As an addicted shoppers of shoes and handbag, I couldnt stop looking at those replica website just to see how crazy those Chinese people can drive the buyers by offering crazy price for all the designer's branches. There are some examples in the first page by Google search engine:
http://www.poshmoda.ws/
http://www.topreplicahandbags.uk.com/
http://www.pursevalley.co/
http://www.worldofreplica.co/
http://www.wholesaledesignershop.net/
http://www.aaa-handbag.com/
http://hotfashionmall.cc/
http://www.contwhatnera.tk/
http://www.watch-report.net/
http://www.buyreplicawatchs.net/
http://www.watchestiming.com/
http://www.towatchesit.com/
http://www.swizwatch.com/
http://koreaways.com/
It will take me forever to list all the websites, since they are hundred of them under various kind of names and keyword. The last website is of someone who longs for all luxury lifestyle - she cited all the replica products websites she know, reviews and give her own opinions.
I looked up the contact information as well as the manufacturers - and it's not any surprise that they are all from China, even though some claims to be Japan ("with their factory in China") or Korean...
I did a little further research. It's said that for designers' clothes, shoes and handbags, the sources are mainly from Korean, China, Thailand and even Vietnam. Korean fake handbags are believed to have the best quality and are the closest to the real one. Chinese fake handbags are of low quality, even some claim to have AAA quality level. (This reminds me of the time I was in Venice and was annoyed by those black people carrying like 20-30 fake handbags standing on the tourism square trying to sell a designer for like 10-20 euro). Fake products are said to come from Vietnam and Thailand also, even though when I was in Vietnam, mostly the stores owner say they buy them from Chinese wholesalers).
Luxury fake watches also have several sources: Swiss, Japan and again China. Swiss replica ones are said to have the best quality, cost up to thousand of $, and also probably can't even be detected by a watch-makers. Japanese replicas are of lower/average/medium quality, around 150-300$ while Chinese replicas are the worst and only cost up to $150 to the max.
I admitted that I was tempted so much to own a Louis Vuitton/Hermes handbags after I visited their stores in London and Paris last month. Not only the shape, the sign, the color or design, but it's the quality of the leather that make the strongest impression to me. I'm not a shopaholic addictive buyer, but it would be so hard for me to resist in front of such a beautiful elegant thing.
The fact is that the replica bag can never achieve such a quality. I'm not sure if I have seen any Korean replica, but the LV one my friend ordered from a Chinese manufacture is surely not 100% - the leather outside seems okay when it's still new, but I can feel the difference in the strap, and of course the other side of the bad inside out. Well it seems worth the cheap price offer.
As long as I continue to find more and more Chinese website that sell fake/replica products, I could stop myself thinking about the dominance of Chinese manufactures with their low-quality, cheap products. It's okay for me when they design and make their own products - but they obvhttp://lypham.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post-new.phpiously use other designs, brand names, trademark of other people to make profit - even though they claim to sell fake ones. I'm not a law student to figure out exactly what cases were tried on this issue - however, it's such against my ethics to see those Chinese people are taking advantages of others to make profit for their pockets. No matter how overpriced those handbags are, the designs belongs to those people who drain their creativity and work hard to develop, maintain and even to marketing the brand to reach their certain popularity - the price of luxury brands isnt for the manufacture cost - they deserve their extremely high price because of their creativity and, most of all, the entire journey of creating and marketing the brand. It isnt right for someone who copy the exact design and even carry their name, sell it for three time of the manufacture cost and still be proud of offering "reasonable" price for stealing others' patent !!!! It's the brand equity that should be protected. Well for those Chinese who just want to make money no matter what, they actually dont care. However, if you are an educated person and have a dream to create something of your own, representing you, and your intellects - you can know probably be sympathy with those designers...
I'm satisfied to find out one of those unethical websites are sued and had to close: http://mypurseworld.com/ I kinda want to quote the whole final judgment form USDC Southern District of Florida since they may close the site LOL, but seem like they keep it like that since Jun 2009 though.
Again, it is a crime to sell counterfeit products, even though the sellers claim it to be replica ones:
I.B.2. Trademarks and Sevice MarksThe federal law of trademarks and service marks protects a commercial identity or brand used to identify a product or service to consumers. The Lanham Act, 15 U.S.C. §§ 1051-1127, prohibits the unauthorized use of a trademark, which is defined as "any word, name, symbol, or device" used by a person "to identify and distinguish his or her goods, including a unique product, from those manufactured or sold by others and to indicate the source of the goods." 15 U.S.C. § 1127. By registering trademarks and service marks with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the owner is granted the exclusive right to use the marks in commerce in the United States, and can exclude others from using the mark, or a comparable mark, in a way likely to cause confusion in the marketplace. A protected mark might be the name of the product itself, such as "Pfizer" or "L.L. Bean"; a distinguishing symbol, such as the Nike "swoosh" or the MGM lion; or a distinctive shape and color, such as the blue diamond shape of a Viagra tablet. Certain symbols like the Olympic rings also receive like protection.
Legal protections for trademarks and service marks not only help protect the goodwill and reputation of mark-owners, but also promote fair competition and the integrity of markets, and protect consumers by helping to ensure they receive accurate information about the origins of products and services.
Federal criminal law has long prohibited trafficking in goods or services that bear a counterfeit mark. 18 U.S.C. § 2320. As discussed more fully in subsequent chapters, in March 2006 the criminal trademark statute was amended to also prohibit trafficking in labels or packaging bearing a counterfeit mark, even when the label or packaging is unattached to the underlying good. Individuals convicted of § 2320 offenses face up to 10 years' imprisonment and a $2,000,000 fine.
I tried eBay - an free online market which has been enjoying its good reputation for controlling trademarks, copyrights and patents; and the result make sense: there is none replica is sold on eBay, except for some "designer inspired" products that somehow copy the shape but not the entire design - no brand name attached. Lots of cheap and low quality handbag from China and Singapore (which speak Chinese as the official language).
Recently I have read some other articles about the Chinese ambition and their way of achieving their goals no matter what road to take ... Cheap clothing and electronics to all over the world, poisonous toys and milk for children, intoxicated fruit and food to Vietnam, their border issue, their humanity issue, ... and recently their occupation in other countries' border - the most obvious example being Singapore, and now even NYC are complaining...
No matter what growth rate they are enjoying, or how much their GDP climb up, China will never can be the leader of the world: it's can't be a low quality manufacture, under-the-table deals and their unethical ways (at least it is to me) to occupy and dominate other markets.
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