Does Marshall Sell Fake Brands? NO! [Marshall overview]

Branded items always create a sense of trustworthiness and one doesn’t mind spending some cash for better quality. Marshalls offers a way for consumers to buy branded items without breaking the bank. You get awesome deals that might seem unreal. But, these deals might make some people suspicious and question, does Marshall sell fake brands.

No, Marshall does not sell fake brands. According to US Law, knowingly selling counterfeit products is a federal offense, and the guilty party may face up to 20 years in prison. Marshalls is one of the biggest chain retailer shops in the USA and they wouldn’t risk their reputation over a few cheap knock-ups.

Marshalls buys it using a lot of strategies that are unique and sometimes, downright ingenious. Their common buying strategies are overstocking, store returns, close-out deals, etc. These tactics enable them to buy brand names at cheap rates which in turn lets them sell these products at a cheap rate. 

Although there have been some past accusations regarding the authenticity of the goods, none has been proven yet. So, we recommend you buy products from Marshalls without worrying about a thing.

History of Marshalls

Marshalls is an American off-price department store chain that sells discounted brand items such as clothing, footwear, and home décor. The store is extremely popular and has become a household name as a result of its innovative and creative selling strategy. 

The idea of Marshalls was first conceptualized by Alfred Marshalls. He first considered opening a department store that sold designer items but quickly realized that most Americans would not be able to afford them.

Then, he had an idea that was revolutionary for its time. He thought of opening a store where customers can buy designer items without burning a hole in their wallets. So, he quickly drew up a plan and started looking for other daring souls like himself.

On the East Coast, he assembled a team of creative entrepreneurs including Bernard Goldston, Norman Barren, and Irving Blitt. 

In the beginning, the store sold irregular and surplus items from other retailers. Gradually, the store started carrying many other products and started sourcing its items from many famous brands. In 1976,  Melville Corporation, a retail chain that owned companies like CVS Pharmacy and Thom McAn, took over Marshalls.

This was a highly successful move for Marshalls and became an instant classic hit in the 80s. 

Marshalls had expanded to 42 states, including Hawaii, by 1993, and had opened additional downtown locations. It was a thriving enterprise and everyone held high hopes for it.

Then, in 1995, Tjx bought Marshalls for 550 million dollars. At the time, It was considered a shocking transaction because Tjx was the parent company of Tjx Maxx, Marshall’s direct competitor! 

Now, Marshalls has 1,130 stores in the United States and 100 in Canada, bringing the total number of stores to 1,230. It also now sells products from 21,000 vendors from all over the world.The chain-store also went online on 2019 and started to dominate the e-commerce sector too.

Read also: Is Shoe Carnival Legit – Does Shoe Carnival Sell Fake Shoes?

An Overview of Marshalls brand

Founder	Alfred Marshall
Founding Year	1956
Number of locations	1,213
Parent Company	Tjx
Headquarters	Framingham, Massachusetts, United States
Key people	CEO: Martyn Coffey
Area of Operations	USA and Canada

Does Marshall Sell Fake Brands? Why are the Products so Cheap?

No, Marshall doesn’t sell fake brands. Marshalls procure their products using non-traditional means such as buying out-of-season products or buying overstock from another retailer. This allows them to spend less on deals and provide prices that are way cheaper than most other retailers.

For anyone entering Marshalls for the first time, it may seem like a dream. You will find expensive clothing brands such as H&M, Tommy Hilfiger, Vans, Levi, etc at a cheap rate.

While you are recovering from this initial shock, you will find expensive sportswear such as Adidas, Nike, and Air Jordan at prices that are a steal. Other than these you will also find top-of-line cosmetic products from Jessica Simpson, Mac, and Ole Henrikson at prices that will surely make you question the legitimacy of the products.

You may think that the deals are too good to be true and we actually can’t blame you for that.

Fortunately, all the products that you will find in Marshalls are authentic and certified. They also buy returned products or products that are slightly damaged. For this, the price drops significantly. Scroll down for more details.

9 reasons why Marshalls product have Cheap Prices 

So, you already know that Marshall doesn’t steal or magically create these products. Rather, they have cool and calculated strategies that enable them to buy and sell products at an outrageously cheap rate. 

Overstock

Unlike a random store, Marshalls don’t often buy inventory directly from the designers or the manufacturers. They procure their products from various sources.

One of their buying sources is stores with overstocked inventories. Overstocking happens when a store buys more than it can sell. These stores are willing to sell the products at a cheap rate to avoid a loss and to save storage space. This is the ideal scenario for Marshalls. They swoop in like a hawk and purchase these extra products at a bargain and pass the cheap rate to their customers. 

Marshalls also buys overstock items directly from the manufacturers. When the manufacturers produce more products than the departmental stores are willing to buy, Marshall enters the scene as a savior and buys the overstock.  

Out of Season Goods

When you walk into Marshalls, You may be surprised to see out-of-season products on the display. You may see beach attire being sold in the winter or Windbreakers in the summer. This is due to the buying tactics of Marshalls.

Also, the items may seem outdated and may not always follow the current styles or trends. Because of this, Marshalls offer their products at a cheap rate. 

But it is not necessarily wrongdoing. You may buy a product that can be used at a later time. Think of it as a future investment. Out-of-season products are also rated cheaper which allows you to buy things at a ridiculous price. 

Returned Goods 

A major source of Marshalls’ products is returned goods from other department stores. 

Customers often return products that they bought for multiple reasons which include damage, some defect, or just a change of mind. This fact is especially true for online purchases as 30% of online purchases are returned in comparison to physical stores which only see 6.8% of their products returned. 

You may think the number is very small but for big companies, it is a major problem. In 2020, 428 Billion dollars of products were returned in North America alone. 

Retail companies usually sell these returned products in large quantities at a cheap price. Their sole aim is to find a buyer who will save them from a huge financial loss. Marshalls save the day for them. The company buys the product at a fraction of the product’s original price.

It’s worth noting that Marshalls has safety regulations for buying these products and avoids products that may present a threat to the consumer’s safety. 

Damaged or Defective Goods 

It’s no secret that some of Marshalls products are not in the most perfect state. Some of its products come with small and minor defects.

It’s not like the product is unusable, it’s just the product is not sellable by a retailer. The reasons can be that the tag is sewn upside-down, the color is not that bright or somewhat light from the original design, or the logo is misspelled or misplaced.

As you can guess, none of these things affect the usability of the products. But, Some brands, especially designer brands, won’t send products that don’t meet a specific standard. They sell these products at a cheap rate to resellers like Marshalls. This enables Marshalls to sell these products at a cheap rate.

This being said, Only 5% of Marshalls products are defective and Marshalls doesn’t carry any product that is too damaged to use. 

Close-out Deals

Many times, retailers discount inventory in an attempt to get the products out of their selves. Customers often see these in stores as closeout or clearance sales. A store may choose to organize a closeout sale for many reasons.

One may be that the item isn’t a favorite among the customers. Another is the store going out of business. If a store is going out of business, it tries to sell all of its products to gather liquid assets. Marshalls often buy these types of products in huge bulks at a cheap rate.

No Buyback Policy

Many retailers have a fail-safe option in their dealings with a product manufacturer which is known as the ‘Buyback policy’. According to this policy, if the products remain unsold after a specific time, the manufacturer will buy back some or all of the unsold products. 

This helps the retailer avoid big losses. However, this policy comes at a cost.

Due to this policy, manufacturers charge vendors a higher price to ensure that their loss is a minimal and that they retain economical equity rather than facing a loss. Marshalls do not employ a buyback policy.

This allows the manufacturers to sell their products to Marshalls without worrying about buying back the unsold lot. For this, They sell the products to Marshalls at a very cheap rate and Marshalls is then able to pass the cheap rate to the customers. 

Lower Quality items

Marshalls sells more than just clothes and shoes. They also sell home decor, makeup, food, and other items at a reasonable rate.

Unfortunately, not all of these products have high qualities like clothing. Some of these products belong to obscure manufacturers or second-rated manufactories. For this reason, many users warn people to buy cosmetics from Marshall.

This is also true in cases of small electronic appliances as Marshalls will keep products made by off-brand or unknown companies.

Few options to Choose From 

Marshall doesn’t provide you with a lot of options to choose from. For example, A department store might not sell a particular t-shirt for some reason.

As a bailout, they will sell the product to Marshall and Marshall will stock up on the t-shirt. Now, Marshall won’t consider why the t-shirt didn’t sell, They will buy loads of it and organize it. This can also manifest in other forms such as not all sizes or colors being available.

This is a compromise that the customers have to make for the sake of low prices. 

All Year Purchasing 

Clothing companies like Marshalls hire people known as buyers whose sole purpose is to find items to stock in the stores. Usually, Stores employ buyers at a specific time to ensure that their inventory is per the season. 

Marshalls is different in this case. They employ buyers all around the year. It enables them to find deals from vendors, manufacturers, or stores whenever the deal is available.

Also, Stores tend to purchase inventory that fits a particular niche. They also buy products from specific companies to appease their customer base. Marshalls again use another strategy here. They buy products from different niches and different companies. It lets them draw a favorable deal and keep the cost at a minimum rate. 

How To Tell If a Product Is Fake or real?

Below some kill shot ways to tell if a product is fake or not. 

Checking the Packaging

The first and foremost obvious sign of a fake product is its packaging. Fake products are made with haste and on a low budget. The manufacturers of these fake products don’t keep an eye on all the details and for this, their packaging suffers.

You may find blurry or too-small fonts, unusually bright or dim colors of the packaging, misspellings of the name, etc signs that show that the packaging is not real. 

Compare the Price

Another obvious sign of a fake product is its unbelievably cheap price. We all like when a product is affordable and isn’t a burden on the wallet. But, if the product has a ridiculously cheap rate, then you might be in trouble.

For example, we all know how much a Gucci sweater costs. Now, if you come across a Gucci sweater that is priced around 5 dollars, then obviously it is a fake. Fake products are rated ridiculously cheap to lure customers.

So, always compare the price with the original product before buying something from Marshalls or other stores like it. 

Check for Official Branding

Every product manufacturer will trademark their products with their unique branding or logo. This logo or branding helps the customer to make an educated choice and ensures them the product that they are buying is real.

Knockoffs mess up this step. Legally, they cannot use the branding or logo because it will result in a fringe of copyright. So, they create an almost identical logo which might deceive the eye. They will also use the original logo but in a different way such as in different colors or sizes. 

Keep an eye on these signs and make sure you check the logo or branding thoroughly. 

Read also: Does Flight Club Sell Fake Shoes? (A Scam Or Is It Real?)

A Beginners Guide to Buy from Marshalls 

Marshalls have been around for ages. But, some people have never visited it. They know what they are missing but they are confused and doubtful to get into the Marshall wagon as they have no prior experience. For them, we have some tips that will make them smart and wise Marshall customers. 

• Make Sure To Time Your Trip 

Marshalls is open all day around but the morning is the best time to find your deals. Marshalls doesn’t restock its items. So, you must be an early bird and shop with all your ferocity. 

Also, Stores tend to be better stocked around weekday mornings, especially from Tuesday to Friday. The weekend brings a lot of customers and you may find yourself pushing against hundreds of customers. So, time your trip strategically. 

• Explore the store

Marshalls contain a multitude of products ranging from cosmetics to home decor. So, once you are in the shop, explore it. Take your time to look around and observe what the shop has to offer. You might stumble upon a great deal that can be easily overlooked by other customers. 

• Keep An Eye On The Tags 

Marshalls use a standard system of tagging that lets their customers know which products are on sale. Keep an eye on the red tags as a red tag means that the item is on a clearance sale and is marked way down from its original price.

You can cut your cost significantly by following this trick. To increase your cost-cutting, keep your eye open for yellow tags as yellow tags indicate that the product is a final clearance item.

• Keep An Eye Out for Defects

Marshalls buy their products in bulk quantities and often they buy defective products by mistake. Yes, Marshalls is cheap but it doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice quality. After all, you are paying for it. Check the product thoroughly before buying it.

• Don’t Take Forever to Buy A Desired Product

Marshalls don’t restock a product. So, if a product is gone, it is gone. There is no guarantee that it will return. Therefore, if a product catches your eye, be quick and grab it. There’s a good chance that someone will take it and you would miss your opportunity. So, snap a good deal before it floats away. 

• Keep The Receipt 

If you intend to return something, make sure to keep your receipt. Marshalls accepts returns within 30 days of purchase; however, the items must be in their original condition and accompanied by a receipt.

Our verdict on Does Marshall Sell Fake Brands

Marshalls is an American discount department store chain. It sells discounted brand products such as clothing, footwear, and home decor. This treasure trove of a store offers you deals so cheap that you may feel like a highway robber.

So, gather up your bundle and brace yourself for an epic shopping tour at Marshall’s which will surely leave you well-satisfied!

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