The United States based footwear brand, Skechers, has filed a case against Flipkart and four of its sellers on its platform on account of selling fake products. The four sellers suing Skechers include Retail Net, Tech Connect, Unichem Logistics and Marco Wagon.
This lawsuit brings to light an important issue. Ever since online markets have become a common phenomenon, selling counterfeit and duplicate products have become a nuisance. The company, with the help of the court appointed local commissioners, raided seven warehouses of the sellers in Delhi and Ahmedabad and discovered more than 15,000 pairs of fake Skechers shoes.
According to reports, Skechers plans on raiding more Flipkart owned warehouses. Once this is done, it will release the final count of shoes. After the final count is released, the footwear company will decide on what action it wants to take.
“Flipkart is an online marketplace that helps sellers connect with customers across the country. We only act as an intermediary. We conduct our business with the highest standards of integrity and are fully compliant with all rules of the land. We cannot comment on the current issue as it is sub judice,” a Skechers spokesperson said in a statement.
While several other online platforms have been accused of selling fake products, Flipkart has managed to stay away from these controversies by using Flipkart Assured. Flipkart Assured helps the online ecommerce giant in keeping a check on the originality of the products sold on its website.
However, this particular issue has been brought to light because of the large number of sellers associated with Flipkart. Skechers plans on expanding its customer base by setting up more than 400 retail stores in India within the next five years. At present, the footwear chain reported sales worth $ 31.2 million in the last year. Unfortunately for Skechers, this Flipkart controversy will derail the exponential growth it has experienced so far.