Opinion | Taobao vendors cash in on iPhone 'consumer vanity' market
Vendors on Taobao sell fake iPhone 'signatures' to QQ users who can't afford one
According to CNR, wily vendors on e-commerce site Taobao, have been having a field day selling fake iPhone “signatures” to users of Tencent QQ, a popular instant messaging program used by nearly 780 million users in China.
For just five yuan (HK$6.20) a month, non-iPhone QQ users can now buy a fake “QQ has logged in via iPhone” status which appears everytime the user logs in – instantly giving them the appearance of owning an iPhone and the much sought prestige that comes with it in China.
CNR said the “consumer vanity business” has been so good, some top vendors have allegedly sold more than 3,000 of these signatures. Thirty days of work will make an ambitous entrepreneur a cool 30,000 yuan (HK$37,300), much higher than what the average worker would make in a year.