UK government launches guidance to help shoppers avoid counterfeit fashion online

The UK government has introduced new guidance aimed at helping consumers safely shop second-hand fashion online, following a rise in counterfeit goods circulating across resale platforms.

Published by the Intellectual Property Office (IPO), the guidance is part of a wider campaign developed alongside online marketplaces including Vinted, and responds to growing concerns around organised counterfeit operations targeting the resale market.

New IPO figures show one in four UK second-hand fashion shoppers unknowingly purchased counterfeit items online in the past year. Nearly 60 percent reported negative experiences, including poor quality products, refund disputes and rapid deterioration, while 14 percent said the experience put them off shopping pre-loved as a whole.

The government said younger consumers are particularly exposed, with almost half of 18 to 24 year olds reporting encounters with counterfeit designer goods on resale platforms.

The guidance's launch follows a series of notable enforcement actions enacted across the UK. In March, Trading Standards seized more than three million pounds worth of counterfeit luxury goods from storage facilities in Bury, while another police operation in Rotherham uncovered over 1.1 million pounds worth of fake clothing and trainers, alongside suspected stolen goods valued at a further one million pounds.

In a statement, minister for online safety and intellectual property Kanishka Narayan said: “The UK’s pre-loved fashion trade is a booming market that’s good for bargain hunters and for the environment. That’s why we’re acting to help shoppers browse with confidence, and spot counterfeits before it’s too late.”