Handbag Ethics Question?

#17
risingsun said:
I don't think it's ethical to donate a fake bag. You can buy an inexpensive bag and donate it, but keeping the fake in circulation doesn't make sense to me. Use it as a storage bag for odds and ends or get rid of it...at least that is what I would do.

ETA: if you or someone else wants to carry it--knowing it's a fake--that's you/their own business.
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i totally agree!!!
 
#20
heather123 said:
Kpassa, I don't sell stolen TV's because I'm not a thief or criminal. I didn't CALL this ethical. I asked a question. Did you notice the interrogation mark? However, in the field of ethics there is a spectrum. Some actions are more blameworthy / worse than others. I didn't SELL anything. Did you see the word 'donate'? I have no probs with what I did, and I'll bet that some person would have been pleased to find a bag she thought was nice for next to nothing. Also, the charity is helped in a small way. Try looking up the sub-headings, 'unforeseen consequences' and 'doctrine of double-effect'. You might discover that ethics is slightly more complex than you thought.
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You're tapdancing around the issue but you don't dance very well. I didn't say you were a thief or sold anything but you implied that oxfam didn't ask questions when it came to donations. So let's say a group of burglars robs a house and find nobody wants to fence their stuff. In your scenario it's ok for them to donate all of their lot to oxfam because they didn't sell anything, it's donated and oxfam doesn't know it's stolen because they don't ask questions, just like your donated fake. I'll bet that some person would have been pleased to find a tv she thought was nice for next to nothing. Also, the charity is helped in a small way. Think about that and you might discover that ethics is slightly more complex than you thought.
 
#21
#24
Give it to charity! I understand that keeping fakes in circulation can be seen as supporting the child labor used when making fakes. But on the flip side, the bag has already been made and the materials used. It just seems very wasteful to just throw it out. If the fake is leather, then some poor cow still had to donate his skin to make the bag and then we just throw it out. We already have piles of wastes in this country and it wouldnt help to toss out a perfectly functional bag.

So I believe you should find some use for it, like storage or something. Or find a good charity to donate to - not like a consignment shop, but like a Goodwill and put a sticker in it that says it isnt an authentic Fendi. And I am guessing that the future buyer will just see the bag, and think ' this is a good size bag for my stuff' and then see the sticker and think 'what the heck is fendi?'
 
#25
misshunnypooh said:
The whole point to having a designer handbag is for quality and status a fake handbag has neither of those qualities and IMO says the opposite of the person who's carrying it. I know the OP did not intentionally purchase the fake but if I were in that situation I'd go donate the fake to charity and go buy a cute $10 purse from Walmart, it would be far less damaging to anyones image than a fake would.

And as for donating fakes I have donated fake denim to charity and I see no harm in that, ultimately it puts clothes on someones back or feeds a hungry child.
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Misshunnypooh, I DID donate the bag to charity. That was part of the point of this post. What on earth would I want with a $10 purse from Walmart? I don't understand...
 
#26
Kpassa, I see you still have problems with logic and comprehension. Your burglar scenario is a poor analogy, for the simple reason that MY actions as an honest purchaser are not comparable to those of a determined burglar. I did not donate a stolen bag to the charity shop. As another poster said, it does seem wasteful to throw out functional bags when somebody might want or use them. There is no need for melodrama. Do grow up!
 
#27
ViciousBliss said:
feeling guilty? curb your crap attitude dude, i for one am not dishing one to you so be civil. this is a forum not a fight club.

didn't you donate the bag to a place that will be SELLING it? that would be my only qualm. i do not like the idea of someone carrying a bag that they purchased and perceived to be real when it is fake. wouldn't you feel bad if someone bought the bag you donated thinking it was genuine? that is my issue.

fake bags are fake bags. i do not like them and would not carry one. if my exboss KNOWS the bag is fake and wants to carry it, so be it. it was going in the trash if she did not take it. that was the point. you can take that however you like it but please cease with the hostility towards me. i come here for healthy debate and discussion.


that is all.

yikes.
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Crap attitude? Dude? Fight Club? Oh dear! :confused1:
 
#28
heather123 said:
I doubt whether the Oxfam shop where I donated the bag would be overly concerned that money raised for a good cause came from the sale of an unwittingly-purchased fake bag. I suspect people running charity shops in Ireland have more to worry about than whether their donated goods are authentic items.
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People running charity shops should be very careful, as their charity's entire reputation relies on them appearing to be ethical.

I've seen charities on eBay selling fake bags as authentic...

I emailed one to let them know, as I couldn't believe that they were doing it on purpose and I received no reply!!! :wtf:

How can a, supposedly, ethical institution, such as a charity, not only sell fakes, illegally, but also, knowingly, sell them as authentic and therefore, for way over their typical (albeit black market) price?! :shrugs:

I was pretty shocked, TBH.
 
#29
heather123 said:
Kpassa, I see you still have problems with logic and comprehension.
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If I'm the one having problems why are you the one tossing out red herrings and refusing to answer the question? You keep trying to establish some sort of moral equivalence between yourself and burglars when the real question was why you think it is unethical for you to have a fake but it's ok for oxfam to sell one just because you donated it? Perhaps you forgot your original statement, I'll refresh your memory:

I doubt whether the Oxfam shop where I donated the bag would be overly concerned that money raised for a good cause came from the sale of an unwittingly-purchased fake bag. I suspect people running charity shops in Ireland have more to worry about than whether their donated goods are authentic items.

I guess I'm not the only one who doesn't get it because several other people have also opined that it wouldn't be ethical for them to sell a known fake. Are we all having problems?
 
#30
OK, I'll clarify. Firstly, it is not illegal in my country to own a fake bag, although it IS illegal to deal in counterfeit goods. My action does not fall into that category.

Having unwittingly purchased a fake bag on eBay, I pursued the seller vigorously with several unanswered emails. I also reported the seller and her transaction to eBay. I purchased the bag last summer, but by the time I had concluded the complaints rigmarole, it was nearly Christmas.

I know Oxfam shops vary a great deal, depending on where they are situated, but the one I spoke of has a fairly poor clientele (consisting mostly of people on welfare and people who live in relatively poor neigbourhoods). In this shop it is unusual to see goods being sold for more than about 20 euros. Such goods would usually be (for example) a good quality, nearly-new winter coat. I would find it hard to believe that people in this part of town would be familiar with Fendi, or even especially interested in the brand. I particularly chose THIS charity shop, as opposed to the sort of outlet that is frequented by middle-class people hunting for bargains. IMO the bag sold close to Christmas for no more than about 10 euros. I think I can live with that.

Why is it ethical for ME to handle a fake bag in this way? Because my intention was to assist badly-off people and also help a deserving charity. I had previously acted reputably by reporting the fake merchandise and trying to raise the alrm as best I could.

Intention is pretty important when assessing the morality of actions, as I hope people here are aware.

Like most members here, I don't like fake merchandise. However, my dislike of these items does not prevent me doing what is sensible/ethical in an 'end justifies the means' sort of way. So it all depends on which moral philosopher you choose, when deciding on the ethics of my actions. To clarify further, the moral philosophy I have in mind regarding MY actions is 'Utiltarianism', associated with John Stuart Mill.

Also, my dislike of fake goods does not cause me to have a melodramatic outlook regarding the wearing of counterfeit goods by other people.

As well as that, I find myself dismayed by the occasional 'holier-than-thou' attitude which creeps onto this forum, re the subject of fake merchandise. I wonder if any of the fake-haters have personally visited the factories/workshops of high-end designers, and can vouch for the working/social conditions there.

Finally, I am not here to look for approval. I simply asked what I thought was an entertaining question. I have more to do this evening than pick apart various fine points in moral philosophy. The above are my views, which I hope are now clearer.
 
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