About Designer Replica Handbags

Designer replica bags are big business. Some companies create bags that are inspired by designer companies. For instance, some bags have the classic Louis Vuitton look, but they do not have the logo. However, others either claim to be genuine orthat their bags are of such good quality that they sell them for more than half the cost of a genuine designer bag. This price can range into the hundreds, even thousands, of dollars.

Significance

Designer replica bags have grown in popularity in recent years. As more people desire to carry the latest style bag, new technologies have popped up to help re-create these bags. In addition, the Internet has created quite a boom, allowing unwitting buyers to go to auction websites and fall prey to these replica manufacturers. In recent studies, the World Customs Organization estimates that replica products amount to roughly 7 percent of the world's trade.

Geography

A lot of these replica bags are being manufactured in countries like China, Korea and Mexico ,where there is good access to mass manufacturing. These designer replica bags are common and can be found on the Internet on auction sites like eBay, as well as other websites. In large cities, replicas can be found in many places, including in flea markets, shopping malls and Chinatown.

Features

For buyers unsure if the bag they are looking at is real or a replica, there are certain features to looks for. Buyers should consider the price. If a buyer finds a Louis Vuitton bag in a store or on eBay for $50, it's more than likely a fake, since most Louis Vuitton bags cost at least $400. Instead of being stitched in, linings are more likely to be glued in on replica bags. If the lining is stitched in, check inside to see if the thread is being pulled. Check the stitches for consistency--there shouldn't be any stitches that are askew. Are the tags of the bag misspelled? If yes, it's a fake.

Prevention/Solution

The best way for a buyer to prevent herself from being duped by a seller claiming to sell authentic designer bags is to actually buy them either directly from the company's own store or from a reputable department store. If a buyer finds herself at a flea market looking at a supposedly genuine item, she should check for quality workmanship. Buying over the Internet makes it easier for unscrupulous sellers to show pictures of real designer bags, only to actually sell fake versions. Buyers should either buy directly from the designer's own website, or at places that the designer's website states as authorized dealers.

Warning

Both the selling and buying of counterfeit goods are illegal. It not only is detrimental to the profits of the designer, but it also infringes on the designer's trademark. Additionally, supporting these mass manufacturing replica companies could well also be supporting sweatshops and child labor. Buyers of counterfeit goods, while they won't be prosecuted, could well find their new designer replica bags confiscated.