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-   -   Florence Warning: "It's Illegal to Buy Fake Goods" (https://www.fodors.com/community/europe/florence-warning-its-illegal-to-buy-fake-goods-317642/)

PalenQ Mar 6th, 2008 07:10 AM

Florence Warning: "It's Illegal to Buy Fake Goods"
 
In Florence recently i noticed many prominently posted signs saying that it was illegal for folks to buy bogus fake goods - presumably cheap knock-offs of famous brands, etc.

Q - how would i know if something i bought is fake or not?

Something about that sign turned me off - i'd think the enforcement for such commerce lies with local authorities - as it is now i'm aloof to buy anything from the many markets, etc.

knickerbocker Mar 6th, 2008 07:34 AM

" Q - how would i know if something i bought is fake or not?"

A-Probably because you bought it from one of the oh-so-helpful gentlemen who set up shop on a blanket spread on a sidewalk and who quickly pack their wares when the long arm of the law appears.

I seriously doubt it's the market stall merchants that the problem

hetismij Mar 6th, 2008 08:00 AM

You would know by the price you paid for it. If it's too cheap to be true it is a fake.
The local authorities do their best to enforce it, but realy if tourists didn't buy the stuff the market would soon dry up.
At Schiphol every year they confiscate fake goods from returning holiday makers. They particlarly target the Italian flights and of course the far eastern flights for this. SInce there are so many warnings about this now they are also starting to fine people for illegelly importing counterfeit products into the Netherlands.

longboatkey Mar 6th, 2008 08:00 AM

Hey, buy a Prada Handbag for 10Euro....Guess what......

zelphiacat Mar 6th, 2008 08:20 AM

no faux fur?

Reisender Mar 6th, 2008 08:26 AM

It is entertaining to watch the vendors and how fast they can roll up the blanket and the goods and disappear when the lookouts alert them to the police coming - and how fast they are back in place after the cops pass by.

Did not seem to be any thing stopping them in Venice in November. They were everywhere. Not as many in Florence it did not seem.

Didn't the Italian Government a couple of years ago pass a law that makes it a criminal offense to buy this stuff with big fines involved? I thought I had read that somewhere.

PalenQ Mar 6th, 2008 08:34 AM

This is what baffles me - i've seen the game between presumably illegal street vendors who at the sight of a cop roll up their wares and move off

Don't they know about undercover cops?

Though i guess i've read that if they arrest them it's a revolving door and they're back on the streets shortly

I really think this law must not be aimed at the plethora of mainly Blacks and Southasians hawking what seems to me to be bonafide junk and trinkets - not knock offs

But the market stalls selling more pricey goods i'm not sure.

But if tourists are always confronted with these offers why can't undercover cops do the same?

something don't compute here

longboatkey Mar 6th, 2008 08:55 AM

It is ITALY...............enough said

nytraveler Mar 6th, 2008 10:21 AM

It's easy -

If it's way too cheap - it's fake (the real thing is NOT available at 20% of the retail price)

If it's sold by an itinerant peddlar - it's fake

If you really examine anything (look at the lining, the finish, how zippers or handles are attached etc - fakes are obvious (if you've never seen the real thing go to a decent store and look at the details)

(I have a friend with a Rolox watch he got for $20 that he's very happy with - but no one in their right mind could think it was real)

francophile03 Mar 6th, 2008 11:27 AM

In 2006 we found the handbag vendors to be quite bold and even stayed in place while there were police around. It appeared that there are certain times they set up 'shop' and on certain streets too.

helena09 Jun 8th, 2012 10:08 PM

We can't deny that bogus goods are sold the world over. Well I think we can say that a particular item is fake because it is inexpensive though it looks like trusted brand name items. Some anti-piracy activists, also as the Department of Homeland Security, are starting to get harder with those who traffic in the bogus goods. However, some of these crusaders also want to target the customers who intentionally purchase phony items.In the future, those who do so could face fees and maybe even jail time. You can get more information here: http://personalmoneynetwork.com/mone...eit-crusaders/

worldinabag Jun 9th, 2012 01:32 AM

I don't think it's just the street sellers. I recently visited Florence and went to the San Lorenzo market. Along with the typical junk lines there was alot of leather goods sold. They carried "Made in Italy" tags (of course) but I am very sceptical about the claim. I would work on the assumption they are sourced from China or maybe India or Pakistan. I picked up a leather jacket for 39 euro (this is unusally low because the jacket wouldn't sell - it was not conservative styled but suited my eclectic taste). Yes there's no doubt it was made of leather. It had a "Made in Italy" tag but I would have to be a complete idiot to assume this was the case. So the moral of the story is do your homework before you buy. "Caveat emptor"!

Dukey1 Jun 9th, 2012 02:30 AM

Actually, buy that handbag and you probably paid what the real thing is actually worth!

Alec Jun 9th, 2012 02:31 AM

There was a celebrated case a few years ago when the Italian financial police (Guardia di Finanza) were lying in wait for tourists 'innocently' buying fake designer goods. As they were leaving, they were stopped, had their goods confiscated and levied a stiff on-the-spot fine, of several hundred euro. This wasn't in Florence (somewhere near the French border), but be warned. You may end up losing a lot more than a few cheap fakes.

bilboburgler Jun 9th, 2012 02:39 AM

I guess you have to believe in the concept of a Brand. The EU does believe in Brands and regularly steam roller goods seized from people driving from Italy to France. So maybe the answer is "It's from Italy" is the right one.

"Made in Italy" is such a great concept. "If I tell you I'm a liar witll you believe me?" is taught in Philosophy 101.

My own view is don't buy anything with a Brand on it, shop only from specialist shops and their own production. This is very possible in Italy.

FoFoBT Jun 9th, 2012 02:41 AM

I recently bought a LV bag and while chatting with the saleslady, she showed me several ways to spot fakes from the most obvious to the quite subtle.

IMO, buying a fake is one of the worst purchasing decisions someone can make. You're always supporting an illegal activity and in most cases you're supporting some form of organized crime. And people with the "real thing" will know you have a fake.

If you can't afford the new designer bag (or belt, shoes, wallet etc), either buy second-hand from a reliable dealer or look for something attractive and/or useful from a lesser known or better still, a new, young designer. Why not support a creative new designer instead of some crime gang?

I do have a few designer bags, but I also have a few from designers most people haven't heard of (and I didn't know them myself before I bought their work).

Ackislander Jun 9th, 2012 03:44 AM

Enforcement has become a higher priority since 2006.

The "prosecute the buyer" strategy is the same as used against prostitution in many cities in the US: arrest the clients and post their pictures on the web.

If the price is too good to be true, the merchandise is fake or stolen. Since the warning signs are posted in English and other languages in fairly obvious places, offenders don't have much of a defence if the Guardia di Finanza stops them.

PalenQ Jun 9th, 2012 05:43 AM

Still it seems it would be easier to target the sellers, a few undercover cops could wipe them out quickly - why do the legions of African immigrants prominently display their wares on sidewalks unmolested?

bilboburgler Jun 9th, 2012 06:11 AM

Which part of Italy do you not understand?

bilboburgler Jun 9th, 2012 06:12 AM

:-)


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