Counterfeiters Busted To Prevent “Purse Parties” Down South
According to New York Magazine, cops raided the infamous Canal Street strip in Manhattan, NY, shutting down over 30 vendors and seizing perfumes, handbags, and other accessories imitating brands like Gucci, Tiffany, Chanel, Coach, Juicy Couture, and Cartier. The raid was prompted by a private investigation by companies being knocked off by the counterfeiters who openly sell the fake products on the strip, referred to as “China Town.”
Apparently, much of the business that China Town attracts was traced back to buyers who come all the way from the southern states to purchase the illegal goods in the heavily concentrated knockoff-shopping area. Southern shoppers buy the counterfeit merchandise in bulk, then carry it back as far as North Carolina, where they arrange “purse parties” to resell the product.
In addition, the companies investigating the issue raise the point that the buildings housing the counterfeit vendors are often unsafe and below acceptable building standards, thus hazardous to unsuspecting buyers. The article states that:
The seized merchandise was turned over to a judge before authorities investigated the buildings themselves. A division in the mayor’s office is in charge of overseeing “quality of life issues,” and places where counterfeit items are sold fall under their purvey. So really Coach just wants to keep us all safe this holiday season from musty basements and Canal Street’s general seediness.
“It’s not uncommon to go down there and see repeat customers,” Dougherty said. “We’ve seen [license] plates from as far away as Carolina.”
He adds that this is why closing down counterfeit vendors is important — these customers could travel across state lines to their homes to distribute the bags in purse parties. The last thing this city needs to be facilitating are purse parties in one of the Carolinas.
Who knew that there was a counterfeit sales ring stretching as far as the dirty south?! How many of YOU have participated in such events as “purse parties?”
Read more about yesterday’s bust here.
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Comments 13
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SavannahJones
is this really news? who doesn’t know somebody who runs up to new york every few months to cop fake bags, jewelry or jeans, and bring them back home to sell them??? duh, thats where purse parties come from! i just feel sorry for the people who think some of the stuff is real lol and dont the police have better things to do, like catch dangerous criminals? i would never waste my money on counterfeit ANYTHING anyways. if the so-called name is that important, i’ll save up for it (ahem, a certain $1000 Gucci bag is the top of my wishlist lol). but i aint kockin anybody for rockin their lil fake-me-out coach or louis vuitton, if it make you feel good, go for it. just dont be mad when it fall apart on ya lmao
_A_
Yeah, these posing cops look more like publicity stunt than real police work. Just like the war on drugs and terror, the war on bootleggers will be a colossal failure.
lotus-moon
OK Thats why I love the COACH STORE it eliminates these types of issues. Not that I wouldn’t you know, trust a $500.00 bag being sold out the trunk or home of Netta’s baby cousions daddies auntie’s house for $50.00 at a purse party as the real deal. I just prefere to have my things insured.
sweet-n-evil-89
I think China is just tryina get some of the money back that the US owes them.
LOL @SouthPhillyDivah69 you said it. I don’t mind buyin those knockoffs… I can afford them and they look good to me.
soveu34
I’m so glad I have never wasted my hard earn money on no name brand sh it making some dick head rich. It amazes me how some of us women will go and pay mad money for that sh it only to
find that yes it was made in CHINA and they ripped off those workers in the sweatshops and over work them so they can sell us bags that cost them 1.00 to make and dam their investment is like
s**tting gold because a coach purse depending on what you get is up there in price I hear woman saying they paid $700 for a dam purse I rather invest my money in something that I will get a return back from in the near future
and its not even all that the shat looks the same what does it come with a self cleaning and internet connection than I might consider it slightly NOT! Anyway to each its own We have the spending power we should use it wisely and invest in our own communities
winterissocold
okay i hear all of yall…. yet I can’t know these men or women hustle’s they have to do what they have to do but at the same time shouldn’t the police be doing something real important like finding killers and rapist stuff like that instead of wasting their time catchin people selling dam fake purses lol smh
SenorCafeDa2nd
They do this shyt on Canal Street every year around Christmas time and the mofo’s open up shop across the street or around the corner. Them african mofo’s got a lock on the fugazy bag market.
Candyboxxx
I bought a couple of counterfeit purses about five years ago. Never again will I do it. These purses ARE cheap; my “Coach” purse strap broke on one and the leather wore off from the other. That was only five or six months after I bought them. I lost a total of $94. For another $30, I could have gone to the Coach Outlet and bought one good bag.
Besides, this is Copyright infringement, which is wrong, so why be break the law if you don’t have to? Just save your money for the real thing…hell, you can find some decent stuff on EBAY, too (my sister sold many of her real coach purses on there, and they are only a couple of years old).
I say, good riddance.
carrot_cake_brownin
Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!
DA_GEORGETOWN_MAYOR
P.S. WHO THE COPS GONNA ARREST FOR THIS “FIAT CURRENCY” IN OUR BANK ACCOUNTS AND WALLETS,POCKETS,AND PURSES? THEN YALL CAN POSE LIKE YALL DONE DID SUMTHIN! COPPERS ARE LOSERS!
DA_GEORGETOWN_MAYOR
THESE COPS POSING LIKE THEY A$$E$ AT A VIDEO SHOOT! THEY AINT DID $HIT IMPORTANT! STOP HATIN ON CHINA! THEY OWN OUR A$$E$ ANYWAY!
DA_GEORGETOWN_MAYOR
‘Made men don’t make statements’
SouthPhillyDivah69
OMG!!! HATERS!!!! IF WE COULD “AFFORD” THE REAL THING THEN OF COURSE WE’D BUY THEM BUT AS IT IS IN “THE REAL WORLD” SOME OF US HAVE BILLS & FAMILIES & MORE IMPORTANT OBLIGATIONS 2CONSIDER B4 WE SPEND UNNECESSARY $ ON PURSES. LEAVE CANAL ST & “PO’ FOLKAS (THERE ACTUALLY R PPL LIKE ME CANT “AFFORD” THE OTHER “O-R” IN THIS RECESSION- LMAO!) THE HELL ALONE & LRT US “WORK THE RUNWAY” W/ OUR “FAKE-EM’ OUTS”!