Designer goods.......... Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery

[Ebaby]

Most people can't tell a fake from the real thing, designer handbags, shoes jewelry etc.
Now I would never be able to afford a £10.000 Louis V handbag, but I'd be able to afford a £10 fake one. But if I buy a £10 fake LV bag I will be accused of supporting criminals. I think the real criminals are the ones that sell at £10.000.
would you be able to tell the difference between a genuine and a fake?

[welshlibranr]

don't think I would be able to tell, but I'm not really into designer handbags!......I think that charging £10.000 (or did you mean £1.000?) for a handbag is just ridiculous, would never pay anywhere near that amount of money for a handbag!.......

[237SJ]

No. Most of the time (if you get fake goods in the Far East) you won`t be able to tell the difference.

[DTCwordfan]

Why are they criminals?

They designed it, made it, retailed it , invested in all the marketing and many folk are dumb enough to buy it and build the image that it is a "must have."

The fake one is a back handed compliment but it is an illegal act against the design copyright - and in some instances can be down right dangerous. For example, major lubs are counterfeited in China - with potential serious damage to vehicles.

[smurfchops]

Why would I part with my hard earned money for designer goods? They are still made cheaply so think of all the big fat profit going into designers' pockets, they are laughing all the way to the bank. However I wouldn't buy cheap tat either, it has to be leather ! Best to buy something in between, not too cheap (where handbags are concerned - there are always leather bags on ebay) but only fools spend ridiculous amounts of money on designer goods. Those people have more money than sense.

[welshlibranr]

I'm with smurfchops all the way on this one!......

[smurfchops]

That makes a nice change, I'm usually in the minority on here !

[Dolt]

I know someone who bought a "real" designer handbag, from a reputable store and the stitching came undone. she got a replacement,
Welsh, I'd be never able to tell either, but they do cost TEN thousandth£ or more.

[smurfchops]

They dont seem to make Mrs Beckham look any happier do they ?

[DTCwordfan]

That is your choice, smurf.

There are two sorts of Far Eastern ones in terms of copies. Most of them (handbags) are shambolic copies and the difference is very evident, even to a male eye.

Many of the real ones are made in Korea....the way it works is that someone like Chanel orders 1000 bags of a particular style, so for quality purposes, the manufacturer makes 1300. 1000 are delivered, 300 are left over. The 100 real duds are sold off at a knock-down price and the other 200 are perfectly good, just the Chanel tag removed and sold at a very good price.

Many years ago I bought 6 Chanel large handbags, 6 of those "quilt" purses and 6 key-rings for under £500.....Xmas presents solved. The area of Seoul for this is the Itaewon and if you are ever there, go to the back of the shop and carry on through, usually past a separating curtain to get to this sort of material........

[Dolt]

So DT are you saying, the people who make and design theses goods are laughing at the consumers. are they?

[DTCwordfan]

to some extent, the ones that make, yes. The designers are with the parent Co - one of the reasons that several brands have take their manufacturing in-house.

[DTCwordfan]

But then one must remember that the real McCoy has many other costs layered on with the retail out costs, the advertising, etc etc etc.....one of the reasons these "fakes" are so much cheaper......

[welshlibranr]

Dolt, I would never pay that much for a handbag no matter how wealthy I was!..I find it obcene!.....and I think that these designers are laughing at the consumers, just because it's so fashionable to have designer labels!..

[237SJ]

There is no such thing as overordering in the Far East. I fell foul of that one in Beijing when I bought a North Face jacket in a reputable shop (the Friendship Store). I paid £99 for it and I thought it was a bargain. I took it to the North Face store in Chicago and the guy there said it was a fake. He said if you get a cheap North Face jacket anywhere in the world it will be a fake. They don`t even have a North Face factory in Beijing so the jacket couldn`t possibly have fallen off the back of a lorry

[joko]

i have yet to see a designer bag that i would buy a fake version of... i think mostly they are ugly, and the ones that arent just arent my taste

[Dolt]

"the real McCoy has many other costs layered on with the retail out costs, the advertising, etc etc etc.....one of the reasons these "fakes" are so much cheaper"

Well LOL Dt, I may be dumb, but come on, I'm not going to pay 500£ for a coffee when I can get it for £1

[Dolt]

And don't waste your money Welsh.

[237SJ]

Well, I`ve got a lovely little Mulberry bag that I keep my ipod and ipod leads in. It`s gorgeous and really good quality leather too. I`ve got a million copy DVDs/Blueray in my library. I`ve got tons of lovely leather goods from the Far East that are copy but who would want anything with a brand name anyway? LV, Prada are so cheap and nasty I wouldn`t even pay for a copy, let alone a real one.

[NOX]

I could tell the difference if I had a good look, but with a good fake not a cursory glance, bad fqakes stand out a mile. Do I have a problem with doing Louis Vuitton out of a few quid, do I hell.

[Euphemia]

I agree joko - many designer bags are decidedly tacky.