About how much are the knock offs? Do they look the same? Why pay for more, when you can get the same thing???

You might get a better response if you post your question on a shopping website...

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You pay less to take a chance. I have knockoff Kate Spades that I paid $15 for and have carried for years, and I have a knockoff Burberry I paid $25, and the zipper broke before I even got home.

Well, I don't really know much about designer bags, but apparantly anyone who does can tell the difference. Also, most of the Kate Spade knock offs have glued on labels...the real ones are sewn on.

One thing I want to mention is that I saw a story on the local news about how these bags are illegal. Yikes! I didn't really know that, but they basically closed down a shop in town that was selling them. Not sure about the legal specifics, but I'm sure it's a copyright thing.

If you know quality handbags you will be able to notice the fakes but it takes a lot of research, and who really has all that time? I do but nice handbags are a hobby of mine. For example, I see people spending $500 on a Gucci handbag that retails for $800. The seller says "guaranteed authentic" but I know they are fake by the hardware. For example, the stapling is in black. This season Gucci's fixtures (for lack of a better word) are only silver and gold for that particular style.

This subject has been debated loud and long on the forum. Yes, these knockoffs are illegally produced and in buying them you're supporting a criminal operation. However, that doesn't seem to bother a lot of folks. And, that's the whole story.

If you want to buy a purse that looks like a real designer purse then buy one. My son got me a knock off Prada purse in Europe. It's up to the individual...if it makes "you" happy...

"why pay more when you can get the same thing."

Because the production of knockoffs are a cash cow for organized crime and, as some evidence suggests, a funding source for terrorism. In NY, these bags are produced by illegal aliens who come from China who work for sweat-shop wages and deplorable living conditions.

Why pay more? Because the fact is, taxes pay for all those things we need/demand as a society. Education, defense, police/fire protection. The people who make these bags pay little, if any, income tax. In addition, the lost sales hurts legitimate businesses.

Do they look the same? Not exactly -- some are better than others.

Be sure to bargain -- never pay the 1st offered price.

I'm not sure the argument that the knock-offs are manufactured in NY by illegal aliens in sweat shops will fly. On several trips we saw both copies and designer apparel being produced in low wage Chinese factories. I hardly think that the $800 for a designer bag goes into the pocket of some poor Chinese workman. Take a look at the homes of designers and then take a look at the homes of Chinese factory workers. Big difference. Surely this is some of the justification that people feel when buying the copies.

You do hear of police raids and crackdowns for selling knock-off products, but I've always wondered why the merchants on Canal St. in NY can do it so blatantly day after day. Most are permanent storefront operations, easily identified by the police (since every guide book on NY points them out). Why isn't Kate Spade pressing charges there? Is it perhaps good advertising? Just wondering? New Yorkers???

Excellent points TC! Most of the great fakes are made in factories in China. My company has a China division and we are told by our locals in China that the wages paid by the "fakes" factory is the same as the "real" one.
Anyway... my daughter loves the fakes because she does not plan to use it for more than one season. Some of the sythetic purses are great copies, the leather ones are easier to tell, IMO.
Fakes with little or no hardware seem to be the best bet.

They have directly linked knock off handbags to terrorism. One of the big guys they arested recently had thousands of knock off handbags, sunglasses, and watches in his appartment.

Keep on buying that crap.

Yikes... I thought that was an urban legend and just checked snopes.com and found nothing. Further wen surfing found this document:
http://wwwc.house.gov/International_...08/johnson.pdf
Well... that's it for me and my family. We will not be buying these fakes anymore

The CBS Evening News did a big story on this a week or two ago which is how I found out.

I also thought it was Urban Legend.

if you search the new york times website i recall there being a huge raid in brooklyn recently and the suspect in that raid had ties to money laundering efforts on behalf of terrorists. as to the question posed earlier about why the merchants can sell so blatantly on canal street, the problem is really 2 fold. because it is an economic crime law enforcement resources are seldom given priority. and, because penalties have really not been in keeping with the actual damage these enterprises do, there is rarely an incentive to vigorously prosecute. and wages in china aside, legitimate businesses are subject to all sorts of other laws, codes and ordinances that underground businesses are not, and it is hoped that the socioeconomic and political climate in the third world rises to a level where everyone receives a decent wage. this wont happen if business don't pay taxes, insurance and comply with safety laws. [flopmeister steps down from soap box now].

They are not the same thing. There is a qualitative difference. They merely resemble the real deal. Thats it.

"business don't pay taxes, insurance and comply with safety laws"

Pay taxes where? Insure who? Comply with what safety laws? Why do you think Kathy Lee Gifford was in such hot water a few years ago? Because her clothing line was being manufactured "legally" in South American sweat shops. The big names don't do any more for local people than the little names do. I still contend that if I give $800 to Prada for a handbag, no Chinese lady will see it - not in cash or benefits. If manufactures were willing to pay proper wages and provide all the benefits you propose, they would be manufacturing in the USA. Wouldn't they?

I bought several knockoffs in China and Bangkok and I cannot tell a difference. I went to a Chanel store and they could not tell the difference. I think it depends on where you buy it from. I did have one that the zipper broke fairly quick. If you know anyone traveling these countries it is best to have photos of what you want. Also, tell them you want A quality and they will then pull out the better made ones.

You took a Chanel knockoff into a Chanel store? I have trouble believing this.

Firstly, they would confiscate the bag. Secondly, the bags are made from inferior materials and you can look at them and tell.