There is a farmer's market by my work that sells designer handbags. Versace, D&G, Kate Spade to name a few. It has the brand name on the bag so it's not a replica, but is it a fake? They sell them for $45-$55 so I would think they are fake but that would be illegal, but it's a county sponsored farmer's market so I wouldn't think they would do that. There are Burberry bags there too, but those don't say Burberry on them so I'm thinking those are replicas. I'm too embarrassed to ask the women selling them. Could they be vintage or something like that?
Question on fake/replica handbags...
- Thread starter shy712
- Start date
If it has the brand name on the bag and it is not made by the designer, it is blatantly illegal. You can call it what you want: fake, replica, knock-off. But it's illegal.
Many others are "designer-inspired" bags which use the overall shape and style of the original design, but change just enough elements and don't use the designer's name so they are technically legal. Many people here disagree about how ethical they are, but technically most of them are legal.
If the bags are true mirror images, there may be enough similarities that they could still be illegal despite not carrying the designer's name, but those cases are much harder to prove and to prosecute, so they are usually not pursued.
Many others are "designer-inspired" bags which use the overall shape and style of the original design, but change just enough elements and don't use the designer's name so they are technically legal. Many people here disagree about how ethical they are, but technically most of them are legal.
If the bags are true mirror images, there may be enough similarities that they could still be illegal despite not carrying the designer's name, but those cases are much harder to prove and to prosecute, so they are usually not pursued.
I think that if getting something made/produced/distributed by a particular company is important to you, whether it's a purse, a DVD or an inclusion haircube (my new favorite product name!), the best way to be sure you are getting that is to buy it from the company itself, or check the company's website, or call them and obtain a list of retailers authorized to stock and sell the company's products!
With this price range, I have a feeling they are fakes. Even it is a county sponsored market, I don't think the county would govern them for authenticity issues.
LV or any other high end designer bag would NEVER sanction the sales of their goods at a farmer's market of all places !!!!!!
A lot of times when people sign up for space at flea markets and farmers markets, they just tell the organizers that they are selling handbags. The people organizing the events never actually go and check to see if what the person is selling is legal. It's no surprise to see people openly selling blatantly fake merchandise at these types of events.
And it is unlikely that most people who sell space at these venues are experts on purses, or even familiar with the popular designers beyond maybe having heard a couple of the names. Even if they send somebody to do a periodic walkthrough to make sure people are not selling alcohol without a license or pictures of naked people, etc, what to many people here would be very obviously a fraudulently labeled bag, to that person doing the walkthrough, it would just be a bag!
There's no way Versace and D&G, etc, would be $45-$55, whether new or vintage! Gotta be fake. Especially if they come wrapped in plastic! 
They're fake. The flea market in south NJ has rows and rows of fake bags (and shoes and jewelery) of all the designers, and many are very good fakes. I think as long as the space is being paid for by the vendor, the flea market really doesn't care. I don't think they can feign ignorance. Who doesn't know who Gucci, Chanel, Coach and LV are, and that those are fake bags being sold? Maybe BV or Balenciaga is not known by everyone, but certain brands are. They even have fake True Religion jeans! The flea market knows they're fake. They choose not to respond. I hate it, but they have fabulous household items and hardware so my husband and I frequent them for good deals on those items.
yeah, people definitely turn a blind eye, just as long as they're getting paid. it's like canal street in nyc. tons of vendors are selling fakes and cops pass by them everyday! i guess there are bigger fish to fry in ny than bother fake bag/watch/accessory dealers.
Millions of people. I know that from the perspective of someone who is by anyone's definition a bona fide expert on designer bags, it is going to be hard to imagine a reality where those are just words, and if they are familiar at all, they are familiar in that way of an actor whose face you do not know, maybe you are not sure if he is an actor, a singer, or a ball player.
But just as there are things that are very important to some other people, things that you maybe have no knowledge of whatsoever, there is a very large segment of consumers whose knowledge of designer brands is nil to extremely vague and cloudy.
Having said that, almost every day someone here posts about their efforts to notify local law enforcement, even the companies themselves, that fraudulently labeled merchandise is being sold here or there, and the frustration they feel when they do not receive what seems to them a satisfactory response.
I remember someone pointing out instances of fraudulently labeled bags being sold within sight from the windows of the company!
At times, it can seem that the companies' loyal fans are more upset about the fake bags than the company, talk about frustration - but to save us all from me committing another long rant about market forces, the good news is that fans of the companies can count on them to do what is in their best interests!
ShimmaPuff, I guess maybe there's someone who doesn't know these brands, but this flea market is right outside of Philly, which is a major metro area. Honestly, I've never met someone who didn't know ANY designer brands, especially in this area. For example, I'm not into art but I know who Picasso is. I just imagine that to not know ANY designers, one would have to never read a billboard or magazine, never watch tv, and never go into a mall. Plus we're not that far from NYC. This area, people are really into designer items. I think those that buy the fakes maybe want the look of affluence without paying the price. Here's the thing too, for those not into designers, what's the allure of the purchase? The bag still runs about $50, and for $10 there are vendors that sell no name bags.