This is relatively recent, years ago they used to ignore knock-offs. Now, not so.
Why would this be an issue? Buying a knock off bag? Confused :/
Well, my friend's husband is a lawyer, his practice is in Nassau--so I have to take their word for it. Now, your mileage may vary, but is a cheap purse worth it to you?
Well, my best bet is that the question gets into both politics and economics. I think that from the viewpoint of the Bahamas, they don't have the resources to ensure that tourists going back to the U.S. (or through the U.S.) adhere to American laws. And, selling products to tourists in the straw market stimulates the Bahamian economy. As I understand it, it is only the tourists returning to the U.S. who get into trouble. So, not a problem for the Bahamas.
Why would this be an issue? Buying a knock off bag? Confused :/
Then why do they still let the venders in the straw market sell them?
Here's CBPs prohibited items information:
http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/id_visa/kbyg/prohibited_restricted.xml#TrademarkedandCopyrightedArticles
Will everyone get caught? Of course not. But handbags are specifically mentioned so I wouldn't chance it.