goWholesale

The question often on ebay and other boards is whether the designer brands you get on wholesale are fake, and yes it is. In most cases they are.
You will all need to bear in mind that Louis Vuitton and the likes would never sell wholesale for starters. They don't need to, and even celebrities are on the waiting list for the newest bag, and they sell for a few hundred each. These fashion houses only deal with resellers they approve of, and even then, it would be virtually impossible to get some items straight away as there will be a waiting list for months on end.
The only way to sell the genuine item, is to become a legit reseller and to contact these fashion houses directly, but a lot of potential resellers won't be approved, as it will be definitely subject to status.
You will need to bear this in mind, if it is too good to be true, it usually is

All the fakes and grey markets are made in real live factories just like the real deal. Same materials most times

I agree that the waiting list is a joke, nothing but an artificial shortage created as a marketing scheme. The fact that it works is a sad statement on crowd mentality. But I disagree that the same materials are used as with the real thing. I've never seen a fake anything that was as high quality as the original, due to cheaper materials or workmanship. A fake Chanel purse might be made of leather but it won't be the same buttery-smooth leather of a real Chanel.

Whether they are mass produced or not, they don't sell wholesale. If you had the money (and you would be approved) to become a legit seller for these fashion houses, you can expect to shell out a lot of money for stock. But as with everything in life, all things will be copied, and people will make their money from this. The only thing to bear in mind when buying copies is that you might be funding organised crime.

The only thing to bear in mind when buying copies is that you might be funding organised crime.

You are in most cases, but not all. When Thai PM Thaksin clamped down on counterfeit merchandise just over a year ago he received death threats from the Triad gangs that run a lot of the counterfeiting - from the production right down to the vendor selling them on the streets.
It is not always the case though, I know some Thai families in Bangkok that produce the fakes themselves and sell directly from their own outlets. Needless to say, the Police and government officials are always heavily involved in these operations in Asia.

Oh well looks like I stand corrected on this one thanks for the isight emperor_tud

I work in the sourcing field and clients always ask for "100% cotton" but 100% cotton could mean a lot of things.. from $1 100% cheap cotton tshirt to a $13 100% mercerized handpicked pima cotton t shirt that is probably sold for more than $70 in stores... so 100% cotton could involve many quality levels , in many cases blended fabrics would be much better than a lot that are 100% cotton.. on the other hand, there are really really good fakes in some cases looking better than the real thing and would be very hard to tell which one is fake and which one is real... has happened to me some times
Regards

Eduardo

If fakes were as good as the real thing I'd think they'd be almost as expensive.

Utter nonsense. The reason that the real stuff is more expensive is because of the advertising and sales networks used to promote and provide the product. Not to mention having outrageous prices for the brand name alone.
Take a pair of Diesel jeans for example - an original pair made in Italy will be more expensive than an fake pair made in Laos or Thailand. The materials, although exactly the same (theoretically - there is minimal difference usually), will cost a little more than in Asia, and the labour costs are also far higher. Those costs are passed onto the consumer. Why do you think so many 'designer brands' have re-located their factories to Asia? I don't see any designer brands lowering their prices in a hurry despite the fact they are saving vast amounts of money and making more in the process!
The producers of fakes don't need to advertise either, plus their intended customers are usually unwilling to pay the high prices the real stuff commands.
Don't think just because you are paying more for something means it is of superior quality, it just isn't the case.

Don't think just because you are paying more for something means it is of superior quality, it just isn't the case.

BTW, this is an entirely different subject. I never said that paying more for an item means it's better. There are plenty of name-brand items I wouldn't buy. That, of course, has nothing to do with the quality of a name-brand item vs its knockoff. Do you understand the difference?

mspacman - I base my knowledge on my experience. I have worked for several large companies (and still do) throughout the World, including RL, Pierre Cardin and numerous others. At the moment I am in South East Asia working for a large brand name clothing manufacturer (whose name I do not wish to mention here). I know more about the manufacture of clothing and the textile industry than you probably ever will!

Emperor Tud, you have done all the wholesalers here a great service. So many are worried about receiving fake goods, or complaining about having received fake goods ,to the point that whole forums exist to discuss it. But according to you, there's no significant difference, so why do they bother? Tell them to not worry and be happy.