Think you've found a great deal on TikTok to buy Lululemon or Louis Vuitton directly from the factory? Experts say you might want to think again about how real the claims in that video are.
In recent days, social media users claiming to have an inside scoop on how and where luxury brands are really made have begun popping up online, especially on TikTok.
In the videos, users claim to be Chinese manufacturers, or say they have friends in high positions at factories that make luxury goods. They go on to say that brands like Louis Vuitton, Lululemon, Hermes and more make their products in China, and claim the items are made for much less than they're sold for.
Some of the videos also offer links or website names that they say users can go to in order to purchase versions of their favourite products of the same quality but for a fraction of the price.
Other accounts, like @lunasourcingchina which shared a very popular video claiming that Lululemon products could be bought directly from Chinese factories for $5 or $6, have since disappeared from TikTok, though accounts with nearly identical usernames and content styles do remain up.
Inga Trauthig, a research professor studying cybersecurity at Florida State University, says many of the videos repeat specific messages — like the claim that China has the best supply chain...
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