i was thinking it over about the shooting star bag... here's the thing thats been bugging me: from a moral standpoint, how is buying one different from buying a fake, in terms of the argument that hermes is losing money, or being cheated somehow. Yes, its real in terms of quality, but that point aside, quite often the point is made here that people are justified in being hostile to fake bags and their owners because of the fraud or copyright infringement aspect. unlike resellers, whose bags were presumably paid for and that money went to hermes originally, even if the additional profit does not, the shooting star bag is made by a craftsperson as a favor by hermes, using hermes time and material and training. it is strictly for personal/family use only and not profit (at least that's what i've learned here on tpf). customers buying a shooting star bag would likely pay for one from the store if hermes would just move it and produce more (lol), so it is money that would go to hermes but that is going to a private individual instead. i would not want a shooting star bag only because of the whole "being shut out" of the service from hermes, that would bother me, but it does occur to me that people are ostracized for owning fake bags on this forum for reasons that ought to apply to shooting star bags as well, yet those are regarded as treasures. personally i feel that anyone should carry whatever purse they want to and enjoy them, but i do see a contradiction being expressed frequently on this issue.