Do you think it's wrong to buy knock-offs?

Have you checked back at the local newspaper's website to see what kind of responses were there? I think it's criminal, too, to charge exorbitant prices for items that aren't completely specialized goods. Things like purses, clothing, certain functional jewelry (watches) should have a price tag on them so that they're available to all - not just wealthy people.

I agree with you. Paying over 500$ for a pair of designer sunglasses is crazy. It seems as if we no longer buy things because we like them but instead because we like to be branded. Frankly, if there is a Lacoste t-shirt and a regular t-shirt that is exactly the same but maybe without the logo and cheaper I would buy the cheaper one... why should i spend 80+$ for a crocodile?? That's my two sense...

Well usually I don't buy them mainly because I would rather have the real thing but it is also true that a lot of them are funding organised crime etc. I do have a pair of Chanel sunglasses which I think are fake because of the price I paid for them. However, if they are fake they are an extremely good copy. The alternative I guess is that they're the real thing but were stolen - which is not a good thought so I'd prefer to think of them as fake! I can understand why the brands that are being copied hate them because obviously it devalues the brand itself. Here in the UK fake Louis Vuitton bags (the ones with the letters on them) are absolutely everywhere - some of them pretty good fakes. When I see someone carrying one I immediately assume it's a fake. Personally I would never buy one of those Louis Vuitton bags now because why spend all that money on something when everyone will just think it cost £10 from the market anyway? I have a couple of designer bags and whenever I carry them people ask if they're genuine so I guess people make that assumption all the time now. I think generally though there is a difference between passing something off as the real thing (when it's not) and just producing something and marketing it as a copy - like they do with the dresses you refer to in your post. At least the latter is being honest and the consumer knows what they are getting for their money.

I don't think there is anything wrong with knock offs. Like you said they shouldn't cost that much anyway...its just down at a level where normal people can actually buy them and put good use to them. I say good for people making the knock offs. The rich will always buy the "richer" brand...so why not make it cheap for us normal folk

Be honest I rather get knock off. Buying the real stuff with too many zeros behind the first number is such a waste. Style and trend is changing every season or every year. I'm not gonna spend money to buy the real stuff and wear it for couple year. With knock off you can always follow the trend without getting rip off

No i dont think its wrong to buy knock off's. Its not fun if the other people cant have any. These days not everyone is able to afford the fashion must haves and if knock off's is how we can satisfy our hunger than so be it! I say feed the need. I do however feel bad about the original designer not being able to make any profit from this. Oh well i guess that is the price for a muse's to pay. Besides they proabably made enough from selling the original product. Well now my mind is at ease. Haaa

I would definitely buy knock-offs cause I can't afford the real thing. LOL Many people do. Even when we buy no name food items I would think technically they are a knock off so to speak. I am always looking for ways to save money and there is no way I would spend that much for a purse either. I'd be so worried using it incase I wrecked it.

I don't think it is wrong to buy knock offs. I have bought many of these types of things from street vendors in NYC. I think it is fun to look through all the items, and then get something that looks expensive, but you paid a lot less. Besides, any one who really knows the brand can usually tell a real one from a fake one. I think it is totally ok!

I would rather buy an imitation than the real thing. I can't afford to spend $300 on a designer bag, only to have found something similar in a knock-off shop for $20 or slightly more. I don't see nothing wrong with it as well and I agree that they charge way too much for some of the designers labels - prices are ridiculous!

Honestly, I don't see anything wrong. In fact, this is happening everywhere for many things. And the ridiculous thing is that sometimes, these "knock-offs" are not only cheaper than the "real" things, but of high quality too! Companies selling "real" stuffs are making ridiculous money so I would rather say it would be criminal if they were allowed to monopolize the market without knock-off competitors.:P

I think this is a two-sided issue. First of all to answer your question from a purely right/wrong issue, I think it's wrong that people are stealing someone else's design because it was their imagination and they should get credit and a portion of what is made from the knock off. I say that as a writer and a designer myself. I don't want to put my imagination and work into something to have someone else steal it and make a profit off of it when they had nothing to do with creating it. Regarding the price, personally I think it is wrong to charge people such outlandish prices, too, but what the person is paying for is not the item's physical value but for the name of a particular designer. And, the person spending that money wants something fairly unique and doesn't want to walk into a restaurant or some place and see 20 other women with the same looking item that cost them next to nothing. Regarding the comparison to Rolex, there is a big difference between a fake and a real Rolex. The materials involved are much more expensive as are the Gucci bags. Of course, pirating movies and music is equally wrong. I think that is even more wrong because DVDs and CDs are just not that expensive. Software is another issue. Some software is extremely over-priced. They basically rip people off for what some software costs. I mean, I use Apple computers and some of the software is $700 and up. And, they upgrade it constantly so you have to pay again and again every time a system software is upgraded or the other software is upgraded. They seem to think that everyone is made of money and can just spend several thousand a year for software. I don't know that many people who can legitimately buy that much software and it makes it almost impossible for an individual or small business to keep up without copying someone else's software. I think they could make it more affordable and still come out way ahead. In fact, I think they'd make considerably more if they made it more affordable for the average person and they'd have less rip offs. I realize that software costs a lot to develop but I think that software companies are ripping people off big time.

In my opinion, the knock-offs just add to the cachet of the designer products, increasing their "worth". If people didn't buy the knock-offs, maybe the designer items wouldn't be so expensive? Personally, most of the designer stuff looks like crap to me.

I don't see anything wrong with knockoffs as long as they are not being sold as the real thing. If the customer knows it is a fake, then I don't see a problem, as you said. I personally don't buy knock offs because I think a lot of times they look cheap, but sometimes I will buy something at a store like TJ Maxx that is the real thing for cheap. I got a bag a few months ago that cost $80 in other stores for only $7.