Making the sale

The genuine article

What is real and what is fake and how much does it matter? There are two sides to the coin of the con. On the one side there are those selling what they purport to be the genuine real thing and do so at a premium. On the other side there are those living off the backs of the creative and providing a similar item for a significant discount in relation to the ‘real’ thing. There is a thing called provenance where something is supposedly worth more, not because it has any superior qualities but because it has been owned by someone well known in the past. People are paying for abstract thin air, but it keeps them very happy. It also provides reassurance that they will be able to sell it on again - by duping someone else at a later date if so desired.

Deception is everywhere. Those trying to obtain money for a business venture will turn up in a flash car, wearing a swanky set of clothes, and showy jewellery. So too will those trying to lure someone to lie on their back for a lay. You are hoping that by portraying yourself as smart, assured, and professional, any investment will be safe. It doesn’t make one jot of difference if the clothes are from the local market, the car on hire and the necklace is plated, the illusion works if you get what you want. Underdogs are loud. They need to be to have a chance.

Parts are made to a certain specification so that they perform well under load, at high temperatures and pressures. They cost a lot to make because of the large amount of work involved producing them. If someone passes off a substandard part with a bogus certificate of conformity and it fails in flight the culprits are culpable for an invidious malfeasance. Likewise selling counterfeit medicines that make people ill rather than make them better is contemptible. However, we can sell things for a premium that do not take significantly longer to manufacture. They may use better materials and are usually a little more durable. Nevertheless, the extra cost of producing these items never justifies the vastly higher price. As a double whammy we pay more for an item because it bears a fashionable emblem. That emblem is an advert. We pay a premium to become a walking advertisement for a company that dupes us into believing. A famous person would be given the item for free and paid to showcase it. How much are you paying rather than have been paid to have these emblems adorning your body? They trick you by building a belief in officialdom. Government officials and police officials may indeed hold sway over official business, but a so-called official vendor is a marketing ploy. It is an extension to branding that makes us believe that all else is unworthy, seducing us to pay over the odds for things.