5/08/2020

1. The popularity of
"smuggled" goods
among consumers
According to the results of an online survey
For Fair and Transparent Customs
* In this questionnaire "smuggling" meant moving across the customs border of Ukraine
outside customs control or with concealment from customs control of goods that are not
covered by the current Criminal Code of Ukraine.

2. ABOUTTHESURVEY
The popularity of "smuggled" goods among consumers
Survey "Popularity of "smuggled" goods among consumers" was conducted by the Public Initiative "For Fair
and Transparent Customs“ (Initiative) online from 6 to 15 July 2020. This is the fifth in a series of surveys
conducted by the Initiative twice a month.
The purpose of the survey was to assess the prevalence in the Ukrainian market of goods imported in violation of
customs regulations, to determine the attitude of consumers to such goods and willingness to consume such goods.
• We found out how often and where (in stores, markets, online, etc.) consumers can buy goods imported in
violation of customs regulations. Such goods can occur in various categories: from food and clothing to perfumes,
toys or household appliances.
• In order to determine consumer awareness of whether there is “smuggled” goods among the goods they buy, we
asked whether consumers assumed the presence of “smuggled“ goods among those they bought and whether
they bought such goods knowingly.
• Respondents also indicated whether it mattered to them whether the goods they had purchased had been
officially imported and how, in their opinion, the smuggling of commercial goods affected Ukraine's economy and
the well-being of citizens. Finally, respondents were asked to say whether it is necessary to combat the smuggling
of goods, and if so - who exactly (the state, business, consumers) should do it.
• 76 respondents took part in the survey.
2
The project Public Initiative "For Fair and Transparent Customs" is implemented by the IER with the financial
support of the European Union, the International Renaissance Foundation and AtlasNetwork.

3. RESPONDENTS
• Respondents from 15 regions of Ukraine (Vinnytsia, Volyn,
Dnipropetrovsk, Zhytomyr, Zakarpattia, Kyiv, Lviv, Odesa, Poltava,
Rivne, Kharkiv, Kherson, Cherkasy, Chernivtsi and Chernihiv) and Kyiv
city took part in the online survey.
• The age of the respondents is from 23 to 60 years, the average age is
40 years
55%45%
RESPONDENTS
3The popularity of "smuggled" goods among consumers

4. How often do Ukrainians buy?
Weekly
Monthly
From monthly to annually
Every year
Less often than every year
HowoftendoUkrainiansbuy?
1%
9%
1%
72%
5%
5%
17%
11%
38%
24%
5%
24%
1%
24%
18%
57%
1%
1%
16%
20%
63%
22%
50%
20%
20%
3%
50%
1%
24%
1%
12%
24%
5%
63%
1%
1%
29%
22%у
46%
9%
45%
25%
1%
20%
4The popularity of "smuggled" goods among consumers

5. Where do Ukrainians buy? *
WheredoUkrainiansbuy?
80% In large stores, supermarkets
74% Online
50% In small shops, in shops near the house
46% In the markets
20% In SAFs (small architectural form), small shops
17% By acquaintances
5
* The sum of % is more than 100, because the respondents chose more than one answer
The popularity of "smuggled" goods among consumers

6. Consumers assume the presence
of "smuggled" goods when buying *:
Doyoubuy"smuggled"goods?
55% Household appliances
54% Food
54% Gadgets
45% Clothes
41% Household chemicals
37% Footwear
29% Perfumes
24% Excisable goods (alcohol)
18% Toys
11%
I do not assume that "smuggled" goods were
among my purchasesNO
6
* The sum of % is more than 100, because the respondents chose
more than one answerThe popularity of "smuggled" goods among consumers

7. Did you know that you
buy "smuggled" goods?
Doyoubuy"smuggled"goods?
?
12%
18%
29%
41%
Not interested in how these goods were imported
Mostly did not know
Knew in some cases
Knew in all or most cases
7The popularity of "smuggled" goods among consumers

8. Would you buy "smuggled" goods?Doesitmatterthatitis"smuggling"?
Yes, in some cases (if they are of better quality, cheaper or such
goods can not be bought anywhere else)
No
Hard to say / Don't know
Yes, in any case
10%
13%
18%
58%
How would you know in advance that the goods
you are buying were imported in violation of the
customs regime, or would you buy them?
Does it matter to you that the goods you
bought were imported into Ukraine in
violation of the customs regime?
9%
16%
19%
28%
28%
Yes
Rather yes
Probably not
No
Hard to tell
8The popularity of "smuggled" goods among consumers

9. “Contraband" or NOT?
"Contraband"orNOT?
Why do people buy "smuggled" goods in Ukraine? Are you ready to buy "official" goods if their
value is higher than the value of goods
imported duty-free
(in violation of the customs regime)?
81% Because of the better price
51%
Because of the opportunity
to buy goods that are not
available in the country
28% Due to higher quality
22% Due to the larger range
5%
Most do not know what
they are buying "smuggled"
goods
32% In some cases
23% Rather yes
17% Yes
13% Probably not
7%
Hard to say / Don't
know
7% No
9The popularity of "smuggled" goods among consumers

10. Theimpactof"contraband"
The impact of “contraband" on the economy of
Ukraine and the welfare of citizens
3%
42%
55%
"Smuggling" has a negative impact on both Ukraine's
economy and the well-being of its citizens
"Smuggling" has a negative impact on Ukraine's economy,
but has a positive effect on the well-being of citizens
"Smuggling" has a positive effect on both Ukraine's
economy and the well-being of its citizens
10The popularity of "smuggled" goods among consumers

11. Is it necessary
to fight "smuggling"? *
Isitnecessarytofight"smuggling"?
It is necessary to fight, first of all, with "smuggling" on a large scale, and
not with "smuggling" in which small consignments of goods are imported
No need to fight "smuggling"
Customs rates need to be reduced to eliminate the need for "smuggling"
Ukraine needs to create jobs and develop its economy to eliminate the need for "smuggling"
All "smuggling“ must be combated, regardless of what goods are imported and in what quantities
30%
46%
38%
47%
1%
11
* The sum of % is more than 100, because the
respondents chose more than one answer
The popularity of "smuggled" goods among consumers

12. Is it possible to solve the problem of
commodity "smuggling" in Ukraine?
Isitnecessarytofight"smuggling"?
16%
28%
19%
37%It is possible to stop large-scale "smuggling", but small-scale
"smuggling" will remain
It is possible to stop all or most of the "smuggling"
Certain "smuggling" schemes or certain participants in these schemes
may be stopped, but new ones will emerge in their place
The problem of commodity "smuggling" cannot be solved in Ukraine
12The popularity of "smuggled" goods among consumers

13. Whoshouldsolvetheproblemof
commodity"smuggling"inUkraine?
* The sum of % is more than 100, because the respondents chose more than one answer
Who should solve the problem
of commodity "smuggling" in Ukraine? *
89% State Customs Service of Ukraine
55% State Border Guard Service of Ukraine
48% Government of Ukraine
43% A consumer who will not buy smuggled products
37% Security Service of Ukraine
33% Market participants (business) who pay all import duties
32% State Tax Service of Ukraine
32% Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine
20% National Police of Ukraine
17% Local governments
16% President
8% National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine
8% Countries from which goods are imported to Ukraine
7% National Reform Council
3% European Union
13

14. CONCLUSIONS
ATTITUDE TO CONSUMPTION OF "SMUGGLED" GOODS
• As expected, food and household chemicals are among the goods that consumers buy most often. Home
appliances, electronic devices ("gadgets") and toys are rarely bought.
• Buying goods online is almost as common as buying them in large stores or supermarkets - three quarters
of respondents said they buy goods online. However, this indicator could be influenced by the fact that the
survey was conducted online, i.e. respondents who use the Internet and social networks are likely to be more
likely to shop online.
• According to the respondents, they could buy the most "smuggled" goods among food, household
appliances and electronic devices. Also, these products can be quite common among clothing and
household chemicals.
• Competitive price is the main reason why, according to respondents, "smuggled" goods are in demand. The
ability to buy unavailable goods is also an important reason for buying such goods, but not as decisive as the
best price.
• One third of respondents knew or were mostly informed that his or her purchases included goods imported
in violation of customs regulations, although two out of five respondents said they did not know or were
not interested in whether they were among the goods they bought, such that were imported in violation of
customs regulations.
14The popularity of "smuggled" goods among consumers

15. CONCLUSIONS(CONTINUED)
ATTITUDE TO CONSUMPTION OF "SMUGGLED" GOODS
• At the same time, almost two thirds of respondents (58%) said that they would buy or in some cases buy goods,
even if they knew in advance that they were imported unofficially. This indicates that the benefits of buying such
goods (better price, range, quality, etc.) are a more important factor for a significant proportion of consumers
than the financial and legal aspects of importing goods in violation of customs regulations.
• The main factor in the consumption of "smuggled" goods is the price (88% of respondents), also important is the
ability to buy goods that are not officially imported, "which are not in the country" (55% of respondents).
• More than half of respondents (52%) said that it was important for them that the goods were imported in
violation of the customs regime, and 55% of respondents expressed a willingness to buy officially
imported goods instead of those imported unofficially, even at higher prices.
BRIEFLY: So, the attitude of Ukrainian consumers to "smuggled" goods consists of contradictory judgments. On
the one hand, such goods are often bought because of the lower price and better range. On the other hand, it is
important for the consumer how the goods are imported, and he or she is ready or rather ready to buy a similar
product, officially imported, even at a higher price.
WHAT TO DO: Information activities and campaigns aimed at raising consumer awareness of the origin of
goods in the market can potentially change consumer behavior towards increasing the conscious choice to buy
officially cleared goods.
15The popularity of "smuggled" goods among consumers

16. CONCLUSIONS(CONTINUED)
INFLUENCE OF "SMUGGLING" ON THE ECONOMY AND WELL-BEING OF CITIZENS
• 55% of respondents believe that the "smuggling" of goods has a negative impact on both the country's economy
and citizens. Slightly fewer respondents (42%) believe that "smuggling" has a positive effect on the welfare of
citizens, although negatively - on the economy of Ukraine. The rest (3%) believe that this is positive for both the
economy and citizens.
BRIEFLY: There are two opposing views on the impact of "smuggling" on the welfare of citizens, who have about
the same share of supporters (according to our online survey).
WHAT TO DO: Citizens need to be made more aware of the direct link between the economic situation in the
country and their own well-being.
16The popularity of "smuggled" goods among consumers

17. FIGHT AGAINST "SMUGGLING" OF COMMERCIAL GOODS
• 47% of respondents believe that all smuggling should be tackled, regardless of size, and 46% of
respondents think that it is necessary to “create jobs and develop the economy to eliminate the need
for smuggling.” 38% believe that customs rates should be reduced to eliminate the need for
smuggling, and 30% believe that it is necessary to fight smuggling only on a large scale.
• Only less than a third of respondents (28%) believe that it is possible to stop all or virtually all
"smuggling" of goods, the rest are less optimistic and have reservations. 35% of respondents are
pessimistic about the possibility of combating "smuggling" (they think that this phenomenon can not
be stopped, because "by stopping some schemes, others will immediately appear"), 37% believe that
"big smuggling" can be overcome, but smuggling in small volumes will still remain.
• The main participants in the fight against "smuggling" of commercial goods, according to
respondents, are the State Customs Service (88%), the State Border Service (55%), the Government
of Ukraine (48%), conscious consumers (43%), the Security Service of Ukraine (38%), business that
pays all duties (33%), the State Tax Service (32%) and the Verkhovna Rada (32%).
CONCLUSIONS(CONTINUED)
17The popularity of "smuggled" goods among consumers

18. FIGHT AGAINST "SMUGGLING"
BRIEFLY: Large-scale "smuggling" must be combated. And the chance of success is quite high: it is
necessary not only to counter "smuggling", but also to create economic opportunities when "smuggling"
becomes economically unprofitable and unnecessary. This is the important role of citizens (or consumers)
and their conscious attitude to consumption, understanding the relationship between their own well-being
and the economic situation in the country.
WHAT TO DO: It is necessary to counteract "smuggling" by using a set of border control tools, and to
create conditions when "smuggling" becomes unprofitable for business and unnecessary for the consumer,
to increase consumer awareness of the connection between their own well-being and the economic
situation in the country. It is necessary to raise public awareness of how state and local budgets are used.
CONCLUSIONS(CONTINUED)
18The popularity of "smuggled" goods among consumers

19. CONTACTINFORMATION
The project Public Initiative "For Fair and Transparent Customs"
is implemented by the IER with the financial support of the European Union,
the International Renaissance Foundation and AtlasNetwork.
CONTACT
сайт: www.tfd.ier.com.ua
e-mail: customs@ier.kyiv.ua​
Facebook: www.facebook.com/TFD.IER
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The Institute for Economic Research
and Policy Consulting
Reytarska str. 8/5-A, Kyiv 01054, Ukraine
tel. + 38 044 278-63-42
fax + 38 044 278-63-36
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