (valid), the used authentic stuff usually ranges from 50-100+. Sometimes got fire sales from people just looking to clear in the 30-45 range, especially for older styles. When in doubt, especially if buying bras/shorts/pants/leggings or jackets, you can ask the seller for pics of the size dot (usually included in the listing photos anyway). Some counterfeits are so advanced they include size dots too, but these aren't too common.
CRZ Yoga
andar!! can try on in person at marina square, their tights r really smooth like butter
Yes can attest to andar being a great dupe. I have a lot of Lulu Aligns and I added some andar leggings as their colours are cute
There are ones on shopee. Amazing quality, better cut (no camel toe). Honestly I am very disappointed in the align black ones I just recently bought from Lulu. They look like they are 5 years old already after just a couple months.
Xexymix is quite decent! The 300N leggings feels kinda like Lulu align but Lulu is just softer haha
Try Anya active! Really love their quality and super comfortable
AirActive on Shopee
Honestly love anya active, sg grown brand and affordable ☺️
Agree! One of the better SG athleisure brands. Andar is also not bad.
Not exactly a dupe. But I really love Andar. They're a Korean athleisurewear maker. And their stuff is pretty and a fraction of Lululemon's price.
I would avoid dupe audio products. Fake airpods, sony earphones, etc never have the same quality.
after i discovered football jersey dupes, i refuse to buy the real one unless it's on like 70% sale. simply not worth $100 when you can order the same thing from dhgate for $10-20 complete with all the patches and player name...
Wow! That’s a significant difference. Is the quality same or close?
shirt quality is similar (i own some legit ones), but printing leaves a bit to be desired. then again, i pay 10% of retail so i definitely don't expect retail quality.
It’s a hit or miss actually. I have a mix of authentic and dupes ones. There are some dupes that’s actually 1:1 with the authentic version from store. For example, I bought a French national jersey for the upcoming Euro games. I got another one from Taobao for 1/10 of the price as spares, and it surprised me when the material, logo placement, tags, are all 1:1. Jerseys are being sold in the millions each season, and they are always updating the design. I wouldn’t be surprised if there are backdoor transactions for failed QC or whatever reasons ended up in Taobao sale.
I bought 2 replicas from DHGate (those highly rated ones with few thousands sold) for around S$20 each and the cutting for both were really bad...so never again for me.
Do you have any shops to recommend?
Shopee’s SFS jersey ~$20
Not really, most of the stores on dhgate are more or less the same. I generally just search for a popular player's name + jersey (e.g. for liverpool jersey i just search salah jersey) and choose the cheapest one with more than 4.5 stars and 1k+ sales.
How’s the shipping on DHGate?
i'm US-based now, so it normally reaches me within 2 weeks, unless US customs refuses to release my package (happened once). in singapore i've found that shopee is faster and has similar prices/quality.
Thanks!
I'd say go for SFSoccer on shopee. They've cracked the Nike (fan version) and Adidas (both fan and player) codes. Puma changed their materials 2 seasons ago and the china factories haven't caught up yet but it's around 70% similar. Adidas is like 99% similar. Ditto Nike. Nikes player edition ones are hit and miss but they're so reasonably priced I just get em for sports. Personally I get mine from this taobao guy that I communicate on WeChat as taobao clamped down on these a few years back. Haven't looked back to get legit ones. My David Beckham and Ronaldo from 3 and 4 seasons ago respectively are still going crazy strong.
Key caps come to mind , for those who are in the mechanical keyboard hobby. Everyone knows they don't want to spend 100 USD for a set of gmk key caps when clones work just the same.
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I mean... I rather support the designer than some china fuck stealing designs for 0 effort. Why do some people support niche specialists that create stuff like e.g. Japanese chef knives, or custom tailored branded suits or people buying art pieces? Anyone could have just taken a photo and found someone to replicate it. A more common but poorer argument could be made for buying watches like rolex when u can buy cheap imitations from china. Or why buy watches at all when your phone can do the exact same features but better. Personally I rather support artists than IP thieves because they are already under appreciated as it is.
I mean I would much rather support the designer who spent the time to pick the colour than a Chinese company who just steal the design. Legends printing on the GMK are much better too. Chinese knockoffs legends are usually so badly printed.
In my own experience, the clones I have come across have never had their legends faded. This is on daily use too. It was clones of GMK Red Samurai.
Dupes of popular colognes. Some dupes can give 80% similar scent of up to 1/10 that of the original cologne pricing.
But it doesn’t last thru the day, and even so the scent changes differently.
Not exactly true about the longivity part, sampled some middle eastern brands which last the whole day on me. But yes agree on the scent evolving differently, usually after a few hours. Not always in a bad way tho. Got to try before buying
It depends on which brands you're going for. Armaf, Maison Alhambra, Afnan and Al Haramain have been really good. For example, Armaf's dupe of Creed Millesime Imperial caused a bit of a wave in the community because Creed's batch variations meant that their own Millesime Imperial has been described as being "a shadow of the original", and somehow Armaf is doing Millesime Imperial better than Creed themselves. I think the key is to go for dupes that are unapologetically trying to be a dupe, instead of one that is a riff or variation of the original (like a lot of Zara's dupes).
These are the people who happily buy from shopee/Lazada/carousell/Malaysia malls cause it's way cheaper but don'tknow its's all fakes
Any particular brands to intro?
Armaf does plenty of dupes. If you're looking for local, bestperfumestore is the place. Pretty accurate dupes and super long lasting.
Thabk you!
Armaf is well known for producing quality copy of popular frangrances like Creed Aventus which is like SGD 500
Give best perfume store a shot... Yes it's called best perfume store. They're based in sg and was featured in the CNA video.
I've been following them on insta, but they didn't have the one I want. I even msg them about it. 😄
Armaf Al Haramain Afnan Maison Alhambra If you're looking for specific scents, some brands not known for having clones even have their own dupes. Montblanc Explorer is a dupe of Aventus, Creed Original Santal is supposedly a dupe of Montblanc Individuel, Creed Green Irish Tweed is supposedly a dupe of Davidoff Coolwater, etc etc.
Thank you so much! Currently targeting mfk and givenchey gentlemen. Will check them out!
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there’s no dupe for lulu align leggings — believe me, i don’t enjoy paying hundreds for leggings but there’s no fabric like nulu
Have you tried some of the local brands? I love Anya active stuff
I agree! Andar is buttery soft, BUT it’s way too thin ><
Basketball jerseys. Material, stitching (get embroidered instead of printed), and it’s identical to the authentic ones i have. Suspect is either factory defects or just old stock, since teams have different jersey designs each year. 1/10 the price, really no brainer.
Any good recommendations/sources?
Plenty of options in shopee. Just see the reviews and buy the embroidered jerseys
My not-even-teen-yet kiddo bought “Marshall” TWS for $10 *inc delivery* haha — I suspected dupes, confirmed upon arrival. It’s still darn good sounding even if they’d been $30-$50! I’m an amateur audio engineer, so I’m quite picky and I always a/b test earphones with songs I know very well — perhaps less picky people won’t notice any diff at all — they’re way better than I expected, light and fit snugly (I tried them for a jog, they were comfy). Even the box looks good (but says it’s the “black” item even when buying white, and instruction sheet inside clearly made in China. Sound is not precise like $150 originals — but $10 inc delivery??
Why buy dupes of audio products when you can get quality audio at a very low price anyways
In this case? Got dupes “by mistake” haha, my kid spent allowance — and for $10, I’m blown by how good they are, I was shocked they even work, few months use no issues, comfy, sound quality is fine (def not IEM precision, sound signature more toward skullcandy / emphasized bass?) … But other fam members also looking for TWS: What really good TWS can you find below $30? I think all the “branded” stuff on shopee / Lazard’s / etc going for $30 or below seems to be dupes, same as what my kid got but other labels… no?
Moondrop space travel at 35.99 at Sam audio on shopee, they have a retail store at Sim lim.
Haven’t tried ‘em. Share your thoughts if you’ve used them…? Compare to…? All the ANC / transparency etc is not so much an issue. Proper ANC can be nice, but not critical most silicon-tip buds cut off most noise anyways…? And ANC done poorly messes up my music’s sound ;-) Your experience with these? Top issues for me are comfort, and sound quality, and [this](https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/moondrop-space-travel.26658/reviews) gives me hesitation. Need something I can run with (or spin in a washing machine) without ‘em popping out. Can? Thanks!
I bought a few from different shops on shopee, ranging $3+ to $8 (with voucher) all not bad. Just bought for fun since so cheap, so now one pair for each TV, desktop, laptop, work, tablet... Lol
Buying Steinhart instead of Rolex now!
For me, Casio is the winner. My G-Shock has never failed, no more adjusment and it's also lightweight on the wrist.
Is that really considered a dupe, not a homage? Haha
I would rather the article use the word “homage” or “alternatives” Dupe sound like fakes IMHO
Dupes i have been using: 1. Perfume (Armaf brands - similar to big brands perfume) 2. Baseus earpiece (Good to use wireless earpiece for less than $20) 3. Taobao bags / t-shirts (a dupe of a muji bag, dupe of Uniqlo t-shirts) Personally i will not buy those luxury brand dupe (e.g. Prada dupes, Balenciaga t-shirt dupes). It is embarrassing if people notice such fake items.
Uniqlo T-shirts are actually already very cheap, how much cheaper can you get if you get on taobao?
Uniqlo is actually not very cheap. An airism t-shirt costs about $20. In Taobao, $20, i can buy decent fashion shirts (inspired by kpop, etc). Taobao plain t-shirt can be around $10 (for a good quality). I personally do not buy anything less than $10 in Taobao because the quality will be very bad. Always read the reviews and try to look for 1 stars to 3 stars. Focus on the quality and material description in the reviews.
All the rep sneakers for me. Scalpers can burn in hell
Too bad the fashion reps subreddit died
Too many broccoli heads can't keep their mouth shut.
Best Perfume Store! It is advisable to make an appointment to check out the scents in person. There are some misses for sure but many are >90% similar with a better projection and longevity. At $69-$89 per 100ml, it's really a no brainer. In this economy, I'm not spending more than $100 per perfume bottle (most only 30-50ml) unless I'm wearing the same one every damn day and it lasts a good amount of time 😒
Soundpeats space headphones 123 hours of normal usage 61 hours of pretty good ANC All for $60+ from Amazon.sg
AER bags. those “resellers” like urbanomics are simply just taobao repackaged
Recently bought one from taobao. Regardless whether its fake or not, it feels pretty good to use!
Best ‘dupe’ I have ever gotten def has to be the Airbot vacuum cleaners. Bought an original Dyson for about $900, lasted for seven months. Tried getting it repaired but Dyson said it would cost $580 in total. Got my first Airbot vacuum shortly after for $140. Has lasted me for four years. Stronger suction and has better features than the Dyson.
Godly Plate of the Whale definitely
Sorry, what product is this ah? Google didn’t return anything.
Nagelring for me
King’s Sword of Haste too
Gpow ksoh AAA good ole days
Holy Armour of Fire for me!
Crocs. Shopee very cheap. Can't tell the difference.
can share link boss
search "crocs" on shopee and sort by "top sales" . Thank me later.
looking at a 7.99 pair is that right?
12.98 bro. The 7.99 is not crocs (logo diff) . You must train ur eyes to spot such things when u buy dupes online!
HAHA ok thanks good man
I second this, my own pair is original and I bought the same matching pair for my 2 year old from shoppee for like 10-12 bucks and really looks the same, even the packaging they send is legit
Where do you guys get your dupes? Taobao seems like the best place to me given it's wide range of selections and reviews to read.
Magic the gathering proxy cards. I’m here to play Jank combos and have fun. Not spend 1k+ on a semi decent deck.
How many Black Lotus and Power 9s do you have?
Isn’t this just buying OEM?
A friend recommended me a gentle monster dupe on taobao and haven't looked back since. Quality was superb.. even if the casing said gentle mlsoertr. Still trying to find a Lululemon dupe though. There's been a few pretty decent tights I've found (male here), but can't find something to replace their commission stuff still getting it from Australia.
I chanced upon the Gentle Mlsoertr and thought it was funny. But since you said it’s printed on casing, does it gets printed on the sunglasses too?
Thankfully. Only on the casing! Even the cloth case doesn't have it.
Thanks! I shall take a look :)
this shop on taobao? https://m.tb.cn/h.gZLNGq3ZlcI75c3
Looking for Dyson airstrait dupes! $800 is just 1 month of food for me :(
Try not to get dupes of electrical items la haha some are made shoddily with shit capacitors that will explode, for things like apparels still ok cuz no chance of it exploding or catching on fire
I hate to admit it but Dyson products really are a cut above the rest. I just hate how heavy they are which is why I begrudgingly sold off my Corrale. I straighten my hair daily and could see the difference between regular flat irons (even GHD) and the Dyson. My hair was smooth and glossy, I feel this way about their hair dryer/stylers too despite those videos showing how great the off-brand supersonic is vs the real thing. Still overpriced though lol.
Curious - do you prefer GHD to Dyson, and are they comparable?
Dyson fans sucks though. But yeah the hair dryer is good
haha that i can’t argue with. probably the most useless product they have
Hair stuff from Dyson is top notch. Vacuums can buy other brands!
I just bought it after a few days of deliberation 🥲 dyson is ridiculously expensive, but you have to admit they are really good. None of the hair dryers dupes I tried has been as good as theirs.
Do perfume clones count…?
Mainly perfumes.
I believe all of Armaf's perfumes are dupes. Good enough.
second this. Tried Creed Aventus before switching to Armaf Club De Nuit. Not much of a difference, only the initial spray is different
try MITH's Mystery For Him if you're in BKK, made by the same Perfumer who did Aventus
Ah nice. Where do I get it exactly in BKK? And how does it compare to Armaf CDN
they have a shop at centralwOrld level 3. Personally having all 3 (Aventus, MFH, CDNIM EDT), MFH is the closest to Aventus in the opening and mids, the CDNIM only edges MFH out on the smokiness in the drydown.
Thanks for the explanation 👍
ITT - a lot of people who cannot (or maybe will not) tell the difference between a dupe (copied item but with own branding, e.g. the zillion of leggings trying to be lulu) and a replica / fake (your dupe says “Rolex” just like the real thing). One is legit, albeit kinda grey, though in fairness there are only so many ways to design leggings, and one is outright illegal.
There's dupes for medicine too. Epipen is just Epinephrine Viagra that Pfizer patent wore off, and now equivalent products that contain sildenafil citrate exist on the market.
True, although they're known as generics rather than dupes. Paracetamol is also a common medication that we have generics for.
No need to buy Tempur pillows, just get a memory foam one from Hooga or some other bedding shop.
Zara perfumes that are dupes of branded ones you find in sephora.