Pity Those Who Buy Fakes?
- Thread starter Leikochan
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PrinceOfCats
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Why?
MurakamiPrincess
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No apologies necessaryOriginally posted by DallasDiva68@Mar 22nd, 2004 - 4:00 pm
My apologizes to MurakamiPrincess. I read through the post quickly and did not mean to misquote you.
oceanharlot
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*runs over with a photo of LV fakes*
Mr. T might I get your autograph?
LadyIllusion
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At the end of the day - everyone makes their own decisions. If someone wants to spend 10-50 grand on a bag - so what! Good luck to them, its their money/funeral/whatever - i dont care 
vintage_princess
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I agree with you Murakami Princess that most people (if not, everyone) who buys a bag with logos on it want to show it off a bit.Originally posted by MurakamiPrincess@Mar 22nd, 2004 - 2:34 am
Now, onto something else. Leikochan, you said that the suckers are buying the bags as status symbols to impress their friends. While I agree to a certain extent, the same goes for people who buy the real thing. Nobody can say that they buy a bag with huge logos all over it just because it's pretty. That would be a lie. LV for example. Yes, the craftsmanship is amazing, but anything in monogram sells much faster than anything without it. It's because people, (myself included), like people to know that they appreciate that designer, and sometimes, to show people that they can afford something so nice. When you're buying an expensive bag, you are mostly paying for the label, not the craftsmanship. It costs them pennies on the dollar to make what we pay upwards of $1,000 for. Because we are simply paying for the name. If Louis Vuitton was a little one shop company in the middle of nowhere, but still made their bags the exact same way, not only would we be paying hundreds less for the bags, but most people wouldn't even want them because the logo is not known, and noone else will know what it stands for.
That's my little mini rant for the day.
In my opinion, i do feel sorry for people who get tricked into buying fake designer bags ESPECIALLY when it looks so much like the real thing and when the seller is out to rip people off.
For everyone else that goes out to buy a fake designer bag and tries to pass it off as the real thing...well thats just sad!
Couture_Whore
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I don't really feel sorry for those who knowingly buy fake purses. I feel REALLY SORRY for those who buy them and walk around thinking they're ballin' & "Bling Bling" and all that! That is totally HURTING! It shouldn't really be a status thing, like how much you spent on a bag means how much money you're worth! It should be an expression of your style and personality! (Okay, maybe a little bit of a status thing! ha!ha!)
hcb_calgary
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I think a few of you hit it on the button when you implied that research was in order if spending a lot of $$$ on a bag. The following list generally holds true for me when I look at items on EBay.
1. Get familiar with the expected retail prices of the bag you are looking for. Ballpark pricing is OK as an initial estimate.
2. Designer bags are almost always EXPENSIVE. So if you're bidding on a "designer" bag that is going for a suspiciously minimal fraction of the retail price, you know it's very likely to be a fake, someone made a grave error on the reserve price, or the back of a truck was left open too long...
3. Sellers of fake bags will generally have many clues leading you to realize what is going on. Check the feedbacks but don't be fooled just by positive feedbacks though. See WHAT the seller typically sells (i.e. it's weird when someone selling VHS tapes all of a sudden is selling high end hand bags) as well as whether the feedbacks are generally for a seller or a buyer. There are times when the bag may be genuine but why take that chance if the signals are not right?
4. If the bag is REALLY expensive (let's say you are picking up that LV Stephen Sprouse grafitti bag you've always wanted) use Escrow services. This is a third party who will hang on to your $$$ until you are satisfied the bag is genuine.
5. Cruise the web and check some of the sites that sell off season designer bags. These sites (like Bluefly.com) may have sales on a particular bag model and can then appear on EBay at higher prices soon after.
Happy Hunting!
And...I do feel a bit bad for those that buy fakes, but only once!
1. Get familiar with the expected retail prices of the bag you are looking for. Ballpark pricing is OK as an initial estimate.
2. Designer bags are almost always EXPENSIVE. So if you're bidding on a "designer" bag that is going for a suspiciously minimal fraction of the retail price, you know it's very likely to be a fake, someone made a grave error on the reserve price, or the back of a truck was left open too long...
3. Sellers of fake bags will generally have many clues leading you to realize what is going on. Check the feedbacks but don't be fooled just by positive feedbacks though. See WHAT the seller typically sells (i.e. it's weird when someone selling VHS tapes all of a sudden is selling high end hand bags) as well as whether the feedbacks are generally for a seller or a buyer. There are times when the bag may be genuine but why take that chance if the signals are not right?
4. If the bag is REALLY expensive (let's say you are picking up that LV Stephen Sprouse grafitti bag you've always wanted) use Escrow services. This is a third party who will hang on to your $$$ until you are satisfied the bag is genuine.
5. Cruise the web and check some of the sites that sell off season designer bags. These sites (like Bluefly.com) may have sales on a particular bag model and can then appear on EBay at higher prices soon after.
Happy Hunting!
And...I do feel a bit bad for those that buy fakes, but only once!
DallasDiva68
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Hi HCB,
Those pointers were great! Also, if you see someone with 10 of the same bag and they are all "brand new with tags", that's a bad sign for me.
One point I wanted to make was on the whole logo thing. While a logo does make a bag instantly recognizable, I find it impossible to believe that anyone would purchase a designer bag and pay hundreds or thousands on it, if they didn't think anyone would notice. What's the purpose of carrying a Hermes Birkin if no one knows what it is? Sure, the masses don't know, but a certain group of people will know.
If that were the case, people would purchase plain Jane from Wal-Mart and then, no one would recognize the bag. And, I don't buy the "quality" argument as their only reason. There are lots of brands that are high quality, mid to low price range that would be unrecognizable.
Perhaps it's the obviousness of the logos that people object to, but I think it's disingenuous to act as if you carry a non-logo, expensive designer bag and hope no one notices. The real difference is WHO notices - not that it gets noticed.
Just my personal opinions...and, I'm open to other opinions that might sway mine.
Those pointers were great! Also, if you see someone with 10 of the same bag and they are all "brand new with tags", that's a bad sign for me.
One point I wanted to make was on the whole logo thing. While a logo does make a bag instantly recognizable, I find it impossible to believe that anyone would purchase a designer bag and pay hundreds or thousands on it, if they didn't think anyone would notice. What's the purpose of carrying a Hermes Birkin if no one knows what it is? Sure, the masses don't know, but a certain group of people will know.
If that were the case, people would purchase plain Jane from Wal-Mart and then, no one would recognize the bag. And, I don't buy the "quality" argument as their only reason. There are lots of brands that are high quality, mid to low price range that would be unrecognizable.
Perhaps it's the obviousness of the logos that people object to, but I think it's disingenuous to act as if you carry a non-logo, expensive designer bag and hope no one notices. The real difference is WHO notices - not that it gets noticed.
Just my personal opinions...and, I'm open to other opinions that might sway mine.
hcb_calgary
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Thanks for the comments DallasDiva.
I do agree with some of what you are saying, and you are right, the "quality" argument is only part of the equation.
For example, I love the Fendi "Selleria" line, as the bags are limited edition and are each individually hand made. As well, Hermes Birkin and Kelly bags (would love to own one but have not made that leap in $$ yet) are also handcrafted and take a long time to individually produce.
But let's also consider that other bag designers, especially small independents, are producing fine products with attention to detail as well. Check out Luna's work as a prime example. (Love those bags Luna).
So....here's my deep psychological assessment of the bag buying rationale - I think some of the spending of $$ on the logos or high end bags occurs because the buyer themselves KNOWS the bag is fabulous and it just makes them feel good. Ah, not to be confused with the sources of real happiness, but let's just say I derive some pleasure from having a really nice handbag. And at least on this forum that's OK!!
Where this all goes bad is when the person is not doing this to please themselves, but rather to impress (or to try and look better than) friends, strangers, etc., or just generally to be snobby. That's buying for all the wrong reasons and falls under the "tacky rich" category.
Then generally the purchasing of fake bags, knowingly, is really a cry for help...
I do agree with some of what you are saying, and you are right, the "quality" argument is only part of the equation.
For example, I love the Fendi "Selleria" line, as the bags are limited edition and are each individually hand made. As well, Hermes Birkin and Kelly bags (would love to own one but have not made that leap in $$ yet) are also handcrafted and take a long time to individually produce.
But let's also consider that other bag designers, especially small independents, are producing fine products with attention to detail as well. Check out Luna's work as a prime example. (Love those bags Luna).
So....here's my deep psychological assessment of the bag buying rationale - I think some of the spending of $$ on the logos or high end bags occurs because the buyer themselves KNOWS the bag is fabulous and it just makes them feel good. Ah, not to be confused with the sources of real happiness, but let's just say I derive some pleasure from having a really nice handbag. And at least on this forum that's OK!!
Where this all goes bad is when the person is not doing this to please themselves, but rather to impress (or to try and look better than) friends, strangers, etc., or just generally to be snobby. That's buying for all the wrong reasons and falls under the "tacky rich" category.
Then generally the purchasing of fake bags, knowingly, is really a cry for help...
Wow, I don't know where to start with all these posts!
I definitely feel bad for people walking around with an obviously fake bag thinking it's real. Yet in a way, I wonder why I bother feeling bad because they obviously don't know any better. The bottom line is, they should do the research!
Until recently I was not into eBay. Too many fakers out there. But you get a good seller, you can luck out and buy yourself something that is rare and no longer in production.
I have to say that to a certain degree, high end design is all about status. It's high end because not everybody is readily able to buy it. That's why it becomes sought after. Then people start bootlegging it at cheap prices and probably really poorly made.
In the end, I think that those who are able to distinguish between the real and the fake are probably going to better appreciate the craftmenship that the designers offer in their products.
I definitely feel bad for people walking around with an obviously fake bag thinking it's real. Yet in a way, I wonder why I bother feeling bad because they obviously don't know any better. The bottom line is, they should do the research!
Until recently I was not into eBay. Too many fakers out there. But you get a good seller, you can luck out and buy yourself something that is rare and no longer in production.
I have to say that to a certain degree, high end design is all about status. It's high end because not everybody is readily able to buy it. That's why it becomes sought after. Then people start bootlegging it at cheap prices and probably really poorly made.
In the end, I think that those who are able to distinguish between the real and the fake are probably going to better appreciate the craftmenship that the designers offer in their products.
