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

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#991
What gets me is seeing women turn into snobs because they have a fake Chanel. They KNOW it's fake, but they think that it's fakeness is undetectable, so they parade around like glamour girl extraordinaire. Give it up. I can't afford a Chanel, so I'm not going to spend $100 on a chaneLLE, I'm going to stalk sales where I can score awesome boutique brands that are authentics, but not as prestigious. I care more about materials, style, craftsmanship. People carrying fake status symbols want to belong to a club without paying the membership price. Give it up.
 
#992
dcsurfergirl said:
I wonder how much is just plain inexperience. A friend of mine once commented that she could not tell between a Coach bag and a WalMart bag. She's more into makeup and perfume anyway.

It's a thought.
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Very true. Some people just have no interest in bags. It's like when my friends talk about hockey or makeup brands-I can't really tell the difference because they don't interest me whatsoever (well, besides finding a foundation that doesn't get all cakey :S) Obviously everyone on this forum is aware of fake bags and has an interest in designer items-but I have a lot of friends who just couldn't care less about that stuff-and that's okay. I'd forgive someone who bought a fake bag without knowing any better, but not people who try to pass it off as real and try to flaunt what they apparently "have".
 
#993
rorosity, you answered your own question. :p If it's being sold at a mall kiosk, it's obviously not going to be authentic!

dcsurfergirl, to answer your question, a bag is a fake when it is being passed off as a brand that it is not (by having logo's on it or tags labeling it as being a certain brand), and it is "inspired" when it's been designed similarly to another brand's design but has differences in the style and has it's own brand name. An example of inspired bags would be Melie Bianco bags. They're perfectly nice, decently well made, and usually based off of another popular design but with enough differences that if you saw the two bags side by side it would be clear that it wasn't trying to be a perfect imitation. They're also not made from leather (good for vegans) and don't claim to be.
 
#996
I hate fakes, i honestly don't get what people are tying to pull off with a fake? If they cannot afford the real deal then just DON'T buy it. How hard is it to understand this concept?
 
#997
"Inspired by" bags are NOT fakes, and not what this thread is about. Inspired-by bags are perfectly legal, because the general design of a bag cannot be copyrighted. OTOH, FAKE bag manufacturers and sellers are engaged in illegal trademark infringement, because they're stealing another brand cache to make a profit.
 
#998
Please, if you have a fake and just want to get rid of it don't donate it that just recycles it for another person to pay a lot of money for something they think is real. And trust me, the employees at goodwill most of the time have no idea and therefore stick a high price on it. Then the poor girl will strut around and assume they have a real bag. I know this because it's happened to me, when I liked the brand and thought I had something special and before I knew what to look for.

Just throw it in the trash. I like to cut it up into many little pieces when i find them. There is something very satisfying about that. I know in the scheme of things it's just a drop in the ocean but somehow I feel like I'm helping.
 
#999
The problems with fakes, and with buying fakes, are exactly what many people have indicated: it is illegal, it is intellectual theft, it supports negative industries, etc. I do, however, think some really ugly self-righteousness comes down from "purse" people in their enthusiasm and awareness.

Being an educated consumer is important, but not everyone knows about everything. Someone with a fake LV bag may not realize the repercussions, and the person judging their bag choice may not realize the consumer implications in food purchasing, music trading, any number of things. Designer bag culture isn't the be-all of good customer choices.

Moreso, I find it really repulsive when people comment on the "awful" fakes they have seen on others. In one's enthusiasm for a material product, you are becoming exactly the superficial, judgmental, condescending person everyone fears: someone judging ONLY on the clothes a person wears. I hate the idea of someone watching me in the mall, evaluating my possessions with pity, disgust, or disdain. Even more, I hate the idea of being that person.

I think there are great reasons to decide against fake bags. They're not a defensible industry. However, I would much rather be the kind of person who wears a hideous fake than be the kind of person so obsessed with other's possessions that I notice, care, remember, and take the time to post deriding comments about strangers. Enthusiasm for a product is awesome (it's why I am here!). I guess I don't understand why people often translate that enthusiasm into scrutiny and condescension.
 
#1,000
LulaMaeBarnes said:
And trust me, the employees at goodwill most of the time have no idea and therefore stick a high price on it. Then the poor girl will strut around and assume they have a real bag. I know this because it's happened to me, when I liked the brand and thought I had something special and before I knew what to look for.
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This has happened to my baby sis, she was browsing at a second hand store and spotted a mildly used "LV" and she thought she won the lottery. She called me to get there asap and tell her what I think. Poor baby she didn't realized it was a bad fake and I took it to the manager and told her so, she just shrug her shoulders and I'm sure some other woman will pay good money for that bag...:tdown:

I can't tell the difference between a fake Jimmy choo bag and a real one because I don't know the styles. This goes for most brands as well. I think only ppl that are buying through ebay really know how to spot a fake (and not always). I only buy from official stockists and I'm not very brand oriented. Plus I'm not a collector, and I don't wish to be.
So I wouldn't know if a the person next to me carries a fake, unless it's a brand I'm very familiar with, or it's one of the plastic bad quality fakes they sell in the street corners.
90% of the Tous bags, LV bags, and Le pliage bags in my city are fake.:push: I can't blame the ladies carrying them, because they might not even realise that they are fake, because they are not familiar with the brands. They might think they are just bargains.:shrugs:

As for those who carry bags that they know they are fake, and they bought them intentionally, and they act as if they are real... I feel they need psychotherapy, because it is probably the only way to feel good about themselves, faking it...

As most ppl here agree, instead of paying x amount of money for a fake, someone can easily purchase a cheaper mid range bag. When I started working I was only carrying Zara bags, 100% leather, affordable and fashionable.:okay: I still like them, but since I don't work, I don't need many bags anymore. I can wait and save money for any bag I happen to like.
 
#1,001
beeb said:
I live in NYC, land of the fakest of fake bags. I've never bought a fake and never will; like most tPF'ers I highly prefer to own something authentic and well made at whatever pricepoint I can afford. I also disagree with the whole enterprise for moral and legal reason, but I also only buy bags I love.

I always laugh when someone I know who has a fake tells me she bought it because she "likes the style" but doesn't want to spend the money, as if she's be carrying that plastic piece of crap if it didn't have giant C's or LV's all over it. Oh please, my behind, you like the style. :rolleyes: It's funny, then, that it's always the logo'ed bags that they happen to like the style of, huh?

If someone was just buying it for the style they could easily find a non-designer bag with the same shape in Macy's or JCP, etc. You can find something stylish at ANY price! NY & Co. has some nice bags from time to time, usually for $30! This is also why I have no problem with bags like Melie Bianco, because they change enough of the design as to remain similar to the inspiration, but they never completely replicate it or claim to be something they aren't, like real leather.

Last week I was at one of the nicer malls in NY, and I was in Coach looking for a gift for my gf. The girl ahead of me had to be about 28/29 and was wearing a shirt that said "I Know Your Bag Is Fake" and carrying......a fake LV Speedy! I pointed out the irony to DH and he said "well, that's how she knows"!. :roflmfao:
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I so agree with u!!! most people want the fakes becuase of the brand on it. Im not saying all...I do think there are some out there that will buy a fake for the style. ANd yes, you are right, there are so many non fake bags that has the same shape/style as a designers bag.

I think it is ok to carry a fake bag as long as you dont try selling it as an authentic bag. That is just horrible!!!!! Actually....there shouldnt be fake bags in the beginning!!!!

If I cant afford an authentic bag, I would just go to target and buy a purse from there. They got a lot of cute stuff! and I do not mind carrying a target purse as long as I like it.

I personally would never buy a fake because all the bags I bought, I bought for the quality and the type of leather. the leather of fakes wil never be as nice as the real thing...... I do not know why people buy fake stuff.:confused1:
 
#1,002
I would rather buy a no name great styled bag rather than one that pretends to be something it's not.

There is a girl at work that constantly talks to my other coworkers about my expensive bags. I know it is probably out of jealousy for a multitude of reasons, but the funny thing is that she carries a fake Chanel. So, if name brands aren't important to her, what's with the fake stuff?:push:
 
#1,003
*suzi* said:
I would rather buy a no name great styled bag rather than one that pretends to be something it's not.

There is a girl at work that constantly talks to my other coworkers about my expensive bags. I know it is probably out of jealousy for a multitude of reasons, but the funny thing is that she carries a fake Chanel. So, if name brands aren't important to her, what's with the fake stuff?:push:
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She's obviously just jealous that you can afford the real thing while she's stuck flaunting a crappy knockoff! Besides, it's none of her business what you spend on handbags-she shouldn't be talking to your coworkers about that.
 
#1,005
I hate it when people judge me for buying expensive bags ("You must be shallow"; "You must be selfish, why don't you give that money to charity") so I NEVER judge anyone else for the bag they're carrying. If someone buys a fake, it's between them and their god and has nothing at all to do with me.
 
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