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Shopping in Italy
Designer-occasion? Look out!
Careless buyers risk a fine up to 10.000 Euro!
Happening lately in Italy: a Danish tourist buys a pair of supposed designer glasses for 10 euros – and has to pay a fine of 3.333 euros. The reason: the Italian inland-revenue office is fighting against counterfeit products. Not few tourists in Italy are now worried about what they can still buy without risks – as fines up to 10.000 euros are not pocket-money.
"As a consequence, tourists in Italy ask themselves whether they are still allowed to buy something from a street vendor" writes the European Consumer Centre in Bolzano in a communiqué. In order to give to the holidaymakers at least some security, the consumer association explains the new legal situation according to which the Danish tourist has been fined.
As a protection for designer products and mainly the "Made in Italy", the Italian State has issued a so called "Decreto sulla competività" (decree on competition regulation). It is a penalty system that has been developed to shield the Italian market from the invasion of counterfeit products by fining the purchasers and the importers or distributors of these goods.
Punished will be the one who buys or accepts goods which quality, way of selling or price arouse suspicion that the rules relating to origin, provenance and intellectual property have been ignored. In future, it will be advisable to get some information about the origin of the product before the purchase.
"Incautious" consumers risk administrative fines up to 10.000 euros if they are caught while purchasing or importing counterfeit goods; the "hot" goods will be confiscated.
What is worse is the possible penal sanction due to the purchase of „goods of suspicious origin” (acquisto di cose di sospetta provenienza). In this case, it is presumed that the designer items as for ex. those of Gucci, Prada and co. are known to the consumer and therefore already their cheap price should be a signal for the potential purchaser and prevent him from buying it.
Not every purchase in the street will be automatically fined, but only the purchase of counterfeit items.
Further information about the subject Shopping in Italy can be found on our homepage; moreover, the European Consumer Centre Bolzano has edited a brochure about the subject "Shopping in Italy", which can be sent to on request.
Press Information - Bolzano, 12th July 05
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