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

[slowlikehoney]

Yup, that's called credit cards.

Yes! And it's bizarre to me that going into debt to get a bag is considered more respectable than buying an inspired by version of a bag. I don't like fakes, but I also don't like debt and I can't consider people who refuse to go into debt for a bag less respectable. But that's just me.

 

[spessartite]

I don't EVER condone knowingly buying fakes.

I may sound snooty, but I think it tells a lot about a person when they are willing to pay for an illegal, counterfeit item so they can pretend they have money. It's disgusting.

Ummm... Methinks "disgusting"is a tad harsh.

Also, I have 20 "knockoffs", and they are all very well built and I take as good of care of them as my Lucille De Paris, Dofans, and Rendl's.
I carry them not because I want folks to think I have money, but they are great bags and they serve me well.

Designers have ALWAYS *borrowed* good ideas from each other.
Heck, the wheel itself has been done over and over again, and it has prooven to have been a GOOD thing... for everyone ... regardless of their wealth.
A handbag...is a handbag.
But....
Good ones mean they hold up and you can find your keys.
Bad ones mean they look stupid/dated/overblown/dated/too trendy/dated in a couple of years, and you CAN'T find your keys.

Why then would anyone want folks to:

a. buy something (on a credit card) that they can't afford
or
b. put up with stupidly designed junk?

 

[LittleGinnie]

I think people just like the style of designer bags, but not everyone can actually effort it without having to get themselves in debt

 

[EmilyXLC]

Ummm... Methinks "disgusting"is a tad harsh.

Also, I have 20 "knockoffs", and they are all very well built and I take as good of care of them as my Lucille De Paris, Dofans, and Rendl's.
I carry them not because I want folks to think I have money, but they are great bags and they serve me well.

Designers have ALWAYS *borrowed* good ideas from each other.
Heck, the wheel itself has been done over and over again, and it has prooven to have been a GOOD thing... for everyone ... regardless of their wealth.
A handbag...is a handbag.
But....
Good ones mean they hold up and you can find your keys.
Bad ones mean they look stupid/dated/overblown/dated/too trendy/dated in a couple of years, and you CAN'T find your keys.

Why then would anyone want folks to:

a. buy something (on a credit card) that they can't afford
or
b. put up with stupidly designed junk?

The fact of the matter is, despite ANY reason you can come up with for validating your purchase of a counterfeit bag, is that indirectly you are condoning theft of a designer's intellectual property. Theft is theft.

I don't understand why people think it is okay just because 'they like the style' or that the bag 'serves them well' regardless of the fact that they are carrying an illegal item. I'd rather carry a second hand bag from Wal-Mart than carry a knock-off. If I can't afford the real thing, I'll buy something I CAN afford. End of discussion.

In addition, not everyone who carries designer bags & accessories is doing so on a credit card. Many people actually work hard & save up for these luxury items. I am one of them.

 

[Lawseenai]

The fact of the matter is, despite ANY reason you can come up with for validating your purchase of a counterfeit bag, is that indirectly you are condoning theft of a designer's intellectual property. Theft is theft.

I don't understand why people think it is okay just because 'they like the style' or that the bag 'serves them well' regardless of the fact that they are carrying an illegal item. I'd rather carry a second hand bag from Wal-Mart than carry a knock-off. If I can't afford the real thing, I'll buy something I CAN afford. End of discussion.

In addition, not everyone who carries designer bags & accessories is doing so on a credit card. Many people actually work hard & save up for these luxury items. I am one of them.

I agree. I think quite a few people here who buy fake bags think girls who can buy the real things just put their purchases on their credit cards and they are in massive debt. I believe most people who buy designer purses are able to afford them. For sure, you may need to save up for it but I don't think most people have a debt just to buy a purse either.

 

[EmilyXLC]

Even if I DO put it on a credit card, what business is it of theirs? If the bill gets paid & my family is still very well taken care of, what's it matter?

I'd like to add that I never have charged a designer item before, but I can't say that it hasn't crossed my mind!

 

[every1dreams]

I def don't judge, simply bc I don't know anyone status and they don't know mine. I know I DO NOT do knock-offs. I would rather wear a no name. Which is what I did, even tho I lived in NY for 10yrs I managed not to get caught up in the "hype." In my early 20s when I drove a ford tempo, I wore no name. In my late 20s, I drove an Altima, I had coach and d&b now in my 30s, I drive a BMW n a Yukon Denali I've carried Fendi, Gucci, LV, Burberry. Only bc my pocket could take it. I inherited a Hermes from my mom's boss and was too eager to take it to a consignment shop. If it were about status, I would've def kept that sucker. My items enhance and compliment my outfit. What would I look like carrying a Hermes bag wearing BeBe or Marciano? And I don't mean their couture line.

 

[spessartite]

The fact of the matter is, despite ANY reason you can come up with for validating your purchase of a counterfeit bag, is that indirectly you are condoning theft of a designer's intellectual property. Theft is theft.

I don't understand why people think it is okay just because 'they like the style' or that the bag 'serves them well' regardless of the fact that they are carrying an illegal item. I'd rather carry a second hand bag from Wal-Mart than carry a knock-off. If I can't afford the real thing, I'll buy something I CAN afford. End of discussion.

OK... this is a sore point with me.
I AM a designer.... and I HAVE had my *intellectual property* "stolen".
But here's what I was told by a team of lawyers.... you cannot copyright an idea.
You can copyright your name and label, but...not an idea.
The only remedy is to patent the item or process.
And then you have to have the patent registered internationally.
And then you have to have the means to enforce the patent.
None of my "knock-off" bags would ever pass as the real thing as there were enough changes made to them for that to happen (size, color, trim, etc.).
None of these bags were sold as "the real thing".... so how exactly are any of these "illegal"?
Illegal to me would be for these knock off's to be sold as REAL Chanel's or Hermes for very close to the real price. That would be financially harming the firms that produced the real item.
I build products for a living, and I have found the real way to keep from being ripped off is to build something that is just not worth the time to copy in that I am not charging an insane amount of money for them.

 

[Coach Lover Too]

The few people that I've known to carry knock off's truly didn't know that it was illegal to buy them. They just thought they were getting a *wanna be bag* for a lot less money. I can't help but believe a lot of people are uneducated and just don't know what it entails.

 

[EmilyXLC]

So, you've had your intellectual property stolen? How did that make you feel? The fact that you've had this happen to you alone should be enough for you to not want to condone the purchase of a counterfeit item. I'm sorry to hear that this has happened to you.

If your bags cannot pass as the real thing & do not have a 'Chanel' or 'Hermes' logo on them, I suppose there isn't an issue if all the bag is copying is the basic style of the real thing. However, if it is a spitting image with the label on it, it is an issue.

 

[slowlikehoney]

Okay well I never meant to imply that every single person who has designer bags went into debt to buy them. But I do know that happens and I, personally, have more respect and understanding for those who choose inspired by (never fake!) instead of going into debt for a bag. And those Walmart and Target bags that people are always encouraging the less fortunate to buy are also inspired by premium designer bags, btw. Almost everything we buy is unless all you wear is couture or specially made clothes. The fashion industry doesn't generally consider that theft and it is not illegal unless someone's logo or name is copied.

 

[every1dreams]

The few people that I've known to carry knock off's truly didn't know that it was illegal to buy them. They just thought they were getting a *wanna be bag* for a lot less money. I can't help but believe a lot of people are uneducated and just don't know what it entails.

I would think everyone knew by now. Maybe 5-10yrs ago I'd believe that, but I find it hard to believe now. But then again I'm used to seeing peddlers wrapping their sheets up and running down the streets to get away from the cops lol. Plus if you go on ioffer you can't use PayPal if your buying a fake, so I'm surprised eBay hasn't adopted that policy as well. Maybe I'm missing something.

 

[Lawseenai]

I don't think all people buy fakes because they want to give off the air that they are wealthy. Maybe they just like the design can't afford the real thing. On another thread I saw a bag posted that looks very much like a Balenciaga. The leather looked very nice and so did the quality. The picture on amazon does not do it justice, really. http://www.amazon.com/Bruno-Leather-Italian-Motorcycle-Handbag/dp/B007NKYTW0/ref=pd_sbs_a_7 I would very much like to add a Balenciaga to my small but loved collection and I could order a Balenciaga today but I have at least a dozen other things that take financial priority. I'm also a person who tries to save for emergencies; I've lost a bit of time off work due to breast cancer a few years ago--the reoccurrance of that is always lurking in the back of my mind. I am considering buying this cute little bag. Now I would never tell anyone that it is a Balenciaga, of course, I would tell people it is a Bruno that can be purchased at Amazon.

I think there are alot of people who buy REAL designer handbags who are pretending that they actually have money when they don't.

I don't want to offend your or anything, but in my opinion, the bag looks so much like a balenciaga that I am not sure I would called this one a "designer inspired" bag anymore. To me, this is closer to a knock-off. For sure, it doesn't have the balenciaga logo or name, but the real one doesn't have it either. They even called it the motorcycle bag.

For sure, designers copy each other. Chanel has a quilted purse and then marc Jacobs has a quilted stam. But you won't confuse the two. With the "Bruno", people would confuse the two at first glance. I believe it is also intentionally made to confuse people to think that this is the real stuff.

 

[jailnurse93]

I don't want to offend your or anything, but in my opinion, the bag looks so much like a balenciaga that I am not sure I would called this one a "designer inspired" bag anymore. To me, this is closer to a knock-off. For sure, it doesn't have the balenciaga logo or name, but the real one doesn't have it either. They even called it the motorcycle bag.

For sure, designers copy each other. Chanel has a quilted purse and then marc Jacobs has a quilted stam. But you won't confuse the two. With the "Bruno", people would confuse the two at first glance. I believe it is also intentionally made to confuse people to think that this is the real stuff.

One cost $149 and the other well over 1k. I don't find that confusing at all. Of course I think this designer copied Balenciaga, even though they put their name inside the bag. I don't think Balenciaga will suffer for it though.

No offense taken....I actually quite hard to offend, I work in a jail, lol.

 

[nikkili26]

The fact of the matter is, despite ANY reason you can come up with for validating your purchase of a counterfeit bag, is that indirectly you are condoning theft of a designer's intellectual property. Theft is theft.

I don't understand why people think it is okay just because 'they like the style' or that the bag 'serves them well' regardless of the fact that they are carrying an illegal item. I'd rather carry a second hand bag from Wal-Mart than carry a knock-off. If I can't afford the real thing, I'll buy something I CAN afford. End of discussion.

In addition, not everyone who carries designer bags & accessories is doing so on a credit card. Many people actually work hard & save up for these luxury items. I am one of them.

amen. but at the end of the day,if someone does have a good reason, then it is none of my business.some people believe they have the real deal due to fake authenticity cards, or a wealthy relative gifted them a fake and they assume it is real...the only time i find it disgusting is when someone tries to convince others to buy fake instead of real. but what you can afford...if you are saving up for real, it is disgusting when someone tries to pursuade you to buy fake...ugh. but if you can't afford real, and it truly is it of your budget, buy what you can afford.