Counterfeit items are a major concern when shopping on resale apps, especially for luxury brands. Some online marketplaces are now turning to artificial intelligence to help spot fake merchandise.

Major resale app Rakuten Rakuma is using AI to check the authenticity of items such as handbags and watches.

The system analyzes images of products, including the materials and seams. It compares the quality against known fakes it has been trained to recognize. Flagged items are then inspected by staff.

The service was previously performed by request only, but it has now become mandatory for products from over 400 brands.
Online marketplace operator Mercari has also been using AI from March to check products when sellers give their consent.

The moves come as a growing number of imitation goods enter the country. The Finance Ministry says there were over 30,000 seizures of imported counterfeit items last year. That's the second-highest figure since record-keeping began in 1987.