Fakes - please be careful

V

Vegas Long Legs

Traveler
Nov 13, 2006
10,986
17
#1
After seeing a TPF'er was ripped off by a fake Tiffany, decided to post this.

I was at a wholesale jewelry show last month in Vegas. The true wholesale show where the manufactures come in with the intent of getting large distributor orders. This show is held at the same time as several other shows & one pass gets you into all.

I saw lots of fake Cartier, Tiffany & VCA items. Excellent fakes. It was depressing.

So please be very careful.
 
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#3
That is why I only buy direct from a boutique/store. I don't think the amount saved is worth the headache authenticating and hoping your piece is real.
 
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#5
Vegas Long Legs said:
After seeing a TPF'er was ripped off by a fake Tiffany, decided to post this.

I was at a wholesale jewelry show last month in Vegas. The true wholesale show where the manufactures come in with the intent of getting large distributor orders. This show is held at the same time as several other shows & one pass gets you into all.

I saw lots of fake Cartier, Tiffany & VCA items. Excellent fakes. It was depressing.

So please be very careful.
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Amazing how open the sellers are. It's not just the high-end branded jewelry that gets faked. Any jewelry maker with a nationally known brand name will be faked. I was thinking of buying a James Avery bracelet and was shocked by the number of stories I came across on the Internet of people who ended up with fake Avery pieces, many bought from jewelry stores in Texas where the Avery company is located and is most popular.
 
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#7
emchhardy said:
Yikes - that is depressing.

If you don't mind me asking, since I typically buy Tiffany, what designs did you see most faked?
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Tiffany key. But I saw about everything Tiffany is currently selling. The items with diamonds of course were done with crystals. 3 for $20.00 at the show. I'm sure the discounts would be bigger if you placed a huge order.

Fake VCA long clover necklaces. $79.00! We really looked these over. They were 'weighty.' MOP both grey & white. The only thing that was off about them is comparing to a 18ct gold ring I had on the gold color was off.

All I kept thinking was how all this was going to end up in a land fill in a couple of years.

Trulyadiva said:
Years ago I would go to those shows, I was amazed that some were selling fakes, especially the LV's.
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I did go in the purse area. I didn't see anything with logos this time. I'd bet they don't bring those to the US anymore. They are so obviously fake & customs might not let them take them home. :P

This show brings in so many people, the NV department of revenue is on site now to make sure they are getting all their sales taxes.
 
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#8
Vegas Long Legs said:
Tiffany key. But I saw about everything Tiffany is currently selling. The items with diamonds of course were done with crystals. 3 for $20.00 at the show. I'm sure the discounts would be bigger if you placed a huge order.

Fake VCA long clover necklaces. $79.00! We really looked these over. They were 'weighty.' MOP both grey & white. The only thing that was off about them is comparing to a 18ct gold ring I had on the gold color was off.

All I kept thinking was how all this was going to end up in a land fill in a couple of years.



I did go in the purse area. I didn't see anything with logos this time. I'd bet they don't bring those to the US anymore. They are so obviously fake & customs might not let them take them home. :P

This show brings in so many people, the NV department of revenue is on site now to make sure they are getting all their sales taxes.
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Wow! Thanks for posting!
 
#9
It's terrifying that there are so many fakes out there!! Especially now that the fakes are so well-done; sometimes, the only difference between the authentic piece and the replica is which factory manufactured the item.

Personally, I only purchase my designer pieces directly from the designer, or from authorized retailers (i.e. Macy's, Bloomingdales, Nordstrom, etc.) so that I know that my items are authentic. I'm always super-paranoid about pre-owned items and not knowing where they've come from or who owned them before me, etc..

And, of course, the one time that I stray onto eBay for a retired piece... I get burned. It figures.
 
#13
I have been to Turkish stores who sell fakes. They're all hidden around the Grand Bazaar.

I went to see some ruby and diamond earrings to a back office of a store, and the jeweler saw my Cartier love bracelet and offered me a fake one. It was a good fake, I mean a VERY good one.
He took my love bracelet off and we started comparing it to the fake one. EVERYTHING was identical except for the number. I couldn't believe my eyes. I could've easily mistaken my bracelet for the faked bracelet but mine was scratched.

I also went to a bag manufacturing, and they custom made a bag for me by my own design. I saw fake bags of the quality I've never seen before. I have plenty of Chanel, Hermes, Dior and etc, so I know the quality and the leather. There was a Lady Dior bag that I could've sworn it was real. It looked EXACTLY like my LD, inside and out. There was a gold Togo Kelly bag that only after close inspection I found a flaw showing it was fake, and only because I also was wearing a gold Togo Kelly a real one, so I was comparing them inch by inch.
Fake Chanel caviar leather classic bags looked exactly like the real ones, only 2.55 reissues were obvious fake (they can't copy the distressed leather). There was a Matt crocodile Birkin bag that made me speechless, it looked just like a real one I've tried one in Paris.

Those were expensive fakes, costed about $1500-2000 for Kelly or Chanel. With fakes like that out on the market I'm going to be buying only at official boutiques.
 
#14
Love4H said:
I have been to Turkish stores who sell fakes. They're all hidden around the Grand Bazaar.

I went to see some ruby and diamond earrings to a back office of a store, and the jeweler saw my Cartier love bracelet and offered me a fake one. It was a good fake, I mean a VERY good one.
He took my love bracelet off and we started comparing it to the fake one. EVERYTHING was identical except for the number. I couldn't believe my eyes. I could've easily mistaken my bracelet for the faked bracelet but mine was scratched.

I also went to a bag manufacturing, and they custom made a bag for me by my own design. I saw fake bags of the quality I've never seen before. I have plenty of Chanel, Hermes, Dior and etc, so I know the quality and the leather. There was a Lady Dior bag that I could've sworn it was real. It looked EXACTLY like my LD, inside and out. There was a gold Togo Kelly bag that only after close inspection I found a flaw showing it was fake, and only because I also was wearing a gold Togo Kelly a real one, so I was comparing them inch by inch.
Fake Chanel caviar leather classic bags looked exactly like the real ones, only 2.55 reissues were obvious fake (they can't copy the distressed leather). There was a Matt crocodile Birkin bag that made me speechless, it looked just like a real one I've tried one in Paris.

Those were expensive fakes, costed about $1500-2000 for Kelly or Chanel. With fakes like that out on the market I'm going to be buying only at official boutiques.
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This is sickening. I just got burnt by a fake Cartier bracelet from evilbay that was so good that the Cartier store took it in for servicing. They only called me back like a week later to tell me that it was a fake. Down the line these fakes are going to find their way into the pre-owned market and buyers like me are going to get burnt paying lots of money for fakes :tdown:

Was the fake Cartier love bracelet you saw made from real gold and diamonds? I don't understand why the original designers aren't going after and seizing all these fakes? Surely it can't be good for their business and reputation.
 
#15
anne1218 said:
I think they are ok to sell as long as there's no logo on them?
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'Inspired by' is legal.

My friend who owns a retail store said when you place an order they ask if you want them 'stamped.' The store owners who are used to placing the orders knows what they mean. She doesn't think that store owners like herself would be buying this stuff. If you get busted the fines are huge & american's know its illegal. She thinks its ebay sellers or non traditional stores buying. Its funny to see how year after year these areas get bigger & bigger
with more inspired by products. The power of non traditional/ebay sellers.

We had booths at different shows. When we did it the trade shows are union run so you can't carry your own stuff in. It went to a dock & then was transferred to your booth. There was extra security checking things out. So they are looking for fakes, bombs etc. These were all asian manufactures. So they might not of had possession of their stuff since they left wherever till they got to their booth.

Purses are pretty well known to be fake. They are out in our faces when you travel. Not so sure about people knowledge of fake jewelry unless you are into jewelry.

Stuff come to the US every single day that is fake. I believe sources online state one out of every 1,000 metal shipping containers is checked. They don't have that extra security checking everything. I think the demand is so big that it is overwhelming to all involved.

The poster who brought up Cartier. The nail bracelet (name escapes me right now) was close to perfect. I saw it in rose gold. The Love bracelet was awful. It was a poor replicate. It didn't even close the same way.
 
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