Designer handbags have been all the rage for at least five decades. Women want one in every color, material and style. Most of the top brands can be quite spendy, so many turn to the counterfeit market to save money..

In this article I am going to explain, why no one should ever buy a fake copy of any designer! There is too little information about this, and I often wonder why the designers themselves, don't campaign against it more?

First of all, it is illegal to buy or sell counterfeit handbags. It is against International Trademark Laws, because these counterfeiters making these bags, are using the trademarked names, logos and designs that belong to each company.

"But they charge so much money, so why should we pay that much just for a name, when we can get the same thing for less than half the price?" is the question I hear most often. Let's use an example to start with and put you in their shoes. What if you wrote a book and published it, but then someone came along and put their name on it and collected all the profits from a book that you wrote? Would that be right? Of course not!

Not only are these counterfeiters illegally stealing brand names and designs, they are working in illegal sweatshops, that are not inspected by any government agencies. Therefore, they do not have to meet any safety standards or guidelines!

Here I will break it down for you in five sections.

#1. PRACTICES ~ The counterfeiters that make fake handbags, operate in illegal sweatshops, not approved by any government agencies. They use child slave labor! These children are often 7 to 13 years old! Many are kidnapped from their families, tied to sewing machines, beaten and starved. There is record when some try to escape? Their little legs are broken! These children are horribly abused, so why would anyone want to support such a thing?

#2. MATERIALS ~ Most of the materials they use on these fake handbags, are cheap unapproved materials that no safety standard department, would ever allow! They use poisonous lead based dyes, metal alloys and plastics. Does anyone want to expose their families to hazardous materials? Lord forbid your child puts the handle of your fake bag in their mouth! Even throwing them in the trash, can pollute the environment!

#3. MONEY GOES TO? ~ The money spent on these fake handbags, goes to serious criminals such as drug lords, mafias and even terrorist organizations. Much of the money made, goes to support underground guerrilla warfare, heroin trafficking, slavery and the list of horrible crimes goes on. It was said that some of the funding to bomb the World Trade Center in New York, was partially funded from counterfeiters!

#4. QUALITY DIFFERENCES ~ Many believe there is no difference between a genuine Gucci, LV, Coach, etc, from a fake replica of the same bag. Nothing could be farther from the truth. The difference in quality is huge! Every material is inspected by safety standard agencies. No illegal poisonous materials are used, and most are of the finest quality. No child slave labor is used and employees are paid a generous wage.

All of your famous designers meet the highest standards and then some. I personally have a collection of designer handbags, and when compared to cheap brands I've used in the past? ( never wore a fake! ) There is no comparison! How many times have you had your zipper get stuck standing in line at the store, or had your strap fall off of your shoulder? Or the snap doesn't work and the bag is completely useless after just one year. How much money are you really saving having to buy a new bag every 6 months???

Make no mistake, there is a huge difference between quality designers and cheap fake imitations!

Does the world really have to have a designer name on their arm so bad, they would support this criminal counterfeiting market?? Whenever there is a demand, there will always be a supply. So it's really not the counterfeiters that are the problem, it's the people buying them, the consumer, that keep them in business! The consumer, is the root of the problem! Is that something we really want to support? All so one can save money??

5. HOW TO SAVE MONEY ~ So how can we save money without buying the fakes and supporting these criminals?? There are several ways, the biggest and most popular is recycling, ie; buying used designer handbags. Many women sell them online, simply because they need or want a different color or just need the money and many of these bags are still like new. They are in perfectly good shape and often sell for under half of original retail. You wouldn't believe some of the bargains! I once bought a $1300.00 used Michael Kors for just $70.00! The deals you can get on genuine designer handbags in the resale market, are unbelievable!

There are also plenty of sales at places like Macy's, Nordstrom, designer outlets, etc. One of our clients just showed us a new MK she bought at the outlet that originally retailed for $358.00 for just $93.00 on sale! So if used isn't 'your bag', lol! There are plenty of awesome sales out there on new bags everywhere. You really don't need to support criminals! No need for it at all.

I hope this article has enlightened you about how none of us should ever support the criminal counterfeiting handbag business. It is up to the CONSUMER to put an end to these criminals and STOP supporting their market! Please share this information with your friends and family. An educated consumer is a must in today's market. Too many still don't know where these fakes come from and it's time to spread the word!

Thank you for your time and interest.