How can online stores selling fakes legally operate? Jan 5, 2010
Posted by admin | Under UncategorizedHow is it possible that some online stores sell designer purses that they claim to be 100%authentic even if they are "knock-offs"? Isn’t that false advertising? Why does not anyone shut them down? Isn’t there a "police" for that? I naivly bought a purse from on online store who claimed to have the real deal, but after reading up on them I am not sure anymore. I did pay a pretty penny which I why I thought that’s the price for the real deal minus the overhead. There is a mailing address on their website, which I think is pretty bold. Is there any way to find out if my purse is real?
Thanks a bunch!
That’s a very interesting question and very difficult to answer. The sale of illegal counterfeits i s difficult to prosecute because these website are always off shore operations, and they are subjected to different laws. There isn’t international co-operation insofar as web business is concerned. If the factory is based in one place, the website in another, the shipper somewhere else and the purchaser in a different country then whose law followed? The maker? The seller? the buyer? This is where international law enforcement has problems as the laws vary widely from country to country. In the US buying isn’t illegal, but shipping them overseas is, so many of these bags will be stopped at the borders. The US is cracking down on known manufacturers of these goods.
How is it possible? These fakers don’t see what they are doing as wrong. Sadly in China; they simply don’t care that they are doing something that’s wrong everywhere else in the world. One of YA most notorious counterfeit sellers/spammers saw him/herself as doing a good deed, a public service, thinking that he/she was offering the covetous with the object of their desires at a fraction of the price, not comprehending that they were doing something illegal.
They use words like "mirror image" and "authentic replicas" so they make it sound like what they are doing is less distasteful. Authentic replica makes it sound like the original designer gave their okay to these knock offs, when that’s simply not true. Many designers have lower priced lines, but they will never advertise their low end lines as authentic replicas.
Because much of this is overseas, it’s difficult to prosecute these people. Interpol is working with many different countries to stop the trade of counterfeits, but as long as people want something expensive without being willing to pay full price, then these people will operate from where ever they can.
Luxury goods are expensive and they are exclusive. They aren’t cheap, and never will be. They aren’t meant to be owned by ordinary people or high school students or suburban housewives. They are meant to be owned and affordable to the very rich. If everyone had them or if they were widely available, they would no longer be exclusive luxury items. They’d be like Gap sweatshirts. No one knocks off Gap sweatshirts.
To protect yourself: If it seems too good to be true, it is. No one sells things at lower than wholesale, no one sells at a cost less than what it takes to make something. Most luxury goods are sold through the stores affiliated with the label so the purchaser knows they are getting something authentic.
The sellers of fakes feed off of covetousness and want and desire. They prey on the insecurities. They hope that people are willing to do anything for something they can’t really afford. My personal take is: Yes that designer purse is gorgeous and would look great with my new dress, and I would love to have it, but I don’t have the money and never will so I simply forget about it. But many don’t, many think that a purse will make them popular or more chic or any number of things…and these fake sellers prey on that.
I always submit fake sites to the real place. LV has a webform for sending links to fake sellers, so does Tiffany, so does Chanel. Many sites have e-mail contacts. Some site will send a thank you form letter, some don’t. One place sent a personalized thank you to me. They do what they can when they find these places, again because many of theses counterfeiters are international, they can only do so much.
The only solution is to not only boycott fakes, but for everyone to change their priorities in fashion. That designer bag doesn’t make you a better person, nor does it make you look better, it does not dress up cheap outfits nor does it make you more fashionable. There are plenty of non status label handbags, sunglasses, that are affordable and far nicer looking. And with the money you didn’t spend on that one item, you can buy other items you will enjoy far more than that purse.
Call up the manufacturer ie. LV and ask if they have place that online store as an authorized retail distributor. That should work as for branded goods as there is seriously no way you can smuggle a real thing from the authentic manufacturing plant as they keep a strict line of codes embossed on their bags and stuff.
If lets say like a number is missing from the group production line, they will have to recall all of the group and have them destoryed or reproduced from scratch.
If they say they managed to, it is most probably an reject from the production line due to major or minor defects/errors in detailed design.
References :
That’s a very interesting question and very difficult to answer. The sale of illegal counterfeits i s difficult to prosecute because these website are always off shore operations, and they are subjected to different laws. There isn’t international co-operation insofar as web business is concerned. If the factory is based in one place, the website in another, the shipper somewhere else and the purchaser in a different country then whose law followed? The maker? The seller? the buyer? This is where international law enforcement has problems as the laws vary widely from country to country. In the US buying isn’t illegal, but shipping them overseas is, so many of these bags will be stopped at the borders. The US is cracking down on known manufacturers of these goods.
How is it possible? These fakers don’t see what they are doing as wrong. Sadly in China; they simply don’t care that they are doing something that’s wrong everywhere else in the world. One of YA most notorious counterfeit sellers/spammers saw him/herself as doing a good deed, a public service, thinking that he/she was offering the covetous with the object of their desires at a fraction of the price, not comprehending that they were doing something illegal.
They use words like "mirror image" and "authentic replicas" so they make it sound like what they are doing is less distasteful. Authentic replica makes it sound like the original designer gave their okay to these knock offs, when that’s simply not true. Many designers have lower priced lines, but they will never advertise their low end lines as authentic replicas.
Because much of this is overseas, it’s difficult to prosecute these people. Interpol is working with many different countries to stop the trade of counterfeits, but as long as people want something expensive without being willing to pay full price, then these people will operate from where ever they can.
Luxury goods are expensive and they are exclusive. They aren’t cheap, and never will be. They aren’t meant to be owned by ordinary people or high school students or suburban housewives. They are meant to be owned and affordable to the very rich. If everyone had them or if they were widely available, they would no longer be exclusive luxury items. They’d be like Gap sweatshirts. No one knocks off Gap sweatshirts.
To protect yourself: If it seems too good to be true, it is. No one sells things at lower than wholesale, no one sells at a cost less than what it takes to make something. Most luxury goods are sold through the stores affiliated with the label so the purchaser knows they are getting something authentic.
The sellers of fakes feed off of covetousness and want and desire. They prey on the insecurities. They hope that people are willing to do anything for something they can’t really afford. My personal take is: Yes that designer purse is gorgeous and would look great with my new dress, and I would love to have it, but I don’t have the money and never will so I simply forget about it. But many don’t, many think that a purse will make them popular or more chic or any number of things…and these fake sellers prey on that.
I always submit fake sites to the real place. LV has a webform for sending links to fake sellers, so does Tiffany, so does Chanel. Many sites have e-mail contacts. Some site will send a thank you form letter, some don’t. One place sent a personalized thank you to me. They do what they can when they find these places, again because many of theses counterfeiters are international, they can only do so much.
The only solution is to not only boycott fakes, but for everyone to change their priorities in fashion. That designer bag doesn’t make you a better person, nor does it make you look better, it does not dress up cheap outfits nor does it make you more fashionable. There are plenty of non status label handbags, sunglasses, that are affordable and far nicer looking. And with the money you didn’t spend on that one item, you can buy other items you will enjoy far more than that purse.
References :