http://forum.wordreference.com/threads/why-do-consumers-buy-fake-brands.116407/

maxiogeeI usually decline to purchase items which are explicitly branded by the manufacturer. In my youth only Levi jeans had such a thing, the orange stitching and the red tag on the pocket. Now it seems all clothing targeted at the high spending teenager carries free advertising.KateNicoleJust because one wants a Prada bag doesn't mean he or she can afford one . . . and that's why people buy fakes. I'm very against it though; as it is illegal (if the logo or brand name is copied almost exactly) and many are made in sweatshops by children.tigger_uhuhuThe big one reason to buy a fake brand is that is cheaper than the original... (Very much cheep!)cherineThe simple reason is, in my opinion, people want to have fancy things but can't afford them, so they buy the fake brand as the only possible alternative for them, as they don't want to dress as their financial means allow them to.

Paul walkerAny way... there is no possible justification its illegal! Is cheaper, yes but is poor quality too!!!John:Sometimes people don't really have much choice. In poor countries where peopleneedtechnology but can't afford it, so the only thing they can, unfortunately, do is to buy "stolen" software. Most people in such countries have their computers running with unlicensed software (except for companies, because those not only can afford the software, but are also subject to surveillance and run great risk if they use illegal software).Monotr:Of course this is an illegal thing, but can you tell me how can a person with an annual income of $1000 afford buying, let's say, an antivirus software annual license of about $50, an operating system worth at least $100, Office package worth about $ 500 or something like that ? Designers need appropriate graphic designing software but can't afford them, at least till they make enough money to buy originals.maxiogeeSurely part of the reason that the copy (of say a Prada handbag, or a pair of Levis) is cheaper is because it is shoddier and won't last as long as the real thingcherineOf course, fake things are of third class, not only don't they last long but they're not as good as the original in the quality and in the making.Cristena:I personally don't buy such things, there are much stuff that are very good though not made by "trade marks", and they sure are much better than the fake ones.Johny:The fake brands are mainly produced to satisfy those who long for "image" but don't have the means for that. So, if people would only care about more profound things, fake market can be closedmaxiogee

My point was not about "profound" things. I was thinking that if a real Prada handbag sells for 800 and a fake one sells for 100, would not an 'ordinary' handbag which costs 100 be a better quality item than the fake, which is not only shoddy, but also overpriced shoddycherine

I think it's stupid spending money on fake trades just to show off, or to pretent being richer or more "classy" than what we really are.

CantoneseI agree the point that people are buying fake brands in order to "show off", showing people that they're different. They are materialistic.CristovaoThey are materialistic. Sadly, another factor is driving the growing fake brands purchases are that fake products are in very high quality with very cheap prices now. People could hardly distinguished between the real and fake brands, so why should they buy the real ones?Rach404Thing is, the fashions change so often, that by the time you've saved up to buy the designer item, it has gone out of fashion, and there you are standing with last season's cast-offs.John:I personally don't go for any kind of labels because I just cannot be bothered with the whole thing, but only rich people can afford to buy the real thing every time a new version comes out, so that's partly why people buy the fake versions...they can be replaced a lot more quickly...that's my opinion anywayhess-chan

I guess people want to have the designer products for low prices. Toms:I don't buy brand names, and hence I don't buy fake brand names, but I know people who do. I think it's a bit strange because it's often not as good quality as the original, although it costs A LOT less!HakroWhy not? I have found that so-called brand products are very often made in low-cost Far East countries and the quality is rather unacceptable.Cristovao

Set aside the luxurious clothing brand and think about some other things like fake CDs. In China, it only costs $0.8 for a DVD (It is in high quality that people can't even distinguish them). People would then think: Why should I buy the real ones as those are the same with much cheaper prices?Jack:Nowadays fake products have reached a "professional" quality level that make people buy them. Seriously, are there any people out there who would think on the sides of the manufacturers who produce the real brand.mjscottWe buy fake stuff all the time. Drug companies spend millions upon millions of dollars to research the real stuff. For their efforts, they are given a patent for only 7 years or so to make up the money they spent on research.John:Today I watched a TV program where they were showing new beachwear. The bikini modeled on TV cost $7,000. Oh, yes, and if you wanted to accessorize, you could get this tiny belt to go with it for only a mere $500 extra. Get out of here! You would have to tell everyone you know--both on the beach and somehow conniving weave it into everyday dinner conversation that your bathing suit for the season and accessorizing belt cost you $7500. If you didn't, no one would even know you didn't get it at Target or JC Penney's.Zack:Paying for someone's piece of art on a runway is one thing. Those pieces inspire others--just like what your neighbor did in his front yard inspires you to try something new this season. There's nothing new under the sun--except for the saying by PT Barnum:There's a new sucker born every day!zebedeeI go to buy a cough syrup in the drugstore. The famous brand is right next to the drugstore chain's generic equal. I turn the box and read the ingredients and find that both have exactly the same ingredients in them.ValenciaI think the psychology behind this example is a little different to the psychology behind the decision to buy a fake designer productJasmine:The difference in quality between a real designer handbag and a copy is palpable at the moment of buying it. You know when you buy it that it won't last as long; you know you're buying an inferior product. Your only reason for buying it is to show off in public until the bag falls apart.CristovaoBuying an original DVD or music CD means you choose to respect and admire the inspiration and genius that went into the creation of that particular work of art. Buying a copy means you don't.timebombI'm not into designer brands and all but let me tell you the experience I had when I was on vacation in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia with my family. There's a street in the middle of Kuala Lumpur that is well-known for selling fakes. It's a narrow street and makeshift stalls line both sides of the street and also in the middle. Every night, it's jam-packed with tourists who come from all over the world to buy cheap stuff. Whether it's designer branded bags like Christian Dior, Timberland shoes, Nike footwear, S Dupont pens etc, you can find it there.Nick:Obviously, the difference in prices is the main reason why consumers buy fake products but there's another very good reason too. My daughter's friend comes from a very rich family. But her mother who can easily afford the genuine products also buys fakes. Why, you ask? Well, the reason is rather simple..zebedeeBecause it does not matter if the designer bag you're carrying is a fake or not. If you're rich, people will assume you are carrying the real thing even if yours is a fake. Whereas if you're poor, people will assume you're carrying the fake even if what you have is the genuine item.LV4-26Why do they buy fake brands? The main reason is surely because it's cheaper.Zakom:I buy clothes just because I can't go out naked. I don't mind if it's brand or not. But I know my children, when they were young, always asked for designer brand. I realized the reason pretty soon. My daughter had an argument with another girl at school who said something to her which was meant to be a supreme offense:"And you can't even buy brands" (or maybe it was "and you parents can't even afford to buy you brands")So here's one reason to buy brands : in order to be like everybody else.nycphotographypeople who understand that if you spend millions designing the drugs then you need to recoup that, have no concept of the massive effort and expense being designing the "designer" clothing. It's NOT the cost to manufacture. It's the cost to design, make many prototype samples, grade to various sizes, contract manufacturing, and get it made.Sikom:You know when you buy it that it won't last as long; you know you're buying an inferior product. Your only reason for buying it is to show off in public until the bag falls apart.

Adom:Did you realize that most designer products start with TEXTILE design? They design and make the fabric, THEN they design and make all those little trim pieces, then they can design the clothesmjscottIf $7000 a fair price for a bikini? It depends. If the designer spent days making it, and it is made from expensive materials, and it is limited availability, AND you can easily afford it, then perhaps it is worth it. In this case, part of the cache appeal is that you have the only one, and you won't just happen on some other girl wearing the same thing. And yes, having a talented, creative person making by hand the things you own is in fact, very expensive.Dimy:Consider the same thing in motorcycles: A bike costs $10-20k. But a handmade, customizedcarbike costs many _times_ more than that. Interesting... you would have to shout out its cost to justify having spent it??walker:The difference in quality between a real designer handbag and a copy is palpable at the moment of buying it. You know when you buy it that it won't last as long; you know you're buying an inferior productZadam:I think it's important to try to separate our own values from universal values. Those things are obviously worth it to SOMEONE, or else nobody could afford to make them.Monty:Perhaps the real suckers are the buyers of knock offs? Most people fail to understand that (in the US) the biggest part of the price of the knock offs is the cost of the "risk" of selling them. IF caught, there are fines, felony convictions, lawyers, jails, etc. All that has to be factored into the price.Lavi:If you want a $10 bag, go to Target. They have cute ones, many designed by talented designers like Mizrahi. They are priced fairly, and affordably, although everyone else will probably have one just like it.

If you want an exclusive bag that nobody else has, then you have to go to the boutiques (or in NYC, Bergdorf). And there you will be paying for the higher costs inherent in the low volume business model.nycphotographyEvery time you think you understand it, you discover that you only figured out a small piece of it. While you may now see and understand things that used to be a complete mystery to you (although you surely thought you understood them perfectly), you still don't understand it all, and so go back to seeking understanding, trying to make sense from the seeming chaos around you.Andreson:Obviously, the difference in prices is the main reason why consumers buy fake products but there's another very good reason too.maxiogeeYou may not be able tobuythem there, but they can often befoundthere.CristovaoIt is subjective whether someone buying luxurious brands is just to show off, or do I call it materialistic. In my opinion, everyone may have some kind of thoughts of showing off, telling people how good they are. However, it really depends on the level of people are showing off. It is only those who go too far who are being criticized. We are all human beings and it is very normal that we share some typical thoughts.CantoneseI don't disagree with people buying brands, but I really do not appreciate those buying the fake brands to show off. That is a lie to themselves!jokkerI respect other's choices to buy or not to buy a fake product. I buy what I need. Most of them are cheap and don't have brands. I don't mind whether they have brands or not, as long as they are good to use.Jess oh sevenBecause it is illogical and just plain stupid to pay hundreds of pounds/dollars/Euros/whatever for something like a pair of shoes or a bag.nycphotographyStyle is one of those intangibles that are almost impossible to quantify. As soon as you reduce it to a formula, then it almost instantly becomes the next clich. How much is too much or too little changes with the whim of the seasonPastelraven, There are just some things that you should NEVER buy on the Internet. Cosmetics, perfumes/after shaves, and of course alcohol. You really don't know what's going in to these online "bargains

MandyIf its much cheaper than the original price I wouldn't touch it with a barge pole...I buy Lancme and its not cheap, but would much rather save to buy the original product. Its quite scary to think what the rip off cosmetics can do to your skin.

amilea:Too Faced also has counterfeit versions now, so watch out for that, no brand is safe.

Joe CabilesWhen you purchase items made in China, where there is really no enforcement of copyrighted or trademarked products, this is what happens. Unfortunately, most of their crap gets dumped onto the US consumerhttp://usatoday30.usatoday.com/money/perfi/columnist/odonnell/story/2012-06-01/confident-consumer-jayne-odonnell/55406774/1

CristovaoYou're right, it would be very difficult to set a general limit on it. Therefore, I would say those ones who buy fake brands to show off would be very unacceptable whenever they make people around them feel bad and horrible.CristovaoThe key reasons are that people aren't affordable to buy the real brands; they are in very cheap prices even though its quality is really low; the real brands are overpriced (unacceptable buying a $500 worth pair of shoes); very cheap prices with very high quality (so why buying to real ones?); clothing will go out of fashion, so only the rich people could afford buying those expensive clothing. Are these reasons seemed to be the most important drivers?CristovaoI would say they buy fake brands for all those reasons. Some buy them for just one of the above reasons, but I think that for most people they dont have just one main reason, but more than a couple of themmaxiogeeI wonder why people buy REAL brands if they could get the same product (most of the time) without the tag and without the price.asmPeople complain for paying (more) taxes, but many of them pay what I call the "brand tax", which is an overpriced image/brand/illusion/etc with no real value. At the end they are happy by buying superfluous stuff.Ari Santosanother reason for people to buy counterfeit goods is that some countries, such as China, encourage people to do so by allowing this lucrative trade to happen in the first place:http://www.open.edu/openlearn/society/the-law/criminology/why-people-buy-counterfeit-brandsming:Place from where you purchase is define the quality of product there is hell of difference between place from where you purchase the product.Kim:Price of product is main factor of purchasing counterfeit product, price of original brand is high and some time is out of range only few people afford or buy original product or you can say upper class of society purchase branded products and price of counterfeit products is low and in rang every one can afford it. KandinskyThere is hell of difference between quality of original and counterfeit product you can use counterfeit product for 5 or 6 months but you can use original or branded products for 3 or 4 years. But you can purchase 3 or 4 products in the price of 1 branded product.Phoenix:Some time manufacturer make counterfeit products because they are people friendly they provide opportunity to other peoples to buy same product that is available in branded shops. Alex:Now people are more status conscious they want to wear branded products but they cannot afford it so they buy counterfeit products to strong their social belongings. Timber:People prefer to buy casual wear products like t-shirts, glasses and wrist watch. These products are commonly use products and its look good when you wear a branded t-shirt or jeans and it is difficult to identify weather it is original or counterfeit.Ante:Stuff and quality of original and replica product is different. Quality of original product is good and quality of replica product is not so good.Bellum:You cannot differentiate original and counterfeit product on the basis of look but when you wear you can easily differentiate which one is original and which one is counterfeitStuard:Trend is rapidly changing and people cannot afford branded things so people prefer to buy counterfeit products because they can approach these products.Micheel:People are now more materialistic they want to compete with other they want to buy things which other buy.Johnson:No branded products is not effected by replica products because branded products only target upper class of society and upper class of society is not the user of replica products.Elay:Person who buy original product never buy replica product because brand hit the mentality of people now brand not only provide the product now they provide services that attract the people like warmly welcome the people, discount their regular customer etc.Nelon:I never even knew that Amazon sold fake products but I guess it can sometimes happen by accident as things slip through the net.