here ya go

[gil3591]

don't know if anyone has talked about this . i was just on a chinese website called aliexpress. this is not a plug, it's more of a critique of the sad state of affairs the world is in with the onslot of china. they are selling a carbon copy of a gold merkur futur for $19.00!!! how are legitimate and respected companies supposed to survive with these copies being produced so cheaply? why can't these copy cats use some initiative and produce something new? geez!

[slackskin]

Are you sure it's a "carbon copy?" The materials may be of inferior quality (think about the reputation of Chinese steel). The plating may look flashy but be of inferior quality and not able to stand up to decades of use. I'm not saying that either of these factors is necessarily true, just questioning whether the item is a true carbon copy.

[CMur12]

Many developing nations have gone through a progression of advances, in which copying has preceded innovation.

- Murray

[Straight Arrow]

Cheap imitations
I can think of many more
Keeps people working

[Squire]

The term cheap copy comes to mind but to answer the question they do it because they can get away with it.

[gil3591]

and so much of this stuff has free shipping. ever wonder why stuff less than a dollar can be shipped from china? it's cause the u.s. post office has to deliver it for free due to a free trade agreement. so we end up paying for it while domestic products don't get sold

[fallingwickets]

amazon has free shipping!!!! Lots of places have free shipping, I recently bought a watch on ebay that was shipped from china and i paid shipping. I must be misunderstanding your point....everything gets copied: highest form of flattery, dont you know!!??

clive

[brothers]

Gil, I found that listing. At that price I might seriously consider buying one, just out of curiosity. I see they added a couple of ring grooves near the bottom of the handle. I had to sell my own Futur because for some reason the handle just didn't feel as comfortable as I wanted it to while I was using it. Maybe the grooves would help? The attractive imitation gold colored finish seems to be a nice touch. Thanks for finding this and sharing it.