Is it 'legal' to import counterfeit staff in Thailand from China ?

Question

Of course I know it's not 'legal' but,

1. Is it allowed ? (like shoes and clothes)

2. If yes, then is it allowed to open a small/big shop in Bangkok with that counterfeit staff ?

3. Do many foreigners in Thailand do that already ?

4. What kind of problem could have someone who do that business ?

Thanks in advance to all of you for answering.

Answer 1

The borders of Thailand with (Laos and Myanmar) are pretty transparent as are the borders between (Laos and Myanmar) with China.  A few hundred Baht will get a truck full of goods through the border crossing or they are boated across the Mekong.   So the goods are available.

China and Thailand are supposedly cracking down on counterfeit goods but if you pay off the right people they look the other way.  Since you are here asking these questions I assure you you do not know the right people.  What will probably happen is you'll get your business,  purchase a lot of merchandise and sometime just after you open you'll either get the shakedown or get raided and closed down.  In fact you might get both.  What could happen? Jail, deportation, bankruptcy

The Yakusa, the Chinese Tong and the Thai Mafia run all that business so your chances of making it are very slim.

Answer 2

Smuggle in a "staff" for your business or smuggle in "stuff" for resale?

Lots of stuff from China is already for sale cheap in Thailand.  What would make your "stuff" more special than the other "stuff" that already pours over the border from China by the train load?

Any time you scheme to circumvent Thai laws you stand a good chance of ending up in the monkey house.

In case you think of other stuff to sneak into the country, check out the Thai Visa Forum where there are postings on the Thai police cracking down on foreign criminals and assorted drug dealers.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Thailand-N...

Play it safe, don't do anything illegal.

Answer 3

The fact that you ask these questions show that you don't know much about this business. Stay away from it. Plenty of people with lots of  experience are already doing it. Competing against them would be pretty though.

You need to know which particular official to tickle with the right amount of money. In China, Laos and Thailand. Giving the wrong amount (too little or too much) is an open invitation for them to take you for a ride.

Foreigners run extra risks: plenty of Thai DVD copycats around, for example. Now who do you think the police would rather put in jail? Thai or foreign nationals?

They haven't anything against foreigners. Far from it. But it does make a much nicer headline in the paper. Since many of those foreigners would sell outside Thailand, it would read something like 'international line of counterfeit DVD makers arrested' and that makes a lot of people feel very happy.

Answer 4

I'm confused because you first ask if it is legal, and then you say you know it's not.  You are correct that it is definitely illegal.

Answer 5

You know it's not legal.  And of course it is done here.  But I haven't seen it done by foreigners.  There are many connections and contacts these people have who do this.  They know who to pay off and you being a foreigner, your be looked at as trying to take some business from them.   I put my money in you being arrested or in jail within a month.  

Answer 6

no very illegal they need a Visa to immigrate to the USA or anywhere else in the world legally.