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According
to the New York Times (June 4, 2004), approximately 17 men were
arrested in a "sting" to catch sellers of replica handbags
by famous designers. Smugglers paid one million dollars to undercover
operatives posing as corrupt customs agents. Forty foot shipping
containers were loaded with fake Louis Vuittons, Cartiers, and Gucci
handbags made in factories in China. These purses were then sent to
stores in Chinatown in New York City through ports in New Jersey,
where custom officials received $50,000.00 each time a shipment was cleared.
Smuggling
operations were conducted out of a storefront on Canal Street where
a second, hidden back room was filled with designer fakes. The
display wall in the "legitimate" store contained a remote
controlled door leading to the secret storage filled with bags.
There
is a difference between handbags that are obviously not an original.
For example, there are the designer fakes that have an "LV"
almost exactly mimicking a genuine Louis Vuitton and a purse that has
different initials but a similar design. Usually, the craftsmanship
is inferior in a knockoff designer bag - puckered seams, low quality
leather, and large and uneven stitching. Another giveaway for fakes
is the price. Real Louis Vuitton handbags sell for about $500.00 to
$1,000.00 or more and a knockoff can be purchased for around $100.00
to $200.00 each. Also, if you buy your purse out of the truck of a
car, you can pretty much bet it's not real!
Another
raid was recently conducted in Connecticut at a local flea market in
Wellingford. Nine people were arrested for selling counterfeit items
including handbags and watches. A total of 4,483 items were seized. A
raid recently took place in Dallas, Texas and $250,000.00 in goods
were confiscated. This store has over $100,000.00 in sales per month!
So
what harm does it do to purchase a fake designer handbag? There are
a multitude of reasons to NOT buy knockoffs, beginning with the fact
that we, as taxpayers, carry the burden for this tax-free business.
According to government sources, 200 billion is approximately the
amount that counterfeiters do not pay - this means that honest
taxpayers make up the difference!
Another
reason is organized crime. By purchasing a designer fake, we are
supporting illegal activity. There is even some evidence that part of
the money for bombing the World Trade Center came from the sale of
counterfeit goods. There is also documentation that these purses are
made by child laborers in unsafe conditions.
How
do smugglers get around the law? One way is for designer fake
handbags to be imported without the labels. Customs will not seize
these purses without the designer labels because then there is no
proof. The tags are then added on the goods in this country. Fines of
not more than $250,000.00 and no more than 5 years in jail await
these smugglers. The profits range in millions of dollars per years.
If
you want to help stop counterfeiters, you can report these replica
handbags at the genuine websites of all the handbag designers such as
Coach, Louis Vuitton, Kate Spade, Dior, Gucci, etc. |
