Knock off purses. Why?

[KellyNY]

I agree with your premise, that for someone making 500K a year a $500 bag isn't a big deal. I would argue though that most of the people sporting designer bags should be spending closer to $50 for a bag as opposed to $500.

I think it would be cool if all of those people with designer bags had their net worth in big numbers on the side of the bag.....lol. It would also work to put the number on the door panel of all Mercedes. Heh.

I would love to adopt your idea of showing income for men as well. Maybe then I can spot a rich husband to buy me a real Fendi
I must say "fake" problem is very real in everyday life. Think about it, cannot afford big diamond, no problem, get a nice CZ, cannot buy a good car, get a lease. Cannot afford designer bag, get a fake. There are so many ways to look rich and not to be one. I guess the real way to say who is rich and who is not, is by the house they live in, schools they pay for and so on. Looks are just ways to express ourselves, nothing more.

 

[Ember]

I can afford it, but really don't get it. I do think many of the purses are cute - I really like the D&Bs - but I won't spend that much on a purse (and the D&Bs are cheap compared the the LVs). My money can do so many other things than buy expensive purses - send my children to college. Maybe send their children to college. Maybe leave enough behind to fund a scholarship. Or support rescued dogs. Or fund mammograms for poor women. Or maybe just pay for a nicer nursing home when I'm old and senile.

So if you took a look around your home there would be nothing there you didn't truly need? You have never spent money on something you simply wanted rather than needed? I'm sorry, but I still think your argument is just a way of saying, "I don't personally care about that." Which is cool. But I don't think it's a moral high ground. Do you have a tv? A car? Do you go to movies? On vacation? Those are all things you don't really need. You could be saving for collage, or supporting rescued dogs, or funding mammograms that that money. Again, I see nothing wrong with not wanting a designer handbag. But I am not somehow more selfish or shallow for having one.

Judging someone on nothing more than the bag you see them carrying and feeling superior is just as wrong as someone laughing at someone who can't afford (or who doesn't care about) carrying a designer bag. Take the time to get to know me, you'll see there's a lot more to me than my love of pretty handbags.

 

[crisi]

I would love to adopt your idea of showing income for men as well. Maybe then I can spot a rich husband to buy me a real Fendi
I must say "fake" problem is very real in everyday life. Think about it, cannot afford big diamond, no problem, get a nice CZ, cannot buy a good car, get a lease. Cannot afford designer bag, get a fake. There are so many ways to look rich and not to be one. I guess the real way to say who is rich and who is not, is by the house they live in, schools they pay for and so on. Looks are just ways to express ourselves, nothing more.

That isn't a good way to tell either. The only way to tell wealth is to take a good look at their net worth - and people don't travel around with their bank statements and loan books. People buy houses they can't afford. Grandparents pay for schools. Kids get scholarships.

I used wealth instead of rich on purpose. I think you can tell if someone is "rich" because "rich" has a meaning beyond money - you can be poor as a churchmouse and have a bag that you got from the Salvation Army for $1 - and still be rich if you are content. And you can be very wealthy - and be poor in spirit regardless of how many Fendi purses are in your closet.

 

[KellyNY]

I can afford it, but really don't get it. I do think many of the purses are cute - I really like the D&Bs - but I won't spend that much on a purse (and the D&Bs are cheap compared the the LVs). My money can do so many other things than buy expensive purses - send my children to college. Maybe send their children to college. Maybe leave enough behind to fund a scholarship. Or support rescued dogs. Or fund mammograms for poor women. Or maybe just pay for a nicer nursing home when I'm old and senile.

Then you cannot afford it. You trully can afford it when you do not think about better places to invest your money, when other things are covered. When you can esily spend $1200 like $20, you do not know words like Kohls, JCPennie and so on. I am talking about really rich people, not middle or even upper middle class. And those peole support society as well, do not think all they do is spend money. I am not one of them unfortunately but I know some very rich ones.

 

[3boymthr]

I would love to adopt your idea of showing income for men as well. Maybe then I can spot a rich husband to buy me a real Fendi
I must say "fake" problem is very real in everyday life. Think about it, cannot afford big diamond, no problem, get a nice CZ, cannot buy a good car, get a lease. Cannot afford designer bag, get a fake. There are so many ways to look rich and not to be one. I guess the real way to say who is rich and who is not, is by the house they live in, schools they pay for and so on. Looks are just ways to express ourselves, nothing more.

DH goes into a LOT of homes, many of them with the 4-5,000 sq ft and that $1Million and up price tag that people envy. He laughs about how many have 4 or 5 rooms with nothing or maybe a little lawn furniture and the heat is shut off because they can't afford to heat them.

The same goes for schools. People will send their kids to school and mortgage their home finance it (I work with someone who does) or work really hard to get the kid a scholarship.

I've learned to never to judge a book by it's cover. My father had a really good friend, the man always wore dickies, lived in the house he was born in, always drove a used station wagon. We always knew he had a comfortable income as he owned several businesses. When he died recently his estate was valued at more than Paris Hilton's well document millions.

IMO designer bags are all about your presonal style and what you image want to project and have no reflection on how much you are worth or whether you are better than someone or not.

 

[KellyNY]

That isn't a good way to tell either. The only way to tell wealth is to take a good look at their net worth - and people don't travel around with their bank statements and loan books. People buy houses they can't afford. Grandparents pay for schools. Kids get scholarships.

I used wealth instead of rich on purpose. I think you can tell if someone is "rich" because "rich" has a meaning beyond money - you can be poor as a churchmouse and have a bag that you got from the Salvation Army for $1 - and still be rich if you are content. And you can be very wealthy - and be poor in spirit regardless of how many Fendi purses are in your closet.

We do not talk about spiritual aspects at all.
If people buy house they cannot afford, how do they pay for it? Forclosure in 3 months. Not all grandparents can afford to pay for schools and far from many kids get full scholarships, esp. when we talk about school not college.
As for people traveling without check books, true, looks are not true. I look like a billion $$ when I go out, not because of lables, I got a good taste(no figure came with the taste however), so I know how to dress myself, but I am not rich at all.

 

[J.C.&ALI'SMOM]

I don't care what someone else carries! I personally like Coach bags and have bought several at the Coach outlets. I would never purchase one at full price. I do like designer bags and know that Coach is at the lower end of the designer lines.

However, I love the way they are made and they last forever and at the outlets the price is in my range. I still carry the first one that I bought about 12 years ago and it still looks good. I don't like the signature fabric designs with Coach written all over them. All of mine are all leather.

I agree with the previous poster who stated that we could turn around these statements to include trips to WDW, which some consider an outrageous waste of money. Everybody has different priorities, likes, and dislikes.

 

[4Seasons]

 

[luvmy3]

I can afford it, but really don't get it. I do think many of the purses are cute - I really like the D&Bs - but I won't spend that much on a purse (and the D&Bs are cheap compared the the LVs). My money can do so many other things than buy expensive purses - send my children to college. Maybe send their children to college. Maybe leave enough behind to fund a scholarship. Or support rescued dogs. Or fund mammograms for poor women. Or maybe just pay for a nicer nursing home when I'm old and senile.

True, but one person's designer purse, is like another's newest electronic, or a car that has all the bells and whistles, or multiple WDW vacations a year..........

 

[Purseval]

What's wrong with buying counterfeit??

- Counterfeiting costs U.S. businesses $200 billion to $250 billion annually.
- Counterfeit merchandise is directly responsible for the loss of more than 750,000 American jobs.
- Since 1982, the global trade in illegitimate goods has increased from $5.5 billion to approximately $600 billion annually.
- Approximately 5%-7% of the world trade is in counterfeit goods.
- U.S. companies suffer $9 billion in trade losses due to international copyright piracy.

That's what's wrong. Wanting something you can't afford does not give you the right to resort to illegal measures to get it.

What a load of rubbish I agree that buying fakes is bad, mostly on quality terms, but those stats take a tremendous leap of faith by assuming that A) the person who bought the $100 fake would go out and buy the $1000 real item and B)those "lost" jobs weren't going overseas anyway.

Take a look inside of your Walmart purse and see if it has a Made In America tag on it. That's where your jobs are being lost. More jobs are being created overseas because a market exists for $100 knockoffs. Perhaps if companies started making nice, inexpensive handbags in America then you would see some of those losses come back.

Perhaps next you can tell us how Al Quaeda wouldn't exist without the illegal handbag trade, I've heard that one also

 

[bcarson]

I don't buy really exs*****ve purses. I had thought I might want one at one time. Then a friend said to me that everyone just thinks your carrying a fake anyway! LOL!

You cannot always tell. I don't care what anyone says. You can carry your fancy purse all you want. But some people are just still going to think it's a fake. So that's why to me what would be the point in spending tons on something that make people go hmmmm? I wonder.

I know some brands are probably very easy to spot. But my boss has to fake coaches that look great to me. She paid very little for them. '

For the record, I have never bought fake or real.

 

[pixiewings71]

LV Speedy is a classic design. Many other companies make styles that are similar to (inspired by) the Speedy but they add their own touches to them, that is what Claires would sell. Some companies make the Speedy, call it a Speedy, put LV logos all over it and sell it as a bargain basement LV. That is a fake.

It is possible to buy fakes at places like TJ Maxx. This isn't intentional on TJ Maxx's part. Unscrupulous buyers will go to TJ Maxx and buy a Coach purse. Then they take their receipt and return a fake Coach. The salesperson, who isn't an expert at spotting fakes, returns the money and puts the fake back on the shelf.

Thanks for the clarification. Since I'm not into the designer handbags I never really knew the difference. So mine are just "inspired by" designs rather then fakes. At least I think that's right......LOL

 

[KellyNY]

DH goes into a LOT of homes, many of them with the 4-5,000 sq ft and that $1Million and up price tag that people envy. He laughs about how many have 4 or 5 rooms with nothing or maybe a little lawn furniture and the heat is shut off because they can't afford to heat them.

The same goes for schools. People will send their kids to school and mortgage their home finance it (I work with someone who does) or work really hard to get the kid a scholarship.

I've learned to never to judge a book by it's cover. My father had a really good friend, the man always wore dickies, lived in the house he was born in, always drove a used station wagon. We always knew he had a comfortable income as he owned several businesses. When he died recently his estate was valued at more than Paris Hilton's well document millions.

IMO designer bags are all about your presonal style and what you image want to project and have no reflection on how much you are worth or whether you are better than someone or not.

Sometimes people do not heat the whole house because they simply do not need it, not because canot afford it. Everyone who got this option with heatter, does it, just logical. But some like you said cannot afford it, true.
As for your friend, he was just cheap, sorry but if he had all that money he could live better and could do a lot of good for society as well, just waste of money.

 

[Purseval]

Thanks for the clarification. Since I'm not into the designer handbags I never really knew the difference. So mine are just "inspired by" designs rather then fakes. At least I think that's right......LOL

 

[Purseval]

I've learned to never to judge a book by it's cover. My father had a really good friend, the man always wore dickies, lived in the house he was born in, always drove a used station wagon. We always knew he had a comfortable income as he owned several businesses. When he died recently his estate was valued at more than Paris Hilton's well document millions.

Actually that's closer to the norm than you think. If you're ever near a library look for a book called The Millionaire Next Door This was a study done on the wealthy that found that your typical millionaire was in their fifties, not living in the biggest house on the block, a business owner who made their fortune by saving and frugal living. It's a classic and well worth the read.

 

[KellyNY]

I don't buy really exs*****ve purses. I had thought I might want one at one time. Then a friend said to me that everyone just thinks your carrying a fake anyway! LOL!

You cannot always tell. I don't care what anyone says. You can carry your fancy purse all you want. But some people are just still going to think it's a fake. So that's why to me what would be the point in spending tons on something that make people go hmmmm? I wonder.

I know some brands are probably very easy to spot. But my boss has to fake coaches that look great to me. She paid very little for them. '

For the record, I have never bought fake or real.

Who cares what others think, it is your baby, you love it, and you know it is real, period.

 

[lulu71]

Take a look inside of your Walmart purse and see if it has a Made In America tag on it. That's where your jobs are being lost. More jobs are being created overseas because a market exists for $100 knockoffs. Perhaps if companies started making nice, inexpensive handbags in America then you would see some of those losses come back.

Made in America (or France, Italy, Spain, etc., basically not made in China) is what costs big bucks nowadays even in the designer handbag world. Moderately priced designer bags ($300 or so) are just about all made in China. Coach? Kate Spade? Marc by Marc Jacobs? Michael Kors? Isabella Fiore? All made in China now. I wouldn't spend $50 on a Coach these days. The real crime is that these design houses are resting on their old reputation and mass producing their products in China and charging the same, if not more, than before.

 

[dvcgirl]

Then you cannot afford it. You trully can afford it when you do not think about better places to invest your money, when other things are covered. When you can esily spend $1200 like $20, you do not know words like Kohls, JCPennie and so on. I am talking about really rich people, not middle or even upper middle class. And those peole support society as well, do not think all they do is spend money. I am not one of them unfortunately but I know some very rich ones.

Well, there aren't many people out there who can spend $1,200 like it's $20. Let's even take that number up to $60.

The average household in America makes $50,000 a year and I'd bet that there's an occasional $60 purse bought in those households. So, to drop $1,200 like it's $60 would imply that the person has an income of one million dollars a year. And that's still a pretty exclusive club as far as I know. Only 3% of Americans earn 250K a year or more.

 

[luvmy3]

Well, there aren't many people out there who can spend $1,200 like it's $20. Let's even take that number up to $60.

The average household in America makes $50,000 a year and I'd bet that there's an occasional $60 purse bought in those households. So, to drop $1,200 like it's $60 would imply that the person has an income of one million dollars a year. And that's still a pretty exclusive club as far as I know. Only 3% of Americans earn 250K a year or more.

I wonder how many of those households would drop $1200 on a new computer, or a new TV? I think you would find that those people who can't drop that much on a purse wouldn't have a problem dropping it on a nice 50inch flatscreen

 

[KellyNY]

Well, there aren't many people out there who can spend $1,200 like it's $20. Let's even take that number up to $60.

The average household in America makes $50,000 a year and I'd bet that there's an occasional $60 purse bought in those households. So, to drop $1,200 like it's $60 would imply that the person has an income of one million dollars a year. And that's still a pretty exclusive club as far as I know. Only 3% of Americans earn 250K a year or more.

Exactly, that is why only 3% walking with real $1200+ bags unless it is some sort of gift for some sort of big event. The rest of us cannot spare this money for that easily.