The Chinese market challenge: find an equivalent to a product in the Galaxus range
15/11/2022
Translation: Katherine Martin
Pictures: Carolin Teufelberger, Livia Gamper
In Serbia’s capital city, there’s a huge Chinese market. While on a business trip there, we set ourselves a challenge: find an item that can rival something in the Galaxus product range for no more than 1,000 Serbian dinars.
Our editorial team spent a week working in Belgrade in order to get to know our colleagues there. On the outskirts of the city, there’s a massive Chinese market called Blok 70. It’s pretty much a walk-in Aliexpress. You can find anything there – from clothing to electronics, toys to kitchenware, and simply useless bric-a-brac. Taking a wander round, we kept stumbling across fakes that were so bad that they were actually good.
Looking at everything at Blok 70 would take days, if not weeks. That’s why we took on a challenge. Everybody was given 1,000 Serbian dinars (about 9 francs) and a one-hour time window. The goal? To find a product that’s also available on Galaxus.
Is this Dr. Dre?
Source: Livia Gamper
Simon Balissat: «The expression and smile of the guy on the box say that pure testosterone is about to come out of these earphones. Muscles of steel, a tank top, a dumbbell – and the «MONSTER MD-A119» in his ear. There’s a «beats. by dr. dre» logo at the top of the box, and pictures of iPhones at the bottom. To my confusion, the man on the packaging isn’t Dr. Dre. It’s actually an Imago stock photo entitled, «Young, muscular, black man lifting weights in a gym». You can buy it here for 99 euros. The earphones’ price, 1.70 CHF when calculated into francs, shows them to be a quirky interpretation of the original. A quick audio test assures me that rather than flooding your ears with testosterone, all that flows out of them is a tinny sound. When they’re plugged in, of course. All things considered, I’d rather treat myself to the wireless original.»
Which multiverse does Sniper-Man actually come from?
Luca Fontana: ««How many worlds have you been to? I’ve seen multitudes. They’re all beautiful… and different,» says Spider-UK in the third edition of the «Spider-Verse Team Up» comic. Spider-UK, a British Spider-Man from a different universe, knows the multiverse – a collection of alternate worlds and universes. There’s probably a machine gun-touting Sniper-Man in one of them, I kid you not. Meanwhile, his action figure counterpart wears red jump boots and has a knack for one thing in particular: making a racket.
Nah, that’s not an annoying noise. Nope. No siree. Video: Luca Fontana
Two AA batteries get the 600-dinar Sniper-Man crawling along on his belly, shooting at his opponents. The packaging says: «Safe non-toxic, 100% eco-friendly». Sure. It then goes on to say, «Make sound, have comportment, irradiance.» Whatever that means. The «toy» is recommended for children over the age of three. What really takes the cake, however, is the – possibly satirical – label detailing its country of origin: «Made in China, the special for you of children design.» Ouch. If you want to give yourself, your child, grandchild, nieces or nephews a real gift, you’d be better off getting the real figurine here.»
Orthodox faith meets Chinese craftsmanship
Source: Livia Gamper
Carolin Teufelberger: «Since our range has over 4 million products, the challenge for me wasn’t finding a Galaxus counterpart – it was finding something that Galaxus doesn’t have.»
If you’re going to fake a product, fake it right
Source: Livia Gamper
Ramon Schneider: «I’ve skipped clothes, electronics and home deco stuff. It’s the toy stalls I’m drawn to, as if by magic. Most of the products are unbranded things like balls, guns or toy cars. The more I rummage through them, the more pungent the smell of cheap plastic becomes. Every now and then, I spot little treasures of fakery lurking on the shelves, including the «Animal Park» set by «818». The 179-piece set infringes on two trademarks in one: Lego and «Jurassic World». I hand the small, slightly older lady sitting on a wooden stool behind the counter 700 Serbian dinars. In return, I get two mini figurines, a triceratops and a black and grey off-road vehicle. But I can’t have fun with the set forever. I’ll unfortunately have to leave it in Belgrade to avoid being fined at customs.
Pink InPods with explosion hazard
Source: Carolin Teufelberger
Livia Gamper: Last but not least, these so-called InPods smile at me from their pretty packaging. They look like Apple’s AirPods, but they come in pink. The earphones also come in blue, green, purple and yellow – a real joy compared to Apple’s monotonous white. The InPods completely exhaust my 1000-dinar budget.
So how do earphones worth 9 francs sound? First of all, my ear almost explodes when I try to listen to some music at medium volume, which is far too loud on the InPods. I can only tolerate it at about 10 per cent volume. Regardless of what I’m listening to, it sounds muffled and tinny. This AirPod equivalent’s case is charged with a Lightning cable – just like the original. And just like the original, there’s no USB-C port.
I also abandon the earphones in Belgrade. Not just because I’m worried they’ll blow up on the plane, but because, like Ramon, I don’t want the fakes to get me in trouble at customs in Switzerland.
Testing devices and gadgets is my thing. Some experiments lead to interesting insights, others to demolished phones. I’m hooked on series and can’t imagine life without Netflix. In summer, you’ll find me soaking up the sun by the lake or at a music festival.
