Now if I buy a North Face jacket from someone located in China I might consider it a likely fake... but if I see a seller in the US that has no bad feedback I'll take the chance. And if the item happens to be a knock-off that is so good that I can't tell the difference well I've saved money so I wont care. I've traveled enough in foreign countries where counterfeits are common to know that their are counterfeits of nearly anything you could imagine. But I also know that on something silly like a fleece jacket that I'm not going to be depending on for my life... well I could care less if its fake or not. Most of the so called counterfeit clothes you find are made in the same factories as the real deal, made by the same workers and are only considered counterfeit because they were slipped out the back door to a different supply channel that bypasses the company that licensed the clothes... so in a way yes it would be counterfeit, but it would also be impossible for you or anyone else to tell the difference.... Now when it comes to things like a Rolex, well that is a different matter... those counterfeits are not made in the same factories and are clearly different than the real thing.... Your entire post causes me to imagine you working for Macy's trying to scare people away from good deals so they can be over charged by a big department store.
First off, how about this. If you are more concerned with getting a good deal than in supporting the designer/manufacturer and supply chain of the product that you are buying, then I suggest that you buy a non-brand name product to begin with.
When people buy knock off anything then their only objective (imo) is to "appear" to have the "IT" item. Whether it be an Hermes scarf, a LV handbag, a Prada wallet, etc. There is no other reason to buy that knock off item. If all they wanted was a great deal then they could simply go to
Walmart and buy an inexpensive (fill in the blank) item. With some leeway for quality of materials, craftsmanship, and style there is NOTHING that makes a Burberry trench coat better at its "primary function" (being a coat) than a trench coat sold at Sears for example. Its number one selling feature is the name and social status attached to that name.
I personally think that it is sad and pathetic for someone to want to get whatever jollies they get from "showing off" a brand name if they really can't afford it or have no interest in supporting the designer/manufacturer due to the mark up.
Also, I would like to see some evidence that suggests that most designer knock offs are made by the same facility that makes the brand name item and they are just whisked out the back door?
In actuality there is no "so called" or "in a way" about it. Counterfeiting is counterfeiting. You are stealing and are participating in organized crime. The people manufacturing and peddling these knock offs are violating copyright and trade marking laws. Then inevitably the designer goods will increase in cost (for the law abiding people who would buy them through the proper channel) due to the cost of litigation involved in protecting the designer's ideas.
Furthermore, for someone to have claims of extensive foreign travel, I think your cavalier attitude about this is surprising. MANY countries have very strict laws regarding crossing international borders with counterfeit items (involving stiff penalties for violators). That isn't just aimed at traffickers, they can and will prosecute average every day people who bought a $5 pair of "Nike" sneakers at a street stall and tried to cross customs with it. In fact, after 5 years of negotiations, the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement was finally signed (by some nations including the US) earlier this very month.
Edited to note: I was thinking it was still Oct, not Nov. so sorry, the treaty was actually signed in Oct.
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