What's you take on fake Bal bags?

#31
Balenciaga is interesting in this sense because there's no logo or name on the outside of the bag - so you can't tell if it's an actual, counterfeit fake or just a look a like that doesn't have the Balenciaga tag anywhere. The look a likes don't bother me - I collect Pucci and Missoni clothes and I can walk into Forever 21 or H&M on any given day and see loads of things that copy those styles & prints and it doesn't bother me at all, that's what those stores do - they take popular designer looks and make them affordable for everyone. It's not any different with bags (as long as there's no trademark infringement).
 
#32
Fakes make me crazy. 100%. I hate the fact that they are out there because people can get duped into buying something they believe is genuine.
I don't judge the people who buy them. To each their own.
I DO judge the counterfeiters that copy them. Design something yourself, quit stealing and profiting off of others ideas and dreams. :cursing:

Have you guys seen this? http://www.wisn.com/news/2191330/detail.html Can I post this link?
 
#33
Some people seem to think that women who buy fake bags should be pitied in a way as they can't afford the real deals. This is just not always so! Many women choose knock-offs as they refuse point blank to pay ludicrous prices for handbags. Another group of women carry high-quality, relatively unknown brands that don't cost the earth or a month's mortgage payment. I have two Bbags, but know nobody else who owns one. An excellent brand from years back was Enny. The company closed down a few years ago, much to the chagrin of my best friend who used to buy their bags loyally for years. So far as the counterfeiters are concerned, isn't their murky trade 'encouraged' by the high-end, customer-unfriendly designers who refuse to drop their ludicrous prices? Happily there are many excellent bag brands who don't charge the earth, if a person decides against Balenciaga, Gucci, Chanel et al.
Before I received two Bbags as gifts, I was quite happy with a teal Billy Bag, a few Pradas purchased in the past five years, and one Marc Jacobs.
 
#34
pinkboudoir said:
I am not an advocate of fakes but when I see a person or happen to know or see someone who carries one, I don't throw stones at them. If(BIG operative word here) I were to buy a fake, I would probably have a hard time thinking about carrying/wearing it. I've always been the person to buy something brandless over anything knock offs. :girlsigh:
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Me too, me too. I rather go for something "brandlessly" quirky/cute than fakes.:lol:
 
#35
kirsten said:
I'm with you on that. :yes:

My coworker has two fake BBags. One is an rose color and the other is similar to juane. I have never given her a hard time or said anything bad about her bags. Sometimes my coworkers like to compare the two (my real one versus the fake) and since they aren't familiar with Balenciaga they really see no difference. They have pointed out how the fake has a leather lining and my real bag is just black cloth. I just smile and don't say anything. I know I love my bags and that is all that matters to me.

Back when I first got into Balenciaga, but at the time could not afford any designer bag, I bought a fake teal one at Target. This was probably in 2005. The funny thing is that I never wore the bag out in public because I knew I would feel embarrassed. That thing stayed in my room collecting dust for about 2 years and then I just finally threw it out. I finally was able to purchase a real one and I wore that bag proudly.
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You're so gracious to allow your "precious babies" to be compared to the fakes. I don't care if others are using fakes but I won't allow them to compare my sky blue city with a fakie.;)
 
#36
ladybugfreckle said:
Fakes make me crazy. 100%. I hate the fact that they are out there because people can get duped into buying something they believe is genuine.
I don't judge the people who buy them. To each their own.
I DO judge the counterfeiters that copy them. Design something yourself, quit stealing and profiting off of others ideas and dreams. :cursing:

Have you guys seen this? http://www.wisn.com/news/2191330/detail.html Can I post this link?
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Hi Ladybugfreckle. Thanks so much for posting this!!!! Fakes really make me upset and I think that most people don't think that this issue has any affect on them as long as they are not the ones buying and carrying fakes. Fakes are made by people (or children) often kept in sub-human working conditions. Fakes fund other illegal activities. Companies hire big law firms to fight counterfeiting (this I know from first hand experience) and then our real bags ultimately cost us more because fighting counterfeiting adds to a company's over all costs. I wish more people would take a stand on this issue. Eventually our laws will catch up with some European nations and it will become illegal to buy a fake, not just to sell it. Thanks for the article!
 
#38
It honestly doesn't bother me. Obviously, it's not ideal, but it's not any of my business. I just hope they knew they were getting a fake and didn't get ripped off trying to get a real one!
 
#39
OK, so I posted this in another thread but I'm not sure if anyone will read it, so I'm posting it here too. This is from the IACC site:

Five Reasons You Should Never Fake It:
1. Counterfeiting is illegal and purchasing counterfeit products supports illegal activity.
2. Counterfeiters do not pay taxes meaning less money for your city's schools, hospitals, parks and other social programs.
3. Counterfeiters do not pay their employees fair wages or benefits, have poor working conditions, and often use forced child labor.
4. The profits from counterfeiting have been linked to funding organized crime, drug trafficking and terrorist activity.
5. When you purchase a fake, you become part of the cycle of counterfeiting and your money directly support these things you would never want to support.
 
#40
Replication is a form of flattery. Most of the people who carry fae Bbags, do not even know that the bags are replicas of a designer bag. I think it is unfair to say bad things about these people because they either don't know the bag is fake and just admire the style or cannot afford an authentic bag. The cheapest one is the first at $995, this is 1/30th of the median American income. After taxes, it's even more. The average American cannot afford to blow 1/30th of their income on one handbag. Also everyone has different standards for how much they are willing to spend on goods which should be respected.

The other night, one of my friends carried a fake Sienna City. I could not tell it was fake because it was very dark, when I asked her if the color was Sienna or Truffle and told her how much I like the City style she lookedvery flustered and confused. It was really an awkward moment for both of us because it made her look like she was carrying a counterfeit, and that I was being snobby about it!
 
#41
Re fake bag manufacture: I hear a lot about badly-treated workers in poor countries. But what makes us think we can trust the high-end designers to pay their workers decent salaries, or ensure they have safe, healthy working conditions? I saw some horrific fakes when I was in Rome last year. They were so awful no-one would have been fooled by them. But every so often I see some very convincing bbags on eBay, which are then exposed on this forum as fake. To be absolutely honest, I am not expert enough to be able to tell the difference. I sometimes wonder if they are genuine items which have not met quality control standards and have more or less been scrapped by expensive firms. Maybe that's why there are so many on eBay. I'm sure some people can make a living from this kind of (shady?) trading. Neverthless, I have not seen ANYONE in Ireland carrying a bbag, real or fake! Perhaps the of Irish bbag fans are in Dublin and not County Tipperary!
 
#42
lebagfairy said:
Replication is a form of flattery. Most of the people who carry fae Bbags, do not even know that the bags are replicas of a designer bag. I think it is unfair to say bad things about these people because they either don't know the bag is fake and just admire the style or cannot afford an authentic bag. The cheapest one is the first at $995, this is 1/30th of the median American income. After taxes, it's even more. The average American cannot afford to blow 1/30th of their income on one handbag. Also everyone has different standards for how much they are willing to spend on goods which should be respected.

The other night, one of my friends carried a fake Sienna City. I could not tell it was fake because it was very dark, when I asked her if the color was Sienna or Truffle and told her how much I like the City style she lookedvery flustered and confused. It was really an awkward moment for both of us because it made her look like she was carrying a counterfeit, and that I was being snobby about it!
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In some sense I agree with you. I do feel sorry for people who can't afford to spend $1,000 on a bag and really really want one. The media tells them that they should have it, but it is not attainable for them. And in reality, some people do carry fakes and don't even know it. But the people buying at purse parties do know it. Lots of people knowingly carry fakes. When I could not afford a high end designer bag, I shopped at thrift stores and found cool vintage bags. I also got great stuff from discount stores. But I never bought a fake. I hope that your friend just bought it at a regular store and had no idea what it was or what it was supposed to be. I'm not trying to offend anyone or be too abrasive. I just think that this is a real problem and people should take it more seriously.
 
#43
I touched a fake before, it is very different from the real thing. I think that is why I appreciate the real balenciaga so much and can not stop buying them...

But i really avoid judging people with fakes.. maybe they have a reason, whatever it is does not justify it but is still there business... it is illegal but it is not stopping anybody..
 
#44
I don't judge people who buy and wear fake desinger bags, especially if they are "only" designer inspired bags, it's just not a thing I would do and feel comfortable with!

And you really never know why this person bought a fake bag, when I first laid my eyes on bbags I bought a fake black city on ebay, which was of course not intentionally, but I had no experience whatsoever with those bags, so its hard to know the difference if these are good fakes.
Only when I stumbled over this lovely forum I got more and more experienced and I think now I can tell the difference between real thing and fake quite well ;)

So bottom point is: I think many women are wearing fakes not even knowing it!
But one thing I really don't like is when a women (who definitly knows the bag is fake) claims that her ugly fake bag is real, that's disgusting and laughable, I don't understand such woman.
 
#45
I feel badly about the labor aspect of the fakes, I bet that the workers who manufactor them get pennies per day..as for buying a fake..I'd sooner wait for years to get an (authenticated by lovely tPF) pre-loved authentic Bbag on *Bay than purchase a fake.
 
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