A proposed New York City law would slap buyers of fake fashion goods with a $1000 fee. While some fashionistas say its unfair, proponents say that it would deter shoppers from knowingly buying the fake stuff (How to know if it's fake? A $40 Fendi is obviously not the real thing.)
Personally, I think the whole argument is pretty ridiculous on both ends: I think it's a waste of money to buy an insanely expensive bag (my personal rule is to never buy a handbag that costs more than a decent horse) and I think it's also a bad idea to buy counterfeit goods. According to the International Anti-Counterfeiting Coalition, "The real truth is counterfeiters are hardened criminals, exploiting consumers, businesses both large and small, inventors and artists and children laboring in sweatshops in Third World countries."
What do you think?
Comments
Well I like shopping online and just do many reserch before the purchase, I hate to buy counterfaits and don’t want to be cheated. When I find a good website for something, I will collect them and just buy items on them, my favorite website that I have collected is: http://www.tomfordsunglassess.com. Really a reliable and good website for original Tom Ford sunglasses.
Well, I wouldn’t know a Fendi from a Ferrari and of all designer bags, I’m afraid I’m old fashioned and still tote the Aigners I fell in love with in jr. high–when i look to buy a specific designer. But I live in NYC and although I haven’t gone bag shopping in chinatown, I have been known to buy a good looking misc. bag that caught my eye on the vendor tables in midtown. And, I have been known to buy a Coach bag for $20 —at the salvation army. Whether its real or not, I haven’t a clue (does have a no.). I just liked the bag.
Funny how in prostitution, it’s the seller (usually a woman) that gets charged. For buying bags, it’s the buyer (usually a woman). Correlation or coincidence?
If you can’t afford it in the original, don’t buy at all. Who wants fakes; those of us who want the real thing should not be assaulted by all these fakes that are being paraded as the real thing by these so called”Fashionistas”!!!
Why not hit the SELLERS with a fine? I for one walk into a store and EXPECT each item to be authentic…. And why not ENFORCE the laws on hand? I mean don’t you have to have a permit to sell at a stand? I don’t know ANYTHING about Fendi, because I don’t shop in places that sell that item, BUT East 5th, or St. John’s Bay or Ann Taylor should be authentic… Why b/c I go to the stores that sell those items… Hit the sellers not the buyers!
You’ve got to be kidding – women who buy fake bags are NOT “fashionistas”! They’re wanna-be’s
If designer items were not sold at outrageously overpriced mark-ups there wouldn’t be so many knock offs. To be honest I believe the designers are just crying foul for no good reason. If they don’t like it they should put out their own designs under a “generic” label and stop being snobs, fact is a lot of theses are made in the same factories that make the high end labels. Get over yourselves fashionistas, you are nothing but the designers ho!
I totally agree with Vida!
And which one of us “mortals” can afford a designer anything these days? I’m sorry but I am not made of money, or married to one. If I can’t afford the real article, I don’t buy it. Fakes are usually so fake-looking that even an amateur like me can tell them apart from the real thing. Why look like a fake-loving idiot when there still are good, real, and reasonably priced brands out there like Aigner or Anne Klein?