Expensive replicas? I don't get it.

[gburgnicole]

So I was on Craig's List for my area the other day and saw an advertisement for LV replicas. The woman was selling them for between $400-500 US dollars! I couldn't get over that, and I don't quite understand. If you really want to have a "LV bag" or to give people the impression that you have one, why wouldn't you use that money to buy a real, pre-loved handbag? Or, you could save up a bit more and buy one of the canvas bags new! I suppose in my mind replicas are supposed to be the cheap things you buy for $20 off of the guy on Canal Street in NYC.

I think she was marketing them as "high end" replicas, but they still looked fake. She was featuring a an Azur bag and the color looked off. Also, the canvas and interior of the bag looked visibly cheap.
What do you guys think? Have you run into people who would buy this type of thing?

 

[paperpeony]

I believe there’s different grades to replicas ranging from super cheap to expensive for high quality “A+” grade replicas for all the premium designer brands. I’ve seen some Chanel classic fakes for $1000! They’re pretty popular in China and other Asian countries. I actually had my friend in Shenzhen take me to a seller a few years ago and it was very secretive to get to the location. She had to talk to a seller in a boutique mall and he walked us two blocks away to an apartment that stored the bags, it was crazy!

 

[gillianna]

Perople buy replicas for their own reasons. I do

 

[Annawakes]

I don’t buy replicas, but I will say that a lot of people don’t even know the pre-loved market exists. I didn’t, until I found tPF.

 

[jellyv]

TPF is anti-fakes, and there are hundreds of existing threads on the subject, with thousands of posts. Without exaggeration. Have you used Search?

 

[snibor]

TPF is anti-fakes, and there are hundreds of existing threads on the subject, with thousands of posts. Without exaggeration. Have you used Search?

^this

 

[gburgnicole]

TPF is anti-fakes, and there are hundreds of existing threads on the subject, with thousands of posts. Without exaggeration. Have you used Search?

I've been around here for many years, and yes, I know there are other threads on replicas. I wasn't expressing shock that the replicas exist but rather that they were so expensive. That surprised me. Feel free to not waste your time responding to my post if you are annoyed that I posted it.

 

[shelli1039]

I've been around here for many years, and yes, I know there are other threads on replicas. I wasn't expressing shock that the replicas exist but rather that they were so expensive. That surprised me. Feel free to not waste your time responding to my post if you are annoyed that I posted it.

Are there truly any 100% original topics that have never been discussed before? I received a similar reaction to a thread I recently started. As with yours, mine was a slightly new spin on a previous topic and many responded to it. I never understand why others who aren’t interested in a particular topic can’t scroll on past.

 

[OCMomof3]

OP, I think that people honestly don't think about the pre-loved market. Many don't know it exists! I have seen some fakes that are so terrible, that they in no way resemble the original. Makes me scratch my head, as I assume those carrying them would like them to pass as genuine. Who knows why people do what they do!

 

[mrs.JC]

Are there truly any 100% original topics that have never been discussed before? I received a similar reaction to a thread I recently started. As with yours, mine was a slightly new spin on a previous topic and many responded to it. I never understand why others who aren’t interested in a particular topic can’t scroll on past.

I think as long as a recent post doesn't exist, it's okay. It's nice to revisit topics without necromancy-ing a long-dead post.

 

[mrs.JC]

As for the topic.. I would personally never purchase a replica, but I have seen some very believable ones. As in, if the owner didn't tell me, I would've never guessed. My boss has two Speedy B's that I had no idea were replicas until I complimented her one day and she told me. She buys them from her sister-in-law for a discounted price of $250, lol. I was floored.

 

[LucyOnLuxury]

Are there truly any 100% original topics that have never been discussed before? I received a similar reaction to a thread I recently started. As with yours, mine was a slightly new spin on a previous topic and many responded to it. I never understand why others who aren’t interested in a particular topic can’t scroll on past.

I've been around here for many years, and yes, I know there are other threads on replicas. I wasn't expressing shock that the replicas exist but rather that they were so expensive. That surprised me. Feel free to not waste your time responding to my post if you are annoyed that I posted it.

I think some people don’t want a fake to scream a fake, especially if they’re more established. But, they don’t want to invest in super expensive bags. If they get tired of it, they donate it. Just a thought.

 

[Searno29]

This is quite interesting and I'll give my 2 cents. My family have never owned anything high end or designer and so I've never grown up around it. We did however, like other tourists, pass the high end boutiques on the usual suspects, Puerto Banus/ New Bond St/ Av Montaigne, etc. Having never been into the actual store, I always assumed the merchandise was completely out of reach for someone like me, I.e. only for mutimillionaires etc. It wasn't until, as a uni student, when my GF bought me a Gucci belt that I started to delve into luxury and realised that prices are actually not as bad as I thought. I remember being completely floored by the quality of the belt and it changed my attitude/perspective.

There may be people out there who aspire to own a Vuitton but are totally unaware of how much it costs, assume it's far too much, and therefore settle for a really good, albeit expensive, replica.

Btw I too wasnt remotely aware of the pre loved market until I joined tpf.

 

[gburgnicole]

This is quite interesting and I'll give my 2 cents. My family have never owned anything high end or designer and so I've never grown up around it. We did however, like other tourists, pass the high end boutiques on the usual suspects, Puerto Banus/ New Bond St/ Av Montaigne, etc. Having never been into the actual store, I always assumed the merchandise was completely out of reach for someone like me, I.e. only for mutimillionaires etc. It wasn't until, as a uni student, when my GF bought me a Gucci belt that I started to delve into luxury and realised that prices are actually not as bad as I thought. I remember being completely floored by the quality of the belt and it changed my attitude/perspective.

There may be people out there who aspire to own a Vuitton but are totally unaware of how much it costs, assume it's far too much, and therefore settle for a really good, albeit expensive, replica.

Btw I too wasnt remotely aware of the pre loved market until I joined tpf.

You make very good points. I joined this forum before I bought my first designer bag, so I always knew the resale market existed and what the cost was. I joined the Purse Forum because so many women I knew were carrying luxury bags and I wanted to research and know what ones were the right ones for me. I think that the preloved market is slowly making its way into mainstream thanks to YouTube, social media in general, the the popularity of websites like Poshmark.

 

[fabuleux]

Perople buy replicas for their own reasons. I do

You buy replica bags??