Warning About Buying Knock Offs

[itsjb1]

This is from the August 20, 2005 edition of The National Post newspaper:

 

 

Canadian couple latest to face hefty fine for buying Prada knockoff

Italian authorities are cracking down on counterfeit designer goods by imposing a fine of 3,333 euros ($5,000) on customers who buy from street sellers. The hundreds of thousands of tourists in the country have not been told about a law that went into effect in May, which makes them liable to pay the hefty fine, with no appeal for buying counterfeit goods. So far, eight foreigners have been fined, the latest being a Canadian couple who stepped off a boat in Venice and were caught buying a fake Prada travel bag from one of the dozens of street sellers who lie in wait for cruise passengers, often in front of ritzy stores where the genuine articles are on sale.

[leighuf]

moral of the story: don't get caught!:rolleyes:

[Tania]

Good thing I bought my Prada in Turkey...LOL...

 

In all seriousness, why don't the Italian police simply arrest the sellers? They are all over the place and the police simply chase them away. Transactions go on all the time so it shouldn't be difficult.

[dbh62ark]

In all seriousness, why don't the Italian police simply arrest the sellers?

Same reason they don't run the gypsies out of Rome. Our Italian friends advise us that there's still lots of corruption in Italy. Seriously, you've probably heard about all the games in Rome with the taxi drivers and the "fines" at the metro stations. Also, the guys that put the bags down to sell in the streets off St. Mark's Square run FAST when the police come.

 

Donna

[CaribbeanBlue]

It's so much esier to frighten tourists from buying these items by arresting a few "to set an example" and posting it in the paper.

 

Knock offs are a huge problem all over. Companies and designers spend a lot of time to design, produce, market and develop items. It's a shame when others will come in and steal their efforts by selling cheap knock offs.

 

Many designers are putting pressure on authorities to crack down on offenders and buyers.

 

CaribbeanBlue

 

http://www.*****.org

[Jane110]

It's so much esier to frighten tourists from buying these items by arresting a few "to set an example" and posting it in the paper.

 

Knock offs are a huge problem all over. Companies and designers spend a lot of time to design, produce, market and develop items. It's a shame when others will come in and steal their efforts by selling cheap knock offs.

 

Many designers are putting pressure on authorities to crack down on offenders and buyers.

 

CaribbeanBlue

 

http://www.*****.org

 

 

Here in NYC a most interesting development.......

 

The landlord of the building which houses many of the sellers of the designer knock-offs will be fined if their tenants are caught selling the counterfeit stuff.

 

Last week, in midtown, I saw swarm of undercover cops close in on two street sellers at one time. Handcuffs were put on, goods were confistacted and the two bewildered/clueless tourists were wondering if they were going to lose the money they just paid the seller. They're lucky they weren't fined $3000.!

 

Jane

[OhJinkies]

I'm just worried that if I try to buy a pair of sunglasses, purse, scarf, etc. and don't realize that they are a knockoff of something, I'll get fined. How do you know that what you're buying is not a knockoff (not everything has obvious logos, etc.)??

[itsjb1]

I'm just worried that if I try to buy a pair of sunglasses, purse, scarf, etc. and don't realize that they are a knockoff of something, I'll get fined. How do you know that what you're buying is not a knockoff (not everything has obvious logos, etc.)??

 

 

 

If you are buying something"on the street" for a fraction of the normal price I think that you are safe to assume that it is either stolen or a knock off. Last year when we were in Venice the sellers of fake goods were set up outside Gucci, Prada, etc. It was easy to see that they were knock offs.

[24butterfly]

I brought xtra $$ to buy knockoffs that "fell off the truck". Boy, was I disappointed. They were BAD and obvious fakes. Then we got home and was thumbing thru one of my fashion mags. There was a 1 pg. article on 3 cities--N.Y., Rome and one in France. THey are CRACKING DOWN big time on the fakes. (DARN!) Someone at our table said she heard a woman who bought a fake and was fined $80 for it. At first I thought it was a scam--I hadn't read the mag yet....Maybe Kusadasi is better for knockoffs...

[Member]

For cruise passenger who doesn't have time (and huge sum of cash) I think what is at stake here is how to continue the sailing.

[Cruzluvin]

Just back from the med cruise, and several people were arrested for buying fakes on the street--this occurred in Florence and Venice. Don't do it.