Flea Market - knockoff pocketbooks?

[lisas414]

I am not sure if I heard it here or not, or was it St. Thomas, is there a flea market that sells knock-off pocketbooks for about $40.00 or so? Does anyone know where it is located or if I am even in that same area?

[kris1863]

I cant recall ever seeing knock off pocket books n purses at any of the flea markets on SXM. However you are sure to find them at several of the retail gift stores on front street. For $40 you should be able to purchase a whole purse and I think the pocketbooks/wallets are about $15 - $20.

Try looking around the guavaberry emporium area, or around speetjens arcade, theres tons of that stuff over there.

[lisas414]

Will they be knock-off's, how good do these pocketbooks look? And I can get these right on Font Street in the stores? Wow!

[tONYpAL85]

Normally they dont sell knock-offs in stores. That's suprising! In New York they sell them out of black bags or in the back of stores.

[2xhawaii]

There are a couple of stores that sell know offs. Not right on front street, but in the little alley ways off Front Street. There is one street that has a yellow car on display in the center of the street. There are a couple of stores there that sell purses, suit cases, wallets, etc. The purses are $40 - $50. The suitcases $50 to $100. You can bargain with them. If the ships are in port, they usually dont bargain.

[houstonathome]

There were stores with huge selections of knock offs all along Front street. For the most part, the stores display the purses as "Gucci Like", etc. Only in one store did the employee try to tell me they were the real thing when they obviously were not.

 

The quality wasnt too bad on the "Fake Spade's" (Kate Spade), but the Louis's, Gucci, etc were rather obvious.

 

Enjoy,

 

M.

 

P.S. You may want to take a peek in to the COACH store that is there. The purses are real and the prices are the same as in the US, but you do save the sales tax.

[kris1863]

here u do get them in the stores.... and they are sold quite openly.

 

You can try several of the gift stores on front street, or in the alleys wandering off on front street... The quality of the merchandise varys from store to store, so some may have horrible, some may have very good quality knock off's... u just gotta look till u find soemthign right...

 

Normally they dont sell knock-offs in stores. That's suprising! In New York they sell them out of black bags or in the back of stores.

[gtaylor]

I don't recall ever seeing any Counterfeit purses being sold openly in the main shops along Front Street.

 

I have seen them in some smaller 'gift shops' on the side streets (alleys or 'steegjes' in Dutch). Watches, too.

 

You might be interested in these local newspaper clippings:

 

 

Prosecutor Johan de Vrieze disclosed that a number of establishments on Front Street had been searched by police in collaboration with the Customs Department and the Prosecutor’s Office, and counterfeit Gucci, Louis Vutton and Prada bags had been confiscated along with several bottles of Stolichnaya vodka.

 

Link to story.

 

He admitted that counterfeit items were being brought into the island on a large scale and said they were mainly ladies’ bags. He reiterated comments that looking for these items was not the primary function of Customs, but said once they were found, Customs called the Prosecutor, informed him and confiscated the items, while the Prosecutor issued a fine to the owners.

 

Link to story.

[kris1863]

They might have cracked down on the knock off's based on that article that you posted up Gary. But from, the last time I was there... these are the 3 places on the the main street that I can definately recall that had them, since it was one the main items on our shopping list...

 

1.On front street, right next to the Guavaberry Emporium, and diagonally across the Guavaberry Emporium.... cant recall the names of the stores... (big collection...)

 

2. A gift store right next to holland house (also a big collection)... Across from touch of gold...

 

3. The begining of frontstreet... a small liquor store, they have them displayed in glass cabinets on the outside wall of their store.

 

There were several smaller stores in the alleys that also had a decent collection...

[Host Caroline]

Where is the Coach store on St Maarten? did it open since 2004?

****

 

Someone commented in an email that it was illegal to bring these bags into the US.. just as an FYI it is not illegal for consumers to do so

There are crackdowns all the time but customs on people who import them for sale etc. but even in those cases unless it's huge amounts, the companies and customers have bigger fish to fry.. IF you were to purchase a case-full of them and attempt to get them in then there might be some interest. The only "harm" by purchasing these are the sales lost by the legitimate companies who manufacture and then sell the bags. It's difficult to stop the counterfeiting here in the U.S. so you can imagine the problems they run into on the islands!

[houstonathome]

Where is the Coach store on St Maarten? did it open since 2004?

 

Hi Host Caroline,

 

I visited the Coach store in November/2005. I dont know the exact location, but it was along Front street, somewhat in the middle.

 

Enjoy!

 

M/.

[LovetoKruz]

There is a flea market in downtown St. Thomas called Vendors Alley, I believe. The sell all the knock off purses, LV, Coach, Gucci, Channel etc. They also sell watches, t-shirts etc. You can't miss it - look for the big tent.

[gtaylor]

Coach is not on our shopping list, but my recollection is that Little Switzerland (on Front Street and in Marigot) carried a selection of Coach products -- the real thing.

 

gary