Richard1148

I was watching a TV show about Florence and they mentioned a "flea Market" type place just outside the city where inexpensive fake designer goods were sold. We will only be taking a day trip to Florence from Rome, so I doubt we would have time to go to the flea market. Are there similar places in Rome where my wife might be able to purchase an inexpensive Gucci or whatever?

sandi_travelnut

I found them piled on the sidewalks around the Spanish Steps.

taggie

First of all, fake designer goods are illegal. Also, the major fashion houses are rightfully cracking down on illegal copies - they put a lot into their goods and don't want their names ruined by cheap, badly-made knockoffs.

Counterfeit goods can also be confiscated by customs upon return home - they are ILLEGAL.

And if your wife purchases an "inexpensive Gucci or whatever", then it won't really BE a Gucci or whatever, will it?

A counterfeit $1000 bill is not a $1000 bill, is it?

m_kingdom2

What's the point of a fake designer good?

It's never the very latest style, the quality is poor, it looks cheap, and simply highlights the fact that you can't afford the real thing.

Buy cheaper non-imitation goods if you aren't prepared to spend on the genuine product. Fakes damage reputations.

ira

>Are there any places in Rome to buy fake designer goods?<

Can't you buy them at home?

With the Euro at $1.30, don't look for bargains.

Madison

This past October I was in NY. On Canal Street (Little Italy to Chinatown) there are fakes all over the place. People will approach you, they are in big canvas bags. I almost caved in and bought one then thought better of it. For one thing there is a difference. The quality isn't nearly as good as the real thing.

Secondly, when I was at JFK flying home everyone and their mother was drowning in Louie Vuitton or should I say the genuine knockoff.

massagediva

There are vendors near the Spanish Steps who sell fake designer bags. You can also find them on the Ponte Sant'Angelo. As others have said, they can also be purchased throught the streets of NYC (wherever there are tourists)if you are so inclined.

Patrick

By the way one of my favorite shirts, I bought in Alaska. It looks like any other Ralph Lauren grey polo shirt. But if you look real close at the polo pony insignia, you'll see it is a man on a moose.

Sorry, I digress.

nytraveler

Aside from the fact that purcahse of these fakes is illegal (the goods in questions are trademarked) and purchasers can (but will not) be charged with criminal acts - they are all really poor waulity - and look it.

So unless you are buying the item as a joke - a friend of mine proudly wears his $15 "Rolox" everywhere - you just look silly.

Robespierre

All designer goods are fake. What's your question?

p.s. Taiwan Rolexes (quartz) are more accurate than the real thing (escapement).

cigalechanta

Richard, I sat beside a woman who proudly left her Birkin bag on the stool to go to the sand box. I saw people oooing and ahhing at it as her friend smiled at the reaction. It wasn't real. For one thing, Hermés NEVER puts there name on the OUTSIDE.

dhb5221

I think that some of the answers to this question have been so funny-- I have plenty of "fakes" and who cares if everybody knows it, they are cute purses/bags at cheap prices. When in Rome last summer, I saw many 'vendors' selling bags EVERYWHERE, from the subway station, to all over the streets by the major tourist attractions, you can't miss them! Here is a pricing tip for you, small bags: 10 euros, medium bags: 15, large bags 20 and up. It's all in fun guys lighten up!! Besides, in Rome, everyone was doing it and as they say when in Rome....

JC4UnI

...hmmmm... maybe at least make sure it's MADE IN ITALY (not China)!

cigalechanta

dhb, I know a woman like you who loves her fakes but because those who can't tell , well, she's the first to get her purse snatch. Last year, she and her friends left their handbag on their chairs to go to the buffet. Hers was the only one missing.

JC4UnI

PS: I've been told even the <b>&quot;real thing&quot;</b> are made in China. So, what's the difference? The material (which is also made in China perhaps)??? Oh well, the only big difference is the <b>PRICE</b>. When will I ever learn ???

GolfBall

I am truly appalled that people continue to buy this stuff. As many have pointed out, buying fake designer goods is ILLEGAL. Does this not bother anybody? If you can't afford it, so be it. My wife can't afford a Birkin so she just doesn't have one. And life goes on. She wouldn't be caught dead with a fake bag because she doesn't want to BREAK THE LAW.

kalunchi

reading the threads are extremely funny. Have you ever had someone ask you if your bag is real or fake? I realize those that ask are usually those that consider buying a fake. I would never consider buying a fake and so I sometimes naively think that no one in their right mind would buy a fake. If you can afford a vacation in Italy, why would you buy a fake gucci or prada bag? take a tour to the outlet, it's so cheap. i know its not as cheap as buying off the street. you know sometimes when you buy a fake bag, there is even no such style. dont you find it embarassing when someone that knows better, like a colleague or a relative, comes up to you and tells you that there is no such style or that the G and the G for gucci is actually a 6 and a 9?
There is this one time when i overheard a conversation by two girls, one goes, &quot;is that prada bag real?&quot; and the other replies, &quot;yea, it's kinda real, my dad got it for me, it's really cheap, you can't really tell.&quot; ummmm... so it's NOT real. what do you mean kinda real? can't really tell? trust me, you can tell. whether it's the style, the color, the quality or the durability, you can tell. dont make it a habit to buy/wear replicas. you might as well buy a gap bag and say it's a genuine gap bag.

BeachGirl247

Richard,

You need to read the article in &quot;Bazaar&quot; JAN 2005 (USA) titled
&quot; If you buy one of these FAKE bags, you are supporting child labor, organized crime, even terrorism...&quot;

Here are some of the situations that have been discovered in raids:

The warehouses/sweatshops making these items are made by 10 year old kids whose legs have been broken and reset so they are unable to leave the facilities.

Connections between terrorist financing and these fake goods have been discovered in raids; (one raid mentioned discovery of flight manuals for the same type of planes used in the attacks of Sept 11). Connections HAVE been made to Hezbollah, a terrorist group, and others.

Please reconsider your need to carry these FAKE items knowing what you are supporting.

Do your homework. (and why would you WANT to carry a fake knowing it was a fake?)

And now it is illegal. France is now imposing three years in jail and 300,000euro fine for TOURISTS PASSING THROUGH France with counterfeit goods.

The US has formed a task force to fight counterfeiting.

Why not buy the real thing and feel good about it? just a thought

LoveItaly

Or BeachGirl, going along with your thoughts, just buy a product that you can afford that is legal, right?

Noone who knows fashion is going to be impressed with a fake anything.

I have not read the article in Baazar but have read other articles about fake &quot;designer&quot; items.

Oh BTW, friends I have in Italy have told me a great scam with tourist when they buy the fake designer goods and hand over their money is to receive conterfeit money for change! LOL

Robespierre

No one who knows fashion is going to be impressed with any article of clothing or accessory that has the designer's name emblazoned on the outside of it.

The very rich do not wear signboards for their couturiers.