02/08/08
Answers to Quiz in print issue
Prada. Gucci. Chanel. Burberry. Louis Vuitton.
The names spark thoughts of gorgeous handbags and price tags that will bring tears to the eye. Selling prices usually start in the low hundreds and can top $1,000 for a large bag, but some people interested in the look of the purse find a way to get around the price by buying counterfeit purses or knockoffs.
Junior Abbey Bove has two designer purses, a Coach bag and a Dooney & Bourke bag. While she was able to purchase the Dooney & Bourke purse for a fraction of its normal price on sale, she had to pay $375 for the Coach bag, but she said she thinks it's worth the cost.
"If they do break, like my red Coach purse, I just took it to the store, and they fix it (for free) if possible," Bove said. Since her purse wasn't repairable, she was given a discount in the store.
Junior Shannon Pulkrabek has two Coach purses, but unlike Bove, Pulkrabek also has knockoff purses in her collection. Pulkrabek has several counterfeit purses, including four that she purchased while she was on an interterm trip to China, which has one of the largest counterfeit markets in the world.
Vendors of counterfeit goods were common on the city sidewalks, Pulkrabek said, but many of the knockoffs were of low quality. One vendor asked Pulkrabek and her friends to go to a special warehouse to see higher quality goods, and she said it was filled with knockoff purses and wallets.
"It was down a dark alleyway," Pulkrabek said of the warehouse the vendor showed her. "The person that took us there did a secret knock thing, and it was a big, heavy expensive door."
While the purchase of counterfeit goods isn't prohibited, the sale of counterfeit goods is illegal in both China and the United States because it violates the trademark of the copied products.
Customs officials do have the right to seize counterfeit goods upon re-entry to the United States, and Pulkrabek said a woman on the airplane had warned her not to purchase more than five purses in order not to raise suspicion.
Alleys and sidewalks in large cities have been the main source for most Americans interested in purchasing the designer look for a lower price, but purse parties, similar to Tupperware parties, are making it easier for people to purchase knockoffs domestically.
Purse parties follow the same premise as the Tupperware parties, with a woman acting as hostess while a professional supplies the handbags. The hostess will often receive a free bag or a discount, which Kansas Assistant Attorney General Kevin Graham said makes the hostess, as well as the supplier, punishable by law.
Statute 21-3763 of Kansas law pertains to counterfeit products, which is any unlawful reproduction, and declares intentionally manufacturing or distributing counterfeit goods as illegal.
"(The hostess) is clearly part of the distribution by hosting the party, especially if the host gets anything out of the deal," Graham said. "Does she get a free purse or cash out of the deal for hosting the party? If she's standing to get a profit, then she's involved."
The possession of counterfeit handbags valued up to $1,000 is a class A nonperson misdemeanor, but a collection valuing between $1,000 and $25,000 is a level 9 nonperson felony. Graham said the felony charge could bring a probation sentence or eight months in prison.
Many people are unaware of the federal and state laws, including Pulkrabek, who attended a purse party hosted by her mother's friend. The purses were placed around the house and the guests just browsed.
Pulkrabek said the purses at the party were more expensive than in China, with most of them being about $40, but some real designer bags were also available and priced at around $300.
Graham said he knew of no purse party arrests in Kansas, but The Associated Press reported in December of seven purse party vendors being arrested in New York state.
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection Web site cites three main reasons for prohibiting the sell of counterfeit goods: crime groups market the goods and use the profits for the purchase of other illegal goods, like drugs or weapons; it violates the trademarks and decreases revenues of the real company and endangers the consumer through faulty or dangerous products.
Women like junior Cara Breeden who appreciate the beauty of a designer handbag, but are unwilling to pay more than $100 for one have found a legal solution. Retailers sell purses that are similar to the designer bag but are clearly marketed under a different brand.
Breeden said she thinks the price of Coach purses is ridiculous, but found a purse inspired by the Coach design at Target that she thought was attractive.
"It's probably not the same quality materials," she said. "It doesn't have the Coach emblem all over it, just little circles."
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