Top Five Most Counterfeited Handbags
What handbags are counterfeited the most often? This article explores which are the hottest fakes and where are the most counterfeited handbags found. While hundreds of famous handbags are counterfeited by Chinese manufacturers, there are a few handbag companies and styles that stand out as the most common bags that are copied. These handbags are usually the ones that sell the best. As supply and demand go hand in hand in the market of fakes, the most common fakes are the ones that most people ask for.
Counterfeiters can have a difficult time choosing the exact handbag to copy. Most genuine manufacturers make a great deal of different models. Many counterfeiters will produce a large set of sub-quality prototypes and then see which ones sell the best. With that data-set, they mass produce those styles and flood the market with a higher quality version of the fake. They do this until the original manufacturer changes the style again. Many original manufactures will often stay with a particular model and style for a long period of time. Hermes, has stayed with the iconic Birkin style handbag for over 30 years, which makes it easy for counterfeiters to perfect knock-offs.
The Top Five Most Counterfeited Handbags Available For Purchase:
Number 5: Yves Saint Laurent (YSL)
Award Winner: Poorest Quality Fake Handbag
Genuine Yves Saint Laurent handbags (also known as Saint Laurent or YSL) typically sell for $1,000 to $3,000. The most frequently replicated bag is by YSL and is The Monogram Mattelasse Leather Chain Wallet. Canal Street in Chinatown in NYC has the fake version of this bag hanging in all their shops. Unfortunately, the quality of the fake YSL handbags can sometimes be pretty horrendous. They can look cheap or tacky. Because Yves Saint Laurent designs the handbags with a focus on highlighting the quality leather, fake version just cannot compete. A keen observer can usually pick up the design flaws on most counterfeited YSL handbags, but not all of them.
Saint Laurent’s genuine leather has a satin sheen, while the fake handbags have a shiny plastic look. YSL knockoff bags are rampant on eBay. They usually employ a “Y8L” logo instead of the classic “YSL” logo. They get away with this because eBay is not very aware of knock-off listings. A handbag similar to the one pictured above can be found on eBay for as low as $10. Sometimes even lower if you snag a good price at the eBay auction.
Number 4: Hermes (The Birkin Bag)
Award Winner: Biggest Price Differential Between Real and Fake
Hermes makes a wide range of handbags, but only one is really the focus of the counterfeiters. The Birkin bag, the darling of Hermes brand, is only one of two Hermes handbags that are only for sale in select retail boutiques. Genuine Birkins typically sell anywhere from $10,000 to $150,000, with a typical Birkin handbag costing roughly $25,000. A diamond encrusted Birkin bag even sold at auction for over $2.2 million, setting a record price for a handbag.
While real Birkin’s are so expensive, the knockoff equivalents can be found for around $50. The only handbag by Hermes that comes even remotely close to the popularity of the Birkin, is the Hermes Kelly. Only official Hermes stores sell The Kelly bag. The bag looks strikingly similar to a Birkin. Birkins have become a signifier of wealth and status, and have been proudly displayed by A-list celebrities. People like Kim Kardashian, Victoria Beckham (who reportedly has over 100 of them), Lindsay Lohan, and Jennifer Lopez all own many Hermes Birkin bags.
Even though Birkins are so highly regarded, they are not counterfeited as often as other handbags. Genuine Birkin handbags cost so much money. Most people would assume that only the super-rich can afford them. Birkin bags owned by regular people would normally be assumed to be fake. Most people cannot afford to buy a Birkin bag that costs as much as a car or a small house.
Number 3: Gucci
Award Winner: Most Diligent Lawyers
Genuine Gucci handbags typically sell for around $1,000-$5,000. Gucci corporate has made it a mission to attempt to take down as many counterfeiting handbag websites as they can. Multiple websites dedicated to counterfeiting handbags have been smacked with a “Take-down Notice” by Gucci’s corporate lawyers. They then go after the hosting provider with a “Cease and Desist”. If this does not work, they then put a claim for damages in front of a federal judge.
Firstly Gucci takes down the website. Then the website is changed to become an advertisement for the genuine Gucci brand. The site is then redirected to the real Gucci store website. Gucci’s war on the most counterfeited handbags seems to be working well with this strategy.
Gucci even sued a credit card processor for processing credit cards from the fake handbag websites. While many websites fear putting counterfeit Gucci’s into their inventory, there are plenty of fake Gucci handbags for sale on the street. Check out Canal Street in Chinatown, NYC for some great Gucci fakes as they are pretty common there. It seems that Gucci did not get the research data that indicated that fake handbag buyers do not upgrade to buying the real thing when the cost is over 100 times the price of the fake. It seems that Gucci’s lawyers have not yet got their travel visa’s approved to come South of Houston Street for fear or reprisals from some very angry Chinese traders.
Number 2: Chanel
Award Winner: Most Counterfeited Handbags on Canal Street in NYC
When it comes to Canal Street, Chanel dominates. On Canal Street in NYC, something that can be spotted everywhere is the iconic Chanel ‘double C’ logo. It is most often seen in the back of stores hidden away from the prying eyes of police officers. This bag is one of the most counterfeited handbags on Canal Street in NYC, and is often a badge of honor for both the seller and buyer.
The logo is also seen on fliers advertising the handbag selection in the back of a counterfeit vendor’s van. Chanel has begun to improve their game in terms of protecting their brand. They have come out with designs that would increase the cost to manufacture a fake handbag. For example, their newest experiment has been light-up LED handbags that can be programmed to flash a variety of designs. Still, these genuine bags have not caught on as many people describe the handbag as “ugly”. Most genuine Chanel bags are worth around $4,000.
Number 1: Louis Vuitton
Award Winner:
– Most Counterfeited Handbags Online
– Easiest To Copy
– Most Varieties of Copies
Louis Vuitton (LVMH) is by far the most counterfeited handbag company in the world. Their bags are the most common fakes available online. Perhaps it is the easy to replicate pattern, or perhaps it is the recognizeability of the design. The price tags on the real bags typically range from $1,000 to $10,000. The Monogram Canvas material is typically the most counterfeited, but the Multicolored Monogram pattern is often copied as well.
Counterfeiters often make never-before-seen Louis Vuitton creations by mistake. They combine patterns and styles in ways that were never made by the original designer. For example, Louis Vuitton has never put out a multi-color backpack, but multi-color Louis Vuitton backpacks can be obtained through counterfeiters. This makes hybrid handbags more of a social statement/experiment, than a straight knockoff. Louis Vuitton denies that they made a multi-color backpack as a market test and all colored Louis Vuitton backpacks should be considered fake and destroyed.