Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to elicit antecedents that influence the buying of counterfeit products in Raipur, an emerging capital city. Research Design, Data, and Methodology – 203 responses to the questionnaire were collected to come out with the results of the study. From the exploratory study, 20 variables were identified to have an influence on the buying of counterfeit products. Factor analysis was applied on the data collected and these items were grouped into four factors. Result - The findings suggest that safety implications have a significant impact on the buying of counterfeits in an emerging city – Raipur, India. Further studies that are specific to geographical locations could be carried out to validate the findings of this paper as the tastes and preferences of each of the markets are unique. Conclusions - For manufacturers, marketers and law enforcers it might be of great interest to learn that safety concerns are uppermost on the minds of people who deliberately or inadvertently consume counterfeits. If it can be conveyed effectively that consumption of counterfeits can cause more harm than increase in perceived value, it can be checked to a good extent.