Knockoffs & Customs

[Cardinal22]

My daughter and I plan to buy some knockoff purses in some of the ports and I'd like to know if anyone has ever had any problems bringing fake designer items through customs.

[Crescoia]

While it is illegal to bring counterfeit goods in to the US, you'll probably sneak by the customs agent unless you declare them and draw the agents attention to them. Customs is really trying to stop the mass importer that then sells in the US, they aren't looking for the personal consumption buyer.

 

Bottom line - you are breaking the law, and probably no one will care.

[Andym]

Some of the fake goods look so good nowadays. Imagine having to pay full duty on a 20 euro watch.

[Host CJSKIDS]

My daughter and I plan to buy some knockoff purses in some of the ports and I'd like to know if anyone has ever had any problems bringing fake designer items through customs.

 

There's an article in the paper this morning about knockoff purses and the like. Basically not only is it illegal but the claims are that you are supporting possible terrorist activites by doing this. Now don't jump all over me, but this is what is being reported.

Frankily I'm not quite sure what the allure is to carrying fake designer items,if you know the real thing a lot of times you can tell when someone has a fake. If that's what you want then just know that if you're bringing in a few they may charge you customs on those if they catch you, would that be worth it? The customs agents know that this goes on, but of course when is the last time anyone was actually checked by customs?

[cberge]

W/O getting into the politics etc. you will not have a problem bringing back a few knockoff's..just put in checked bags.Trust me the custom's agents are not immune to people bringing them back and they know the difference.Just look really good at the items you think you want to buy as some are much better than other's,and you can bargain.I still have a fake Rolex that I bought at a street market in London in 1987 for about 8£ that still runs,looks good,and better than some of the new watches I have picked up.Enjoy your shopping!!!!

[24butterfly]

I've never had a problem. I've put the bags inside my suitcase.....Never declared anything. "They" also claim that "Little children making .20 per hour" make these bags. Frankly, I think they're just trying to stop the knockoff practice and scare us with this nonsense.....The "knock-off" people probably get the material from dishonest workers and then fashion the bags....We've never heard of the terrorist thing b4 9/11....All of a sudden everything is linked to terrorism....We're going to Europe in July--I can't wait to find these bags.

[cberge]

For 24butterfly...

I know you can buy K/O's any place,but if you are going to be in Venice they had some of the best LV bags I have ever seen,and only about 20€ or so at least last Sept.I did not buy one as I already had one,but I saw a lot of people buying them and they were happy. The vendor's come out in the late afternoon or early evening and they are just about anywhere.Good luch wherever you will be...:)

[ocean.queen]

cberge,

 

We're leaving for Venice in a week and we'll be there for 4 days...any specific location for the best N/O's ?

 

Thanks!!

[KreiderCarter]

Shhhh....I and my wife actually work for Customs. I won't offer any advice but at worst you'll just have your knockoffs seized and destroyed if you get caught.

 

:)

[24butterfly]

THANK YOU CBERGE !!!!! (Also, "thanks" to the Customs people..." We're going to Venice also in July....Can't wait. Truth be known, I've always held my breath going thru customs, but really, we never buy anything in Europe that we can't buy here. I had an address in Kusadasi for a bag place years age, had them mail me the bag, did not have a problem w/the US mail, Customs or anything.

[jbond]

It is not against the law to bring knockoffs back into the country. This is from the US Customs and Border Protection Website.

" Customs officers shall permit any person arriving in the United States, to import one article, which must accompany the person, bearing a counterfeit, confusingly similar, or restricted gray market trademark, provided that the article is for personal use and not for sale."

You can see the whole section at http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/alerts/restricted_goods.xml under Personal Use Exemption: Unauthorised Trademarks.

[Host CJSKIDS]

What is the allure to carrying a knock off/fake purse? I still don't get it, I just don't understand walking around with something that isn't real. I know that some people wear fake diamonds, especially while traveling because they either lost the real thing or they're afraid of losing it. I just don't understand why anyone would want to walk around with a fake knowing it's a fake. Most of the time there are differences, though they may be subtle, to show that you're not carrying the real thing no matter how good the fake is. Whether it's the zipper, strap, the small stubs, the fact that the LV is cut off, there is usually some identifying mark that shows it's not the real thing.

 

I'm not trying to start an argument so please don't flame me, I'm just curious as to why!

[ocean.queen]

Might be that some people just can't afford the real thing...or don't want to pay the ridiculous price for it.

[Host CJSKIDS]

Might be that some people just can't afford the real thing...or don't want to pay the ridiculous price for it.

 

Then why not buy a purse that you can afford rather than buying a fake one and ultimately trying to pass it off for the real thing? I didn't carry a LV bag until I could afford to buy an LV bag. It would have been easy to carry a fake one since I orginally lived and worked in NY City, but I just didn't see the sense in doing so.

I guess I'm willing to pay the "ridiculous price" for my bags because that is the price. Just like you pay more for designer clothes, cars, and jewelry, it's not necessarily ridiculous, it's just the price of these goods.

[cberge]

Might be that some people just can't afford the real thing...or don't want to pay the ridiculous price for it.

 

AMEN to the second part of the above quote!!! I saw a bag in Venice that I fell in love with that was real..it was 2,600 € or almost 3,000 $'s and there is no way I would pay that for a bag...that is a trip to Paris or Florence for me which is far more important.:D BTW, I talked to a maker of $$$ bags and he told me the reason the prices are so high as "we" are willing to pay the price.I don't have but one or two KO's,and they are more for fun than trying to pass off as real.

Anyway, for oceanqueen and 24buttlerfly...trust me there is no specific location to find the seller's...you will be tripping over them.You will generally find them off San Marco Square not on it,and near the Rialto Bridge.Have a great time in Venice..if you have not been there before it will be a blast!!!

[Tania]

Be careful, some KO are of better quality than others. In Venice I saw some particularly poor quality bags last summer although in 2002, they were great.

 

There is a rumour going around that the Prada KO are actually made by Prada so go figure. That being said I bought one and it looks real to me, actually nicer than some of the real Pradas I've seen. And at 10 euros, after serious haggling, my wallet felt realy good.

 

But I agree why buy an obvious fake? I'm talking about the brown LVs. Last summer, I bought a read patent leather one in Turkey which no one believes is a fake. LOL... I receive compliments on it everyday.

 

Why buy a fake? I've purschased , real Gucci, Fendi and 1er Classe. I get a lot more satisfaction from my fakes and the beautiful hand tooled leather bags and wallets from Florence. 2000-3000 dollars are better spent on a cruise;)

[ocean.queen]

Thank You cberge...my 21 yr old DD will love anything I bring her from Venice!...especially a "fun-fake" until she can afford the real thing, if she so chooses to buy it for herself ;)

[cberge]

Thank You cberge...my 21 yr old DD will love anything I bring her from Venice!...especially a "fun-fake" until she can afford the real thing, if she so chooses to buy it for herself ;)

 

You are welcome oceanqueen..then if you are shopping for your daughter(and you too of course) check out the scarves,and the Murano glass necklace's, earrings,and leather brecelt's in some of the shops around San Marco.Have a blast....:D :D Oh, I forgot the mask's!!! Overwhelming.

[24butterfly]

When I go shopping for the KO's, I make SURE it is a great copy of the real one. I have real ones and KO's, and NO ONE can tell the difference. The fun is in the hunt and the bargaining. What fun is it to go into a store and pick out what you want, put it in a bag and pay up the kazoo for it??? I certainly can afford what I want, but I'd rather put it into the slot machines, go on a cruise or buy Guiseppi Zannotti sandals. Now THOSE are worth the $$$ and you'll never see anyone else wearing them!!

 

We ARE going to Venice,(Rome, too) and THANKS for the places!!!

[Jane110]

Then why not buy a purse that you can afford rather than buying a fake one and ultimately trying to pass it off for the real thing? I didn't carry a LV bag until I could afford to buy an LV bag. It would have been easy to carry a fake one since I orginally lived and worked in NY City, but I just didn't see the sense in doing so.

I guess I'm willing to pay the "ridiculous price" for my bags because that is the price. Just like you pay more for designer clothes, cars, and jewelry, it's not necessarily ridiculous, it's just the price of these goods.

 

cjskids,

 

You're soooo right!

One of the things that contributes to the high price of designer bags is the amount of money the companies have to pay lawyers to try and keep a lid on all the counterfeits. Ever notice that there are the least amount of Chanel knock-offs than any other bag and that Chanel is more expensive than any other designer bag? There is a correlation between the two. Chanel goes after trademark infringement more than anyone and those costs are factored into the price of the goods.

 

Besides looking silly carrying a knock-off, it keeps the small designers out of business. Creative people w/ small companies who can make some nice and inexpensive bags often don't get a chance in the stores because people are buying the fakes in the street instead of buying an original design in the store for the same price.

 

Ocean.queen - why not buy your daughter something real from Venice, like a lovely original bag made by a local instead of a plastic copy made in China? My mother bought me a beautiful leather bag in Spain, made by a local, 30 years ago when I was little. I still have the bag and it's right back in style and even when it's not, it's something I treasure. Just a thought.

[Host CJSKIDS]

We brought our daughter back a beautiful leather purse from Sienna and it's gorgeous. We had also looked at them in Florence but ended up getting them in Sienna. Her purse is lovely and you're right, it's something make locallly and something she can't purchase over here. She gets a lot of compliments on it and loves telling people it's straight from Italy!

[24butterfly]

It appears from your posts that you have not seen "knockoffs". If you have a reasonable eye and are familiar with the "original" ones, any KO you buy certainly will be checked over thoroughly by those who know what the "real" ones look like. Trust me, I wouldn't be caught dead carrying an obvious KO. And P.S., I have Chanel KO's that NO ONE can tell the difference from.

[Jane110]

We brought our daughter back a beautiful leather purse from Sienna and it's gorgeous. We had also looked at them in Florence but ended up getting them in Sienna. Her purse is lovely and you're right, it's something make locallly and something she can't purchase over here. She gets a lot of compliments on it and loves telling people it's straight from Italy!

 

My point exactly!

And she'll have it forever because it's so unique.

 

My bag from Spain is very 70's w/ leather fringes. It's been in the closet for 20 years and I took it out this spring to use because it's right back in style. Whenever I use it, people ask where I got it and I tell them that it's from Spain and was bought by my Mother 30 years ago. They're all jealous. <g>

[Host CJSKIDS]

It appears from your posts that you have not seen "knockoffs". If you have a reasonable eye and are familiar with the "original" ones, any KO you buy certainly will be checked over thoroughly by those who know what the "real" ones look like. Trust me, I wouldn't be caught dead carrying an obvious KO. And P.S., I have Chanel KO's that NO ONE can tell the difference from.

 

Since you put CSkids at the top of your post I would assume that this was directed at me, not quite sure why though. I am very familiar with knockoffs. I have seen both the cheap ones and the ones that are great, the ones that you need to ask to see in NY City, not the ones kept outside. I've seen the ones all through Europe and the Caribbean and quite a few nail and hair salons sell the good fakes down here.

I know what the real ones look like because I worked for Saks Fifth Avenue years ago where they were carried and have owned a lot of them for years. There are always subtle ways to tell which ones are knockoffs, no matter how good they are. One of the bags that I have is the "pouchette" version in the white with the bright colors. There are a ton of knockoffs out there and there are differences. Either the stubs on the small band of leather are too big or too rounded, the strap is slighty different, the inside is different, the LV is cut off along the edges, or some other small tell tale signs.

[bera]

Since you put CSkids at the top of your post I would assume that this was directed at me, not quite sure why though. I am very familiar with knockoffs. I have seen both the cheap ones and the ones that are great, the ones that you need to ask to see in NY City, not the ones kept outside. I've seen the ones all through Europe and the Caribbean and quite a few nail and hair salons sell the good fakes down here.

I know what the real ones look like because I worked for Saks Fifth Avenue years ago where they were carried and have owned a lot of them for years. There are always subtle ways to tell which ones are knockoffs, no matter how good they are. One of the bags that I have is the "pouchette" version in the white with the bright colors. There are a ton of knockoffs out there and there are differences. Either the stubs on the small band of leather are too big or too rounded, the strap is slighty different, the inside is different, the LV is cut off along the edges, or some other small tell tale signs.

 

Hi there- and this is my first post on these boards! I'm enjoying the discussion on knock offs and am wondering if you can give more tips on telling fakes from the real thing? I'm always fascinated and would love to know how to spot the real designer bags by LV or Chanel or Prada or Gucci, etc, from the knock off versions? Inquiring minds would love to know! thanks in advance!