Small Businessblack market

12 Bizarre Items You Won't Believe People Will Break The Law To Buy

12 Bizarre Items You Won't Believe People Break The Law To Buy
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By 

Former Associate Business Editor, The Huffington Post

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UNITED STATES - MAY 01: Tide laundry detergent is displayed in a grocery store in New York, on Tuesday, May 1, 2007. Procter & Gamble Co., the largest U.S. consumer-goods maker, said third-quarter profit rose 14 percent after it raised prices for Folgers coffee and Duracell batteries. (Photo by Daniel Barry/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Some people will do anything they can to get their hands on their favorite products.

Items bought and sold underground, or on the black market, make up the world's second largest economy behind the United State's at roughly $10 trillion, according to a 2009 study. A lot of those goods include your average run-of-the-mill sketchy items like guns and drugs but there's plenty on the black market that's a lot more ordinary -- and seemingly harmless.

Tide laundry detergent, for example. is so popular that thieves will steal vast quantities just to resell it for a few bucks less.

Check out some of these bizarre items that have become black market sensations:

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Before You Go

12 Hot Black-Market Items That Aren't Guns, Drugs
Japanese Flight Attendant Uniforms(01 of12)
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Japanese flight attendant uniforms became a highly sought after item when travelling businessmen began to fetishize the clothing, The Guardian reported in 2010. The uniforms can fetch more than $10,000 on the black market. (credit:Getty Images)
Hair Extensions(02 of12)
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Costing around $100 per pack, hair extensions are not cheap. A rash of thefts have been reported over the last few years contributing to a thriving black market. (credit:WikiMedia:)
Teeth Whitener(03 of12)
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Teeth whitener became a popular black market item in 2010 due to laws in the U.S. that limit the amount of peroxide a whitening product can contain. Foreign-made products with more than the legal limit flooded online retailers like eBay and Amazon, The Guardian reported in 2010. The sites have cracked down on the illegal products but many are still at risk, Female First reports. (credit:Shutterstock)
Almonds(04 of12)
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After salmonella outbreaks in the early 2000s, the U.S. government required that all almonds sold be pasteurized in 2007, much to the dismay of purists and raw dieters. A black market for truly untouched almonds sprung up online and at farmers' markets in response. (credit:Shutterstock)
Baby Formula(05 of12)
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Baby formula may be the perfect black market item for a number of reasons. It's an expensive necessity. Indeed, baby formula is sold as a black market item throughout the U.S. and has recently taken off in China. One Florida couple was recently discovered to have made $90,000 by selling baby formula it stole on the black market. (credit:Shutterstock)
Tide(06 of12)
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The brand power of the original liquid detergent is so strong that consumers on average pay 50 percent more for it than similar products, making it an ideal item to be sold for less outside supermarkets, New York Magazine reports. (credit:Getty Images)
Casu Marzu Cheese (07 of12)
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Considered a delicacy, Casu Marzu is a Sardinian cheese made from sheep's milk that comes laden with live maggots which makes it illegal for health reasons. Why anyone would want to eat this we're not sure, but for those who do it's an item that has to be purchased on the black market. (credit:WikiMedia:)
Four Loko(08 of12)
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After the alcoholic energy drink Four Loko was banned in stores, a black market for the popular beverage quickly emerged, Fox News reports. Prices went as high as 200 percent more than the list price.Clarification: Four Loko removed caffeine and two other ingredients from its formula in November 2010, allowing it to be safely sold in stores. (credit:WikiMedia:)
Maple Syrup(09 of12)
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Maple syrup has become an increasingly popular commodity on the black market due to its steady rise in price and inconsistent annual yields, Seven Days reports. Last year an estimated $18 million in maple syrup was stolen from a reserve in Quebec, Canada. (credit:AP)
Bull Semen(10 of12)
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Thanks to the high price of cattle and the relative difficulty of extracting it, bull semen is a popular black market item. In 2010, a series of thefts of bull semen valued up to $22,000 hit a number of Wisconsin farms. (credit:WikiMedia:)
Cronuts(11 of12)
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After New York City pastry chef Dominique Ansel came out with Cronuts in May, the donut-croissant hybrid became an almost overnight sensation. With demand so high, enterprising individuals energetic enough to beat the early morning lines took to Craigslist to sell the pastry that retails for $5, some times fetching prices as high as $40 for a single one. (credit:AP)
Twinkies(12 of12)
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Twinkies became a hot item on the black market following the announcement that its maker Hostess was going out of business. The fear that Twinkies were gone for good drove prices up as high as $10,000 for a box on eBay. Twinkies are set to go back on the open market in July after the brand was eventually bought and revived. (credit:AP)
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