do friends let friends unknowingly carry fakes?

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#61
I would say quite directly it is fake, it's illegal and apart from that shows complete lack of style - people who have a clue will know and I think a lot of these people believe they actually get away with it but they don't, it just makes you look cheap... however some people seem to buy similar looking bags and not even understanding they are based on Kellys or Birkins etc and that I think is a totally different situation.
 
#62
i would tell her straight out. like you, i would want my friend to tell me the truth, embarrassment or not.

not that i'm condoning fakes, but maybe your friend couldn't afford a real one and strongly hinted to guy friend that she wanted a fake one? or maybe he couldn't afford a real one and strongly hinted to her that he can't afford one, but could possibly buy her a fake one and she was okay with it?

perhaps you could do this: pretend you want another birkin, but say something like you are low on funds and are considering buying a fake one. you can use this to see her reaction on how she feels about fake birkins or fake bags in general? this way, you can get a sense of how she feels about fakes and gauge whether or not you should tell her. if she's against fakes, then i would bring it up. if she's for fakes, than i would just ask her straight out.

off topic, i have a few friends that own fake LV's and they're proud of them. they can't afford the real thing and they don't have the time to take care of a bag. they also don't want the responsibility that goes with having a very expensive bag. to each their own =) friends with fake bags or no fake bags, they are still my friends. i don't judge someone based on the bags they own =) i didn't have to approach the topic of fake bags with them. my friends actually asked me to accompany them to buy one of their fake bags. the experience was quite entertaining.
 
#63
okay, i just read your previous posts. if your friend would be mortified, then i would use my scenario above to see her reaction. i think that's the most subtle way to get her to voice her opinion on an actual fake birkin.

btw piggy - i just clicked on your fb link and i went to nyu too! class of 2005 =)
 
#64
India said:
I cannot imagine an Hermes SA voicing an opinion about the authenticity of a bag being carried by a customer unless the customer asked to bring it into the spa. Even then, the SA's often take the bag and then later have someone call the customer and ask her to pick up the bag and tell her it was refused due to lack of authenticity. No SA is going to say, "Madame, you do realize that you're carrying a fake, don't you?"!!! I have an "inspired-by" Constance and have often been carrying it when I am in the boutique (including FSH), and no one has ever commented on its lack of authenticity.

Call me a cynical old fogey, but I smell a hint in the air of "I want to take a bit of the wind out of her oh-so-proud sails by informing her that her bag is a fake". Frankly, it does not matter if it is or not. It's not against the law to CARRY a fake bag - just to sell one or import them.

Unless she expresses concerns about its authenticity and asks for your advice, I'd keep my mouth tightly closed. I still say I'm astounded that she would truly believe that a matte croc birkin brought back from a trip by a BF, NOT a fiance, would be authentic. Do BF's regularly these days buy bags that cost $30,000 as a bring-home-from-a-trip present? If so, I clearly need to find a new set of friends!
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this is absolutely *not* the case - my friends come from a variety of backgrounds, with some having the good fortune to own many and varied Hermès exotics, and others who aren't the least bit interested in Hermès at all. my moral quandary is due my being torn between my own self-interest (not wanting to lose a friendship) and the golden rule (do unto others as you would have them do unto you): if I had been duped into carrying a fake & thinking it's authentic, I would be mortified to find out, and really upset if my girlfriend had known the whole time without telling me. I know my friend doesn't condone fakes in general, but, not being familiar with Hermès, I don't think she realises what the price points are, or how unrealistic it would be for this guy to give her a matte croc birkin. After all, even at bottega a croc bag can be had for less than $5,000 during the sales. plus the current EUR/USD exchange rate given the Greek situation really does make for some extraordinary shopping bargains right now for those of us visiting from stateside.

i know before i started buying H, i thought a birkin was at most maybe $2.5K-3K :roflmfao: ahhh, blissful ignorance :sweatdrop:

believe me, when i first saw the bag from far away and thought it was the real deal, i was just excited to have helped convert/enable yet another friend to join "team H" (^(oo)^)v
 
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#65
ang2383 said:
okay, i just read your previous posts. if your friend would be mortified, then i would use my scenario above to see her reaction. i think that's the most subtle way to get her to voice her opinion on an actual fake birkin.

btw piggy - i just clicked on your fb link and i went to nyu too! class of 2005 =)
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woo, me too!!! \(^(oo)^)/ were you in CAS? or one of the specialty schools?
 
#66
papertiger said:
I think it's more that the lady usually carries genuine articles and thinks that this is a genuine bag.

If it were my gift-bag I would want to be told by whoever first gets to me. On the other hand I wouldn't tell a an acquaintance about her gift-bag, only a real friend.
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that's exactly my concern . . . thanks for helping me clarify papertiger! :flowers:
 
#69
I don't think you can win in this situation. Telling her would be risky. I would follow India's advice. Maybe you can be crass and marvel that her BF gave her a $30,000 gift and see what she says. Other than that, keep your mouth shut.

It just might be real. I once saw a blatent fake. Ewwwww, cannot be real, even a 2-year-old would see that it was a fake. Well, since it was sitting in the window at Hermes, perhaps I was wrong! It was just a skin and color that I wasn't familiar with. You never know.
 
#70
Oh my God it is supposed to be a matte croc?! IMO, crocs and ostriches are the EASIEST to spoke a fake in real life. There is simply no chance of a pressed croc/ostrich going past me as real.

I think your friend is really inexperienced with Hermes. It could even be that she thinks that Hermes makes embossed croc bags!

It is a really difficult situation, I understand the reason why you should keep your mouth shut but on the other hand, it's not easy to let a friend unknowingly carry a fake that could turn into an embarassing episode for her down the track.

You should subtly give her hints and if you get to meet her bf, gauge his response too.

Call me suspicious, but I do wonder if people seriously believe boy friends will buy them $40k hand bags if they find out about the price. You should tell a lot from your friends response, and then you know whether to MYOB from there.
 
#71
Some friends can be sensitive while others don't mind. lvpiggy, you know your friend best deep down. If she's very sensitive, it's best to keep quiet and not jeopardise your relationship with her due to Hermes. Your sincere concern makes Hermes gods to be proud of you.
 
#72
Actually ladies, does anyone know if it's illegal to carry a fake bag? I heard some "story" about how the French authorities will confiscate any bag they think is a fake and destroy it but have not substantiated this myself.

Lvpiggy - I completely get your dilemma.....I would be so conflicted too.....

And yes, I too do not live in the world where croc birkins are casually given - but that said, I do agree that many people are generally unaware just how expensive these bags actually are and would keel over in shock if they found out! I think because this forum is largely populated by people "in the know" and true blue H fans, we take our knowledge of the price points for granted.

GL with your decision!
 
#73
lvpiggy -- so sorry to hear you are having this issue

I had the same issue recently with a friend, but with a different brand, not Hermes. My friend was showing off her new bag. I thought it was fake but not 100% sure. Then she tells me about a "friend" that works at a department store and can get her designer bags on sale including LV -- yikes! Now I'm convinced it's a fake and this so called friend is taking advantage of her. My impression is that this is your concern too, not that your friend wears a fake but that she is being deceived by the guy or whoever sold him the bag. Still I decided to keep my mouth shut because my friend was so enjoying her new bag I didn't want to rain on her parade.
 
#74
I would stay out of it and say NOTHING. Just say it's a beautiful bag. As long as it's not costing your friend anything - if she were being asked to pay for it, SHOUT IT TO THE HILLS, but if it's a gift, and you have no personal relationship with the BF - let it go. It will come to light at some point and who knows, they might even want to keep it a secret, or perhaps he even knows ... anyway, stay out of it.

Nothing positive will come to your friendship over this, and what a shame - to have bad feelings between you over a FAKE BAG of all things.

I'd say it was a gorgeous bag, nice color etc. and then when they find out it's a fake (or at least, she does), all you have to do is take the bullet and acknowledge (lie) that her bag looked so good you had no idea it wasn't real. This will at least make your friend feel better if she's been carrying it for a while.

This situation is so hard. But really, I'd close my lips.
 
#75
Once again I'd have to say something (if its a good friend of mine) What if she wanted to sell it? She could get herself into a lot of trouble. What if she did manage to sell it to a good friend for a Birkin's market value? That could quickly turn into a "you knew and you didnt tell me??" situation.

I'd find a way to gently let her know.
 
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