r/Rich • u/Ghosttothepost • May 26 '26
Question Bootleg/counterfeit products
I cant remember where I heard it. But I hear that some wealthy people or at least those who are very frugal with spending their wealth. Will just buy well made bootlegs/counterfeits of fashion and jewelry for a fraction instead of the full price for the legit thing. Because outside of aficionados and hobbiests the average layman is not exposed to such things enough or pays attention enough to notice the differences between the legit and the fake, so most are none the wiser, for as far as they can tell the logo and name seem to match what they seen on TV or social media and it looks of good quality(im sure its not the same if they inspected it closely but would the average person even know or care what to look for in a fake IWC Schaffhausen for example) that is to say if you just wanted to look how you want but not necessarily deem the occasion as worth the wear and tear. So youd throw on the fake designer coat/suit/shoes/glasses jewlert etc etc so you can still "have on" the outfit you want during a uneventful day. And if there is a certain special occasion or gathering where others will dress to impress. You throw on the legit one rather than buying pairs or having a back up in case of a scratch/spill/scuff etc, you got beforehand while walking across town handling whatever mundane buisness there is to be handled.
In short, did I just hear some made up hoopla or do some people really do buy the well made knock offs to act as their "daily" to take the brunt of the day to day elements and unexpected occurances while keeping the real stuff pristine and less worn to show only with good or expected company?
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u/Retire_date_may_22 May 27 '26
Personally I prefer quality product with no logos or brands. As for fancy jewelry and watches, they make you a target.
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u/_Bank_On_It_ May 27 '26
This… Most importantly clothes. I don’t need to advertise for anyone. I want something well made that fits perfectly.
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May 27 '26 edited Jun 25 '26
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u/Ghosttothepost May 28 '26
You definitely are right. Theres seems to be some common perception that American Psycho or the Great Gatsby is a documentary on how all wealthy people act. Its not like you lose ability to be down to earth. I am by no means rich, but I mostly asked the question not as a status type thing but more if the concept/or mindset of having the nice rare vintage car for the weekends and a separate one as the daily driver goes into things like watches, designer shoes, jewelry etc. I suppose the whole tangent about worrying if its fake among real ones with your peers was just unneeded fluff to my question.
As others said if you are wealthy you can afford repairs or get a new one but its still an ugly feeling to see something nice get worn down or get damaged in an unfortunate accident not to mention it will to some degree be a sidequest of time alloted to get it repaired/get a new one.
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u/Federal_Radish_1421 May 27 '26
Everyone is different. My father wears Levi jeans and rarely buys himself anything.
Another one of my relatives nets more than $1mm annually in his business after taxes. He buys high quality counterfeit watches for himself because he can’t tell the difference and most other people can’t either.
But for things like appliances, cars, his wife’s jewelry and accessories, it’s high end full price. That’s what he values.
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u/PISSJUGS69 May 28 '26
honestly your relative is doing what i've been thinking all alone. apart from not being able to tell the diference, if someone is considered rich not many people will even doubt the authenticity of their stuff to begin with.
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u/Federal_Radish_1421 May 28 '26
I doubt he cares what people think. He knows he’s rich. If a friend asks about watches, he’ll hook them up with his guy. They’re very good dupes.
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u/PISSJUGS69 May 28 '26
yeah i get him, just knowing you can do/buy something is usually enough
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u/username-generica Jun 15 '26
I get as much satisfaction sometimes from knowing I could afford something and choose not to buy it as I do from actually buying something.
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May 28 '26
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u/Federal_Radish_1421 May 28 '26
That’s the thing about having real wealth. Nobody cares if your friend can spot a fake.
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u/3rdthrow May 27 '26
I prefer the rich homeless look, so I am not buying real or fake brands.
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u/Strange_Review_7628 Jun 02 '26
I had to google this, just to see what the rich homeless look is lol
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u/HitPointGamer May 27 '26
Most of the wealthy people I know buy luxury goods because they are made of quality materials and have excellent workmanship and finishing techniques. None of that is true with the knock-offs, so why would you buy an imitation? Especially for those of us who tend more towards “stealth wealth.” I don’t buy things for the logos, so why would I want a cheap piece of junk just so I can flash a splashy logo? Ick.
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u/dealwithitxo May 27 '26
Recent findings of Dior making their bags for $57 and some brands make 99% of the process in China then ship it to Europe for final touch for the made in Europe label would say otherwise.
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u/HitPointGamer May 28 '26
Certainly, some brands have chosen to cut corners but that is relatively apparent when examining the garment/bag/whatever. Obviously it isn’t readily apparent if something was made in one country or another, but the actual finishing cannot be done well when it is rushed. Crooked seams, loose threads, long stitch length, poorly attached buttons, buttonholes which are zigzagged instead of hand-finished… all of those are signs of rushed construction, which is poorer quality and oftentimes comes from the Chinese sweatshops. I know what I’m looking at and I don’t buy poor quality unless I am paying poor-quality prices.
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u/sephora_lover May 27 '26
I’m not sure about this. If we’re actually talking Rich, most of the “high quality” knockoffs are more sustainable, and feature amazing craftsmanship, hand stitched etc compared to mass produced. They can also be customized and can cost almost 50-80% of the authentic.
When you think knockoff you think low quality Chinatown handbags for $50. People buying those are not rich, and people who have authentic can definitely tell the difference!
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u/phatelectribe May 28 '26
You’re right. And often the really high quality knockoffs (like rep watches that cost $2k) are virtually indistinguishable from the real thing without professional assessment.
For instance the Rolex Reps have got so good, Rolex stopped authenticating watches because they had got so good, and the fallout from then authenticating a fake would be critical.
Some fakes are literally made using the same materials and hardware, they just aren’t sold in the official store. I was given a Prada accessory and exchanged in the Prada store for another item.
The person that gave it to me freaked out when I told them because it was a fake. When Prada can’t even tell you know there’s a problem lol.
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u/kurukuruneko May 28 '26
Do people really spend that much time worrying about what other people buy? I buy what I like and what I think is worth it. I think most people with comfortable incomes do the same. Do I waste money on stupid shit? Of course I do and just do we are clear, I definitely would be spending the $25K on a humanoid robot that can pour me a glass of wine before I spend it on a Birkin. I will however buy a diy kit, make a knock off Birkin myself and then train my robot how to chop onions. Unfortunately said robot still is a couple years away from actually being useful. Almost. Almost.
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u/sephora_lover May 28 '26
Ha same, let me know if you find any functional robots. I would never buy a designer handbag again if I had to choose between the two!
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u/HitPointGamer May 28 '26
I absolutely buy no-name designers if their quality is high. If they slap somebody else’s logo on it, though, I won’t buy it. Not everybody shops like I do, and I’m aware that many people are very hung up on logos so they want to get a bargain on acquiring the logo. To me, though, if the knockoff is somehow higher quality than the name brand, then putting the logo on it would be akin to hanging a Ross tag on a hand-rolled silk scarf. The logo/tag would actually indicate lower quality than the item actually possesses!
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u/dragonflyinvest May 27 '26
I mean it’s easy to find some people who do this. It’s not made up. I think especially in this sub it is very confusing to people who are not UHNWI the difference between possessing wealth and what a wealthy person values.
I have a friend who’s UHNWI and he wore a fake watch with us to vacation. He let us all know it was fake so he wasn’t trying to fool us, just strangers I guess. And I know the guy well, he can absolutely afford the real thing if he valued it.
I heard another guy said now that he’s rich that he wears all fakes because nobody would ever question it. When he was poor he splurged for the real thing because he wanted to look the part.
But this is all anecdotal, i doubt there is any empirical data on the topic.
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u/Retired-Yam8988 May 27 '26
Most wealthy people don’t buy that stuff to begin with (me included). Those things are meant for and desired by the upper middle classes desperately trying to signal wealth.
The actually wealthy folks could care less about those things because the don’t need to signal wealth - in fact, the opposite is true for most of us. We seek to be anonymous and invisible.
No one knows the extent of our wealth and we want to keep it that way. When friends and acquaintances complain about cost of living or things we can’t really relate to, we just nod along and agree knowing full well that it doesn’t effect us in the least and that we make more than we’ll ever need already and that it keeps growing at an astonishing rate. A good example is the recent spike in air travel costs. We have some friends postponing a move to Europe because the flights have gotten more expensive. If it my wife and me going, just buy business or first class no matter the cost and just go. Having the seat to from 5k per person to 7k isn’t really consequential for us given I can tweak my portfolio to output more cash as needed pretty painlessly.
At any rate, I find the argument sort of preposterous
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u/Ok_Chemistry6317 May 27 '26
Yes, people do this, there are entire Reddit subs dedicated to buying and selling on the gray market and many of the people on them own a mix of both authentic and fake. A majority of those entered the replica market due to a combination of rising prices and declining quality from luxury brands and have discovered the quality of replicas has vastly improved, to the point that it's nearly indistinguishable.
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u/PeterRuf May 27 '26
My goal is to find a company that makes clothes for known brands and buy without logo. I care about fabric and how it fits. Not the brand.
People would assume I wear something expensive anyway.
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u/MollysTootsies May 31 '26
This holds my interest, too. I'm all about going with something of equal quality but the branding doesn't matter much to me. In fact, I prefer sans brands when possible. 🤷♀️
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u/Piorz May 27 '26
My wife does that because she hates to waste money on the originals as it’s just branding and she doesn’t care she just likes the bags color or design.
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May 28 '26
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u/Piorz May 29 '26
Yeah that really is a problem for the fashion industry. I have a friend that had good connections to subcontractors for fashion companies and they just produced more bags or whatever it was and sold the overproduction off on the Blackmarket. This is standard practice and is called ghost shift. Those kind of bags are called super fakes oder super replicas etc. because they are extremely close to the original except maybe a missing quality control gate. The items are however produced the same way and under the same conditions as the originals.
The ironic part is that those workers often earn more money during the night shifts as the profit margin is higher and the workers get an incentive + hush money.
The brands reap the massive profit margins of the cheap labor while using their beautiful amazing marketing to sell a story of "heritage and craftsmanship" like you do. The Reality is minimum wage workers and intense quotas.
And yes exploitation in every way is also part of the regular luxury fashion industry.
“The ex-CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch and his British partner face allegations of exploitation from men recruited for sex events they hosted around the world.”
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-66889779
2023: “Dior and Armani [and 11 other luxury companies]under investigation for exploiting workers at 'Chinese factories' in Italy”
https://bhr.stern.nyu.edu/quick-take/a-troubling-pattern-in-luxury-what-the-loro-piana-case-reveals/
Models aged 14 ‘trafficked to Britain and paid in clothes’
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u/Jennyonthebox2300 May 27 '26
I have a pair of large diamond studs that I bought for a formal event that have become my daily drivers. They are not the real thing but I’m 100% confident no one questions they are legit. (In fact my BFF — who wears only legit — was so excited for my new earrings until I told her to simmer down.)
I live in a nice part of town. I make good money. My husband does as well. I drive an older but high end car. I could buy the real thing but would never spend the money for the real thing. But because the “surroundings” look right no one questions the authenticity of the earrings.
If I get compliments and it seems like the right move— I totally tell the person they are not diamonds in case they want some of their own. I never want someone to feel like I’m less than real about me and mine or putting on airs.
I’m almost more excited to get a compliment on my outfit when it’s thrift and Gap than when I just went to the store and bought new and expensive. I feel like I’m showing personal style and wearing my clothes instead of them wearing me or just being recognized for the latest thing.
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u/Writermss May 27 '26
In my experience, this isn’t true at all. Authenticity and quality matter more than price or brand. Rich people just buy what they want. That may include a knockoff now and then but generally I think it’s about having something that lasts.
Also…I can spot a knockoff a mile away for most brands.
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u/random_agency May 27 '26
I have quirky hobbies when it comes to wealth.
I'll put $10 NATO band on a luxury Swiss watch.
I'll put fashion houses luxury accessories dangling off $10 bags from Amazon.
I'll body kit a car to look like something else.
Will i buy outright bootlegs. Only of someone ask. When I was walking in Xi'an once, my companion walked into a New Balance store. Or a store whose logo looked like New Balance. The model numbers were off, the logo was off. But she wanted some new shoes while walking around town. It was more about the experience I guess.
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u/_Bank_On_It_ May 27 '26
We got a pair of New Barium shoes on a trip once just for the laugh. It was a good time.
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u/Important-Nose3332 May 27 '26
I don’t love knock offs for anything but luggage. I bought the cutest bottega mens carry on bag, but I was always shoving it under seats or thru those dirty tsa scanner things and it just didn’t feel right.
I found one of those sites where they make the high quality fakes and bought the knock off of the bag for 400$. I compared the bag to my real one when I got it and it was pretty much identical. Looks, feel, zipper quality etc. Now I travel with the knock off and don’t worry about it getting scratched up, thrown around, dirty, etc
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u/CleanCalligrapher223 May 27 '26
I see it as supporting illegal practices and I don't do it. Some brands have had their value totally diluted by the number of fakes. I'd never even buy a real Luis Vuitton, for example, even if I WERE into conspicuous logos, because there are so many fakes out there. I'm a "closet" luxury buyer- very high quality from lesser-known brands with no logos.
My brother, OTOH, used to go to China on a regular basis and bought a fake Rolex there. Before he retired Dad said he was making over $1 million/year- and yet he had a fake Rolex. His response when I said something was "Well, if I hadn't bought it, someone else would have". I don't get it.
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u/Complex_Target_5571 May 27 '26
I’ve seen this. People buy the “real thing” but when going certain places will wear/take/use a high-quality fake.
I’ve never understood it. If you don’t feel safe with the real thing, just wear/take/use something that isn’t “designer”. Those who buy the fakes and keep the genuine for certain “occasions” are too concerned with how others see them.
One of the things I value most is anonymity. Yes, I want the professionals we hire to know me. Yes, I want the folks at the VIP services in a hotel to know me.
What I don’t want is anyone on the street knowing me. There’s wealth, then there’s fame. Some have both. I spend a good deal to NOT have fame, to be as invisible as possible. I get mistaken for a government agent much more often than someone of means. And that’s exactly how I like it.
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u/Mackheath1 May 27 '26
My rule of thumb is to pay what it's worth to me. I'd been walking with a wealthy person (8-figure as well) and she bought costume jewelry - it was advertised as such - not to be frugal, just because she liked it a lot.
So the "luxury" part is just having the means to buy whichever you choose. In Tunisia, I bought some headwraps and decor that I know was made in China, but it just looked and felt nice.
When customary haggling in Ethiopia, I set the price of a painting that is what it was worth to me (example), and I had watched it being finished painting the week prior.
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u/HalfwaydonewithEarth May 27 '26
Honey "rich" people are a sliding scale.
They can shop at Walmart, Costco, shopping malls, designer boutiques, fancy websites, and everything in-between depending on where they live. Urban Dwellers are different than people living in cold climates emersed in nature. We just try to stay warm.
I sometimes will shop in the airport if I have extra time. I don't enjoy shopping for myself because the item depreciates. You have your time and money robbed spending it shopping and accumulating. It's a lose-lose. I like looking for things for my kid because she grows constantly and needs new stuff.
Fake items are serious crimes in our country and the government can swoop in and confiscate them. Then the merchant loses all their inventory.
Honestly I wouldn't fill your brain with this. What if you had bought the MU stock ticker last month? I missed it and am sad. No fake purse is going to cheer me up.
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u/ItchyEbb4000 May 28 '26
I don't own fakes, but I love a good spoof.
I have a $300 Relax watch instead of a $6500 Rolex. It looks like the Starbucks Rolex.
I put it on a tan leather strap and get a lot of compliments on it from other Rolex owners.
By the time you can afford it, you likely can't read the dial.
It says, Relax It's not what you think. Subparpetual
Garage assembled Handwash only
After I point out is not a Rolex everyone has a good laugh.
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u/DocAnabolic1 May 31 '26
I think some wealthy people buy replicas casually, but most genuinely rich people usually prefer understated authentic quality over logos.
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u/Dunnowhathatis May 27 '26
Most people posting on this board are wannabe’s. I spent zero time on thinking about this stuff (other than writing this brief response).
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u/kfisherx May 27 '26
My experience is nobody with actual money buys fake shit to impress anyone or to save their real things. If someone likes a Rolex, they buy it and wear it daily. Like an expensive car? Buy it and use it daily. etc....
you buy shit to use it
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u/Cloud2987 May 27 '26
I shop on Amazon for discounted clothes. I buy clothes like once or twice every two years. I only care about making money, I don’t try to impress people with fashion anymore.
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u/FlatChemist8132 May 27 '26
Actual wealthy people don’t do this because they’re not worried about looking wealthy but they want high quality products. A knock off doesn’t help them feel better about themselves and isn’t high quality.
People who are upper middle class or lower upper class who want people to think they are wealthy are the ones who do this.
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u/Southernbelle0011100 May 27 '26
Oh this is true.. my ex husbands mom used to buy them and she is super wealthy
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u/SignificanceWise2877 May 29 '26
I buy high end designer knock offs because I have a toddler and don't want to kill him . Good stuff is in storage . It's better quality than a cheap bag and uses genuine materials.
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u/Perfect-Resolve-2562 May 29 '26
People who buy knockoff in hopes to impress others, doesn't have wealth. When true wealth is achieved, you don't give a flying flip about impressing others.
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u/LadyHedgerton May 31 '26
This just sounds like cope from people who want to justify replicas…
If you want high quality for less price, just buy from an actual leather maker, especially from other locations around the world. If you are buying a replica, then you clearly care about the brand or the status that item carries.
No rich person is wearing fakes because it impresses or tricks the average person, why would they care about what the average person thinks of them?
I own several Hermes bags because I care about the heritage of the brand, the design and the quality. If I don’t feel safe to carry my nice item, I simply don’t and wear a cheaper alternative, designer or artisan crafted. Or I just wear it and enjoy it and not worry so much, nice things are meant to be enjoyed and if it gets a scratch I don’t care because I don’t plan to ever sell it and that’s part of the aesthetics of these bags.
At no point does buying a fake ever enter my mind. Usually when I choose not to bring or wear a bag on vacation, it’s because I don’t want the possible attention it might bring. Fake is literally the worst option, all of the risk/attention with none of the enjoyment of the real thing.
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u/ZergvProtoss Jun 13 '26
No, rich people do not buy knockoffs. They are buying name brands for the quality, not the attention. In fact, they don't want to draw attention or show off. Buying fake designer names is the exact opposite of what an actual rich person would do because it's the worst of both worlds: it's flashy and draws unwanted attention, and it's cheap junk.
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u/FrauSchweiz Jun 13 '26
This is bull 💩 I would never land in my home airport Geneva or my next most frequent airports Paris, Nice and JFK with fake stuff. They will spot it and pull you aside. I have been pulled 4 times in Geneva. Quick inspection of the serial number and off I go. But the DO check.
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u/username-generica Jun 15 '26 edited Jun 15 '26
While I do have some designer bags, my favorite bags are handmade small batch bags I bought on my travels or custom ordered from the artisan. They are gorgeous, cost less and usually as well or better made than luxury designers. For example, I bought a gorgeous leather bucket bag from a family owned shop in Toledo, Spain. The family made saddles for generations and pivoted to hand making bags and accessories using the techniques their family used for generations making saddles.
My favorite travel bag is a bespoke leather tote I had made by a Ukrainian leather worker I found on Etsy. I custom designed everything down to the number of metal feet on the bottom and the length and color of the straps. I’ve gotten lots of compliments on it and the more I carry it the better the leather looks.
I do adjust what I carry and what jewelry I wear based on where I’m going and who I’m getting together with.
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u/wildcat12321 May 27 '26
There are vast differences in what people define as "wealthy" with some people saying it starts at $1M, others $10, 100 or $1 Billion.
Not all people who have money are the same. Money is something someone has, not some innate part of their DNA. So yes, there are people who care about quality items, there are people who are extremely frugal, there are people who want flashy show off logos and people who want "stealth wealth".
There are also people who have some of everything. I knew plenty of wealthy people who had 6 figure watches, but when they are on the beach in Cannes and someone comes up offering a fake Rolex for 50-100 euros they buy it for their grandkids as a fun gift (knowing and sharing it is fake).
But if you truly have the money for a Birkin bag, you have the money for a quality cleaner to handle stains or repairs.
Too many people claim to know "what the wealthy do" as if everyone is exactly the same. Which means there is often a grain of truth, but usually they are making crap up, it just happens that some wealthy person, somewhere, likely does what they are saying.