Italy has been a shopping paradise, while Italian-made products are perceived as of extremely high quality. However, make sure you notice the following traps before purchasing any product or souvenir:

 

Trap 1: Fake Leather Product

 

Many tourists come to Italy for quality leather products at a cheaper price. Yet, if you are offered with unreasonable discounts on leather goods (especially in the local markets), you should be careful that the leather might be fake or of poor quality.

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Tips: 

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• Recognise the features of real leather over fake leather

• Do not buy leather products with 'Full-Grain', 'Top-Grain', 'Corrected Grain', or 'Bonded' labels, as they are usually not genuine leather

• Buy leather products at famous brand shops or leather factories

 

Trap 2: 'Made in Italy' Fraud

 

Many foreign products in Italy mislead customers that they are of Italian origin, such as printing an Italian flag on the package and printing its country of production in small font size or at the bottom of the product, etc.

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Tips:

 

• Read the package thoroughly to verify its place of production

• Scan the QR Code of the product with the Reliabitaly App to see if it is of Italian origin

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Trap 3: Illegal Receipts

 

The Italian Government issued a book of legal receipt (fiscal receipts) to record business transactions. However, some shops might offer customers with an illegal receipt to evade taxation. Without a legal receipt, your purchase is not confirmed and it is difficult to claim for a refund.

 

Examples of Legal Receipts: