I (guessing the "some people" reference is me) never said I thought counterfeiting was right -- ethically or otherwise. All I said was that as long as designer goods are priced too high for the average Mary or John Doe to afford, does that mean Mary or John isn't entitled to own those designer items? Sure, they could save their money for weeks, months, years until he or she can travel to the boutique of their choice and purchase the item of their choice. OR -- she could buy a 99.9% mirror image replica for a fraction of the cost of the real McCoy. I'm not saying that's right or wrong because I can't be someone's conscience, nor do I want to be. I'm just saying that is the mindset of many. If one can buy a mirror image replica for $120 and the genuine bag is $1,200.....they'll go with the $120 every time. The backstory of the why's and should not's is moot.
Why Do People Buy Fake Designer Bags Or Fake Designer Anything?
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I (guessing the "some people" reference is me) never said I thought counterfeiting was right -- ethically or otherwise. All I said was that as long as designer goods are priced too high for the average Mary or John Doe to afford, does that mean Mary or John isn't entitled to own those designer items? Sure, they could save their money for weeks, months, years until he or she can travel to the boutique of their choice and purchase the item of their choice. OR -- she could buy a 99.9% mirror image replica for a fraction of the cost of the real McCoy. I'm not saying that's right or wrong because I can't be someone's conscience, nor do I want to be. I'm just saying that is the mindset of many. If one can buy a mirror image replica for $120 and the genuine bag is $1,200.....they'll go with the $120 every time. The backstory of the why's and should not's is moot.
i agree with swanky that no matter what, those things r illegal..and supports terrorism etc etc....
but with all seriousness..i have also stayed in china for sometime - the winning country of all fakes...where i witnessed how making fake clothing or dvd or bags can help millions of people to survive...do not talk about them thinking future etc...all they can think about is how to earn money (without selling their body organs or selling their children orbeing a prostitute) to live another day...
this is for sure also one of the reason why china government WILL NOT erase all the counterfeits....in a very weird way, either u want to admit it or not...they really2 need this to continue their lives...
but with all seriousness..i have also stayed in china for sometime - the winning country of all fakes...where i witnessed how making fake clothing or dvd or bags can help millions of people to survive...do not talk about them thinking future etc...all they can think about is how to earn money (without selling their body organs or selling their children orbeing a prostitute) to live another day...
this is for sure also one of the reason why china government WILL NOT erase all the counterfeits....in a very weird way, either u want to admit it or not...they really2 need this to continue their lives...
I don't know about anyone else here on this forum, but I'm goin' out to git me sum of that there fake Botox that only costs $69. Heck. I know it's fake because it's cheap, but I'm sure I'm not hurting anybody....only myself. Besides, everyone will think I look good, and only I will know that my Botox is made from turpentine and chicken pee, and so, I'm going to run out to the fake Botox store right now. Now, where did I missplace my Looooie Voooooeyton.....
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But they are luxury goods-they are priced that way so that the average Mary or Joe can't afford it. That is why they are so exclusive.
There is a lot of stuff that I want but can't afford. Should I buy a fake that I can afford? Absolutely not. I, nor the average Mary, do not deserve high end purses and clothes and jewelry. They are a privilege, something to be earned, not something that I deserve just because I am me and others have it.
Just because it is cheap doesn't mean you should buy it. How would you feel if someone stole something of yours that they wanted because they didn't want to pay for price for it?
You can help it. You choose to buy illegal DVDs-no one is forcing you to buy them.
Exactly. We all want things we can't afford..that's just a simple fact of life. I can't afford a $150,000 diamond-encrusted croc Birkin... does that mean my life is over? Does that mean I have the God-given right to buy a $100 fake one from the street and try to pass it off as real, because "I deserve to own these things too!"
Luxury items are not something that everybody on this earth automatically deserves just because they want them. If you follow that line of reasoning, then you can easily reason that average people have the right to steal from the wealthy, because they too are "entitled" to own the same things...
some people on this thread stress this as a main reason as to why they don't support it....I'm not arguing it's legality status, of course it's illegal but people keep repeating OVER and OVER about supporting terrorism...BUT they never modify it with "some" or "most" they just say that "it" does...it's a fallacy not to clarify it's an over generalization....in my ethics class I would be ripped APART for not modifying it because by not doing so then it becomes a fallacy
We can run after our kids wearing Reeboks (or Asics or insert sneaker brand of choice), but we can't do the same in Manolos.
But I can sure as heck run after my kids with an $800 purse on my shoulder.This discussion has taken a hard left and has turned into a pi**ing contest.
Not all counterfeit items support terrorism, et al.
It is illegal to SELL them. It is not illegal to BUY them. Until that changes, counterfeit anythings will continue to be sold. On Canal Street, online -- wherever. Supply and demand.
I am not so desperate that I would buy a replica. I'll hold out until I can buy the real deal. But to imply that someone who makes a meager salary doesn't deserve nice things BECAUSE of that is about the snobbiest, most hoity toity comment I've ever heard.
Not all counterfeit items support terrorism, et al.
It is illegal to SELL them. It is not illegal to BUY them. Until that changes, counterfeit anythings will continue to be sold. On Canal Street, online -- wherever. Supply and demand.
I am not so desperate that I would buy a replica. I'll hold out until I can buy the real deal. But to imply that someone who makes a meager salary doesn't deserve nice things BECAUSE of that is about the snobbiest, most hoity toity comment I've ever heard.
My final thought on the subject is this: just because someone can go to a designer shop and plunk down mega-$$$ without a second thought doesn't make them any better or more deserving of the finer things than someone who would probably have to scrimp and save to buy ONE item and if that same scrimper and saver decides to buy a replica instead and use the rest of the money to pay a house payment, rent, electric or water bill, they shouldn't be condemned for doing so. In this economy, saving money is the name of the game.
I haven't read throught the entire thread, but this one really got me. Making fakes and replicas is stealing. Plain and simple. The people who make them are thieves. It would be like someone stealing my TV from my home. Would you buy that just because other people had one like it and you thought you "deserved" to have one, too?
I don't think anyone thinks that people without enough bucks to plunk down for a designer bag is any better or worse than anyone else - or any more or less deserving. We have certain rights as human beings. Owning a Chanel or whatever isn't one of them. It's a privilege that you earn, not a right that you're born with.
That said, I am not one of the people who can afford to "plunk down mega $$$" without a LOT of budgeting, scrimping and saving for a long time first. But at least when I finally get it, I know it's the real thing and that I've earned it and that it wasn't purchased from a thief.
Just my 2 cents.
I'm pretty sure no one here thinks the contrary, we're not judging anyone's economical position.