LAUNCHED IN 2011, Brand-i is the operating name of Brand Information Limited. With the sole remit of helping you shop safely online, we are a working partnership with the Trading Standards Institute.

The Brand-i directory has been developed to help combat a rise in illegal websites selling counterfeit goods.

It is increasingly difficult to establish from search engine results which online stores are bona fide and sell genuine goods and which are illegal and fraudulent sites. Using the latter could mean you receive fake, unsafe, inferior quality products, don’t receive your items at all, or even suffer identity theft and credit card fraud. Fraudsters who create illegal sites are often very organised and practised at giving the impression their web-stores stock genuine ‘designer’ sunglasses, shoes, hair straighteners or fashion jewellery.

Our intention is to help you avoid websites selling counterfeit  ‘branded’ products by providing a directory of online stores that can be trusted. You can trust the stockists listed in the Brand-i directory because the information has been provided with the consent of the brand holders themselves. By using our directory you will have the confidence to continue shopping for products you might not otherwise be sure about buying online.

If a site is not listed on Brand-i, you are encouraged to seek further advice from our safe shopping pages to help ensure it is a genuine stockist.

Brand-i aims to work with all other organisations with an interest in fighting illegal copies of branded goods and help highlight the work these distinct bodies do. By signposting you to these existing sources of information (see our Useful Sites page in our Safe Shopping section, as well as our Partners & Affiliates) we hope we are supporting both you and genuine businesses at the same time.

The theme of Brand-i and our ultimate aim is to increase consumer confidence when shopping for branded goods on the Internet. But our site is also intended to encourage you to think twice about the legitimacy of the websites you currently use and make basic safety checks before you shop.

Contact us at with questions or queries.