The market for counterfeit luxury goods is expansive, and industry experts estimate that a whopping $1.7 trillion to $4.5 trillion worth of counterfeit goods are sold each year.
Of course, we all know that producing and selling fake products is legally wrong. Morally, well, that’s something that continues to be debated, remaining one of the most divisive topics among handbag lovers.
The counterfeit industry has existed nearly as long as the luxury fashion industry itself, with brands like Louis Vuitton creating new techniques to ward off fakes dating back to the late 1800s. In fact, the Maison’s now highly-counterfeited Monogram canvas was designed to ward off fakes.
From the crazy world of super fakes to dupe culture, we’ve covered the topic extensively here on PurseBlog, and each time, it’s opened up a fruitful discussion.
The Consequences of Counterfeits
It’s well known that there are far greater impacts to shopping the counterfeit market than just a loss of sales dollars to the brands themselves. Fakes have been linked to terrorism, forced labor, human trafficking, and more. Still, there is a world—a trillion-dollar one at that—where shoppers consume these illegal goods.
In recent months, when combing through submissions for our popular Closet Confessionals, numerous collectors have admitted to purchasing fakes. But the purchases weren’t made the way we normally discuss.
Rather, the counterfeit item was purchased as a way to test if a certain style or size of a bag would work for a buyer’s needs. The intention, of course, is for the real thing to be eventually acquired.
We’ve all had the unfortunate experience of buying a bag that didn’t live up to its hype. Maybe the size was simply too small, or maybe the shape was difficult to style. However, good intentions aside, buying a counterfeit is still illegal and helps fund various egregious activities.
What do you think? Have you, or would you, purchase a fake before buying the real thing?
