Why SAARO?

Why you shouldn't buy counterfeit kits...

 

An artist makes a baby out of clay and decides whether or not to produce it in vinyl. He can do this himself or through someone else, we call that the producer. In this case we call it the artist, but we mean both.

 

The artist must send the clay baby safely,  specially packaged, halfway around the world to have a mold made of copper and brass. This is a piece of craftsmanship in itself and has a price tag, because a craftsman has to work for hours on this.

 

Even though this is done in a factory, it is almost all manual work. Only machines are used, but everything is processed manually in the entire process into a kit, one by one, using these machines. The kits are also pulled out of the mold one by one and this is not very easy. The environment is hot and the work is hard and time-consuming. I thought that 2.5 kits are made every 12 minutes. Q

 

When the mold is ready, the artist receives a number of vinyl test pieces for a fee to see whether everything comes out of the mold correctly and where adjustments need to be made if necessary. (These are the prototypes).

The artist is looking for a number of reborn artists who can color and root them so that the purchasing customer has an idea of ​​what the blank kit can look like when it is finished. Then the pre-sale starts, so that the artist can estimate how much she wants to produce. The minimum is usually 500 pieces.

 

In the pre-sale (pre-order), stores that start sales based on the photos of the prototypes can make an estimate of how popular the kit will be and the circulation is determined.

The shipping costs for the prototypes sent to the reborn artists are also at the artist's expense. Then production starts and must be paid in advance.

 

A kit from Alie-Express or any other platform like Amazon or Shein etc. does not have to clay the baby (and you can imagine how many hours of effort go into that). They do not have to have the copper/brass mold made.

They buy a kit, just like you and me, and make a print of it without the maker's permission. They even do this with the certificates that come with it.

 

You will say... yes, other companies like Nike and Puma, they also have to deal with counterfeiting... that's just how it is...

These mega companies are also seriously disadvantaged and are so large that they have a legal team that fights against it and probably also some insurance that gives them the opportunity to take action against it.

 

Our artists, on the other hand, are just one person who makes you part of his or her hobby. And who invests his personal time, attention and money in it. She is not sure in advance whether she will make a profit or whether she will sell enough kits to make her money back.

It is also regulated by law that the artist has rights to protect her work, but this cannot be implemented. Taking legal action costs more money than the loss in most cases. 

 

The result of all this is also reflected in the sales figures in the shops, which are falling drastically. That means...

Productions are getting smaller because sales figures are getting smaller. Some have decreased from 2000 pieces to 500 pieces. In percentage terms, the kits are now almost twice as expensive, because the costs are practically the same. 

Now it seems that the production of vinyl kits will disappear in the future because many reborners prefer to buy a cheap knock-off kit.

As a result, the kits are now becoming increasingly expensive and originals are selling less and less well. As a result, some good artists have stopped producing.

And this will continue if people keep buying the fakes!

 

You can only buy the real kits from the artist or a specialized reborn store, anywhere in the world! And not on large sales platforms! Only here, you are assured of authenticity and originality.

There are also artists who produce in one Chinese factory! These are not the same factories! There is 1 manufacturer of vinyl kits in China that produces under western conditions. This means that this factory does not exploit children and women, like most Chinese factories, where we all know that the working conditions are not safe and people of all ages are exploited to work hard under poor working conditions for starvation wages.

This factory has had an excellent reputation for years.

 

We are "fortunately" protected by many laws against exploitation of human rights. In addition, the West (EU and America, etc.) has safety regulations that ensure that we and our children do not come into contact with toxic substances. 

China doesn't care about these laws and regulations. They are also allowed to eat all animals, etc., there is no control over pathogens, etc., as there is with us. 

The Chinese factory where our artists produce does comply with our legal requirements and our standards and values ​​regarding a normal labor process and can therefore do business with our Western companies. And make no mistake, they are under surveillance and must undergo regular audits. 

 

 

If, after knowing this, you still decide to buy the counterfeit kits, you must realize that you are contributing to the continued decline of our hobby and that you are actively supporting violations of human rights.

Furthermore, everyone is of course free to make their own choices. 

Please think about the consequences and support the artist, despite the high costs. Without them there will be no more new kits!!!

 

Supporting illegal trade is also a choice, of course... Just because you are not prosecuted for an offense does not mean that you do not commit one. In the entire chain of Illegal counterfeit kit, every link of the chain is equally punishable. From beginning to end. Just like with drugs and such. The producer and user are both punishable for the same offense.