Why Do People Buy Fake Designer Bags Or Fake Designer Anything?

TPF may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, and others

#2,056
new.old.bag said:
LOL right. Everyone is lying. Including the FBI counter terrorism guys. Because I am sure those FBI guys are just lying in court because they are bag snobs and only like real bags.

Anyway I asked a question about what WOULD be enough proof if congressional testimony from the FBI's anti terrorism unit is not enough.
Click to expand...

jesus? :laugh: i think a healthy skepticism of the government is always a good thing. news came out today that the cia has been withholding info regarding covert ops from congress since 2001. i'm not implying there's a conspiracy revolving around fake handbags or anything and i definitely don't want to turn this into a political discussion.

i think what it boils down to is that anyone can justify anything as long as they are allowed to do what they want. this issue matters more to some than it does to others. some of us wants to hold each replica owner responsible for their actions and/or ignorance while others are only concerned with what they personally do and don't feel comfortable judging others for choosing to live whichever way they see fit. i always enjoy these debates, but they inevitably end up repetitive and cyclical. i've never seen anyone convince the other side much of anything. everyone holds the same steadfast views they came into this thread with, so sometimes we just have to agree to disagree.
 
#2,057
And I would hardly call this testimony compelling...

These investigations have uncovered a myriad of criminal activities used to generate funds, a portion of which is then forwarded to NGOs associated with Hamas. Some of the suggested criminal activity include, but are not limited to, drug trafficking, credit card fraud, counterfeit products, fraudulent documents, cigarette tax fraud and stolen infant formula.

Unless I missed something in the report that was posted, there isn't any mention of counterfeiting of replica bags, just counterfeiting in general which encompasses a whole lot of other products. It seems that counterfeiting prescription medicines is much more prevalent than handbags and I'm honestly more concerned about that as it could directly effect someone's health. Also a large portion of that report was regarding charities that are used as a front to fund criminal activities so be aware of where you donate money!
 
Last edited:
#2,058
Here Comes Mish said:
And I would hardly call this testimony compelling...

These investigations have uncovered a myriad of criminal activities used to generate funds, a portion of which is then forwarded to NGOs associated with Hamas. Some of the suggested criminal activity include, but are not limited to, drug trafficking, credit card fraud, counterfeit products, fraudulent documents, cigarette tax fraud and stolen infant formula.

Unless I missed something in the report that was posted, there isn't any mention of counterfeiting of replica bags, just counterfeiting in general which encompasses a whole lot of other products. It seems that counterfeiting prescription medicines is much more prevalent than handbags and I'm honestly more concerned about that as it could directly effect someone's health.
Click to expand...
exactly. A counterfeit handbag won't kill me (at least not physically)... but counterfeit medicine is pretty serious
 
#2,059
well counterfet handbags industry may not be funding terrorism directly. What I intend to say is that for example if we take replica handbag major producing country China then chinese peopel do not funds terrorism directly by this. But would you rule out this possibility altogether that these bags that are a source of easy income cannot be used buy unscrupulous organisations to raise crazy ammounts of easy money for who knows what kinds of activities.
For me the mere thot that may be one of my purchase for just recreational purposes could(even if not certain) lead to such disasterous ends, Is a sufficient reason to reffrain from purchasing one. and also is reason enough to try to inform others without judging them not to aid anything which might i repeat might in the end lead to something as awefull as terrorism. I would not like to carry a bag personally which can leave me contemplating where could these funds have reached.
There are solid evidence that pirated bollywood videos contribute to terrorism in India.
so it is not only drugs but every thing counterfeit drugs videos software bags toys (have seen barbie conterfeits as well) are very much capable of funding any kind of criminal organizations or activities
 
#2,063
Glad to see some voices of reason creeping into this discussion. There's really a limit to how often I can listen to 'evidence' of child labourers being fed on dog food while they struggle to make luxury goods. In any case I have always been far more concerned about counterfeit food and drugs than I have about fake bags. And the idea of vintage handbags is a good one. I recently bought a great vintage-inspired Lucky Brand bag and can't believe how long I waited to purchase one of these super bags. Well, actually I can. They're not available in Ireland. Mine came from eBay!
 
#2,064
heather123 said:
Glad to see some voices of reason creeping into this discussion. There's really a limit to how often I can listen to 'evidence' of child labourers being fed on dog food while they struggle to make luxury goods. In any case I have always been far more concerned about counterfeit food and drugs than I have about fake bags. And the idea of vintage handbags is a good one. I recently bought a great vintage-inspired Lucky Brand bag and can't believe how long I waited to purchase one of these super bags. Well, actually I can. They're not available in Ireland. Mine came from eBay!
Click to expand...

I agree with you. So many people think that they are paying for deals when it comes to food and do not realize that they are counterfeit food and drugs. I was always told beware of .99 stores. They are selling all sorts of counterfeit foods, from oscar meyer hot dogs to colgate toothpaste. I leave that alone.
 
#2,067
I just happened to stumble across this thread as I was exploring other parts of tPF (I spend most of my time in the Glass Slipper). I went back and read the first post and skimmed through to realize it got all political up in here - LOL! :p

I'm going to try to bring it back and actually respond to the very first post. I must pre-face by saying that I don't but super expensive handbags (yet), the most expensive one I own is a katespade. I do, however, appreciate the quality and longevity that comes with purchasing a designer bag and REFUSE to buy fakes.

That being said I have very good friends who buy fake Coach, Gucci, whatever, and are very open about it. They either buy fake because they can't afford the real thing or want the look but would rather spend the money on something else. I personally don't understand this mentality, but to each his own. Actually, I sometimes feel bad for my friends because they really think that other people can't tell they are fake! I guess most regular people walking down the street can't tell or don't care, but I can definitely tell. On the flip-side they think I'm nuts to spend one months rent on a fab pair of shoes, but whatever. :smile1:

I try not to judge when I see strangers carrying fakes though - I am lucky enough to be able to afford the things I want and other people aren't.
 
#2,068
I hate that now, there is a resurgance of fakes in Times Square in NYC. I was there on Saturday (hit up the Juicy Couture sale and then had to go to Capezio, which is on 51st), and as I was walking down Broadway, there were vendors EVERYWHERE. I haven't seen it that bad in years! It wasn't just one block- it was at least 51st down to 46th/45th. And then they harass people to buy things- I took out my iPod and started playing with it (already had the earbuds in) so they'd leave me alone.
 
#2,069
MiuMiow said:
My colleague is a lovely girl and she has a lovely Prada bag and wallet. They are however lovely fakes. I'm certainly not an expert and having only seen, never touched it never really jumped out at me (both are fabric with embroidery, really simple). What astounded me a bit was that she was very open about them being fake and quite proud at how little she paid them (like $20 abroad).

Her reasoning is she loves the look but she's not (in her words) crazy enough to pay the prices. As long as she doesn't try to pass them for real she doesn't see a problem.

It was only mentioned in passing and I'm not going to bring it back up but I'm still trying to figure out what I think of what she said. Bit stumped really. Have you ever encountered the same reasoning?
Click to expand...

hello can u tell me if this bag is real???
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220449686348

thank you
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top