Fake
Years ago, my mother gave me one of her old Chanel handbags – a quilted denim number, from the 1970s, I think. I called it my Tardis (a Doctor Who reference, for those of you who might be wondering). It looked small, but the quantity of stuff that could be crammed into it was astounding. I was quite certain, that if I should be marooned on a desert island, I could survive for months quite happily, with just the contents of this beloved handbag.
I loved my Tardis, indeed, I loved it to death. After years of abuse, it had started to look rather shabby, and while no longer fit for special occasions, I still used it almost daily. Then, last week, I had to accept the Tardis’s days were over. The handle broke. I removed its little Chanel zip-pull, and laid it tenderly to rest in the rubbish bin.
It occurred to me that Trade Me might have another Tardis. I happily started to search, but happiness wore thin very fast. Trade Me is infested with the most hideous array of fake designer products you could ever find outside of NY's infamous Canal Street.
Authentic Coach wallet? Perhaps if the Coach workshop fed their staff crack-cocaine.
A brand-new, 'genuine' Chanel dress for $37!
Another seller is taking orders for 'genuine' Chanel and Fendi handbags for around $420. These bags retail at over $1700 each (depending on the style). The seller also sells 'genuine' Miu Miu Coffer bags for $400. They state that "previous customers have had these bags authenticated by Miu Miu here in NZ." Perhaps I am wrong - correct me if I am - Miu Miu is sold at Workshop, but I do not know of a Miu Miu store in NZ.
I have started emailing Coach, Chanel, Chloe, and some of the other targeted labels. I hope they will put pressure on the website to remove these illegal items. They are an embarrassment not only to the fashion houses, but to those stupid enough to think they can buy genuine items at knock-off prices.
3 comments:
A couple of weeks ago 20/20 had and ABC story about fake designer handbags sold on the interwebs.
The idea is that the bag is priced at $420 so the punter thinks, "Wow! $420. That's a lot of money, so it must be a real one. What a bargain!" But in actuality, it's exactly the same sort of bag you'd get on a street stand for $20.
I would think that anyone with a modicum of intelligence would know that your chances of finding any 'genuine' designer on Trademe.
The market of buyers for such clothes is so small and I suspect not the type to bother auctioning off clothes/accessiories.
Try E-bay. You have just as much shit to sort through, but at least a bigger amount of sellers with actual connections.
Or if it's just convenience of online buying that you want, and ofcourse authenticity guaranteed, you can actually buy Gucci online from www.gucci.com if you have an American Billing address you can use, and also Net-a-porter (http://www.net-a-porter.com) sells genuine designer goods at genuine designer prices. Occasionally they hold end of season/trend sales.
Post a Comment