Post: #1

So I am deployed in Kuwait right now. Went to the bazaar today and last Sunday. The only thing bootleg I have ever bought are movies. I stream now haha. Men don't really rock bootleg shit. Hip-hop heads remember the bootleg throwbacks and bootleg Jordan’s. I notice on this tour that watches are huge with the suit game but really all around. I never have worn a watch till this deployment since we really can't use our cell phones. Bought a nice OD green fossil in Vegas for 115. Bootleg shit is mostly for women with their designer purses.

I bought a Gucci backpack since I am a rider and sometimes need the extra capacity for school/work, a Gucci belt and wallets for the family, a some watches. My watchgame is weak so I really know nothing about them. It's crazy when you listen to the timepiece heads. They can go for an hour talking about different watches.

The only thing I can see men buying bootleg are Jordan’s and watches. Then there is fake jewelry. In the US, you really don't see bootleg unless you are on the West or East coast. Some swap meets sell the fake stuff if you hit them up. Ours in South Texas get raided sometimes.

I would never buy bootleg Jordan’s. I use to be a sneaker head, although most J's are 150 I just can't get myself to buy the fakes. Now Tim's, I would rock some $50 Tim's. Air maxes idk. Air forces maybe.

My question is have you ever bought anything bootleg? To the timepiece players, would you wear a fake watch? Players with pierced ears, if you had 3K to blow would you buy real diamond earrings? Sneaker heads, do you own any fake J's or Airforces?

I bought 2 Tag Heuers, 2 Breitling, and a Gucci watch. My Captain love watches. Has 8K worth of real pieces but still bought 8 so far. He said they look like the real things and he would rock them in the states. Like I said, I don't wear them so they are all gifts but maybe I can flip them and make a quick buck haha. I'll post a pic when I get my phone to work.

Post: #2

Hey TexasMade,

You need to take advantage of the opportunities available to you.

I still got tons of bootleg shit I bought in Kuwait and Iraq. It's a better bootleg market over there than Hong Kong, Philippines, or anywhere else I've seen.

When I was there I shipped home three good sized boxes of knock off sunglasses that are all every bit as good as the real thing. I thing I paid $350 for at least 1500 pairs. They're all Oakleys, Raybans, Arnette and whatnot. I got Gucci's and Prada's and shit for the girls. My glasses just blow off sometimes or get smashed and people freak out. I just blow it off.

I'd stay away from the watches, because people that know can spot the fakes right away. Plus, I noticed the Iraqi ones anyway, looked good when you buy them but fall apart real quickly.

I never bought any clothes but know a lot of guys that did. It looked the same to me, but I don't know much about those fancy jeans.

If I were you I'd buy as much as you can and ship it. If you have trouble sending stuff, I can tell you how I did it, although different rules may now apply.

Aloha!

Post: #3

I would stick to the fashion items and stay away from things that are functional. One a deployment I bought a bunch of North Face stuff, a pair of boots, a jacket/fleece combo and a backpack. The backpack fell apart almost immediately, the jacket and the boots held up for a while, but certainly didn't perform like the real deal.

A shirt with a label on it can be made just as well as the real deal. Things that have moving parts or require certain proprietary knowledge are a whole other story.

Post: #4

In the US, bootleg stuff is alright depending where you go.

I went to flea markets countless times in NJ with my parents when I was younger. You could get Dolce and Gabana glasses for $10, Gucci Fragrances for less than that. Want some Tru Religion jeans? Get 3 pairs for 50. I went to the playground and the bitches didn't even know my Gucci belt was fake.

As for bootleg Jordans, do NOT buy them unless for workout purposes! My red J's look nice but like, one of the designs on my left sneak is broken. But my advice for buying designer clothes would be to have the image of the real thing on your phone. If the clothes you see look too sketchy then dont buy them.

I would go back to the flea markets in a heartbeat, but they are getting raided out the ass as well. ): Now if they had a way to get that stuff online, they'd be making mad money.

Post: #5

In China and even Italy a lot of the 'knock-offs' are unlicensed items from the exact same factories that supply the big brands. The product is identical. A big brand subcontracts a factory to produce its items and supplies the factory with fabrics that it has sourced. The factory owner gets creative in how he cuts the materials and yields x% more pieces than he is contract bound to supply the brand with. The extra is sold for his own profit via his own contacts.

Years ago in Rome I bought a linen shirt under one brand for about 80 EUR. A couple of days later I saw the same shirt (stitching, buttons and fabric identical) for like 20 EUR but with a different label on it.

Incidentally a lot of 'Made in Italy' luxury items are produced by Chinese outposts on Italian soil. Materials, etc. come from China and then the product is finished by Chinese workers who have learned from Italian craftsmen. It's a pretty interesting business.

Post: #6

(06-15-2012 04:10 PM)Caligula Wrote:  In China and even Italy a lot of the 'knock-offs' are unlicensed items from the exact same factories that supply the big brands. The product is identical. A big brand subcontracts a factory to produce its items and supplies the factory with fabrics that it has sourced. The factory owner gets creative in how he cuts the materials and yields x% more pieces than he is contract bound to supply the brand with. The extra is sold for his own profit via his own contacts.

Years ago in Rome I bought a linen shirt under one brand for about 80 EUR. A couple of days later I saw the same shirt (stitching, buttons and fabric identical) for like 20 EUR but with a different label on it.

Incidentally a lot of 'Made in Italy' luxury items are produced by Chinese outposts on Italian soil. Materials, etc. come from China and then the product is finished by Chinese workers who have learned from Italian craftsmen. It's a pretty interesting business.

Yeah, the secret of the fashion industry is that most branding is just that, branding. So, you have a factory in China making sunglasses. One side of the factory they're putting a D&G label on the side. On the other side, they're making glasses on the same equipment to the same specs, but they're not putting any label on them. The D&G ones get sold for $200, the no name ones get sold for $20.

Post: #7

A friend of mine bought a fake Iphone in China. Looks like the real thing, feels like it at first, but in the end it was just fancy looking garbage. Browser, iTunes and some other stuff didnt work properly.

Post: #8

(06-15-2012 05:06 PM)BoiBoi Wrote:  A friend of mine bought a fake Iphone in China. Looks like the real thing, feels like it at first, but in the end it was just fancy looking garbage. Browser, iTunes and some other stuff didnt work properly.

If I could buy a highend bootleg (oxymoron?) watch like a Movado, I would be all over that. I'm not spending $1000 bucks for a watch just to pass some snobs quality test. Mind you it would have to be look good enough to fool 90% of the people out there and durable enough to last.

You could maybe argue that it's a bonus even if some women can tell the difference because they are tagging themselves as the gold digger type.

Post: #9

Pic.

Post: #10

Can think of nothing worse then fakes,I'll leave them to the lower classes of society. If I want to wear Gucci I'll buy the real thing not some cheap knock off from a factory in Guangzhou. I can spot a fake a mile off too,anyone with sense can because they are not congruent with the rest of the person. Like when you see these single mums pushing a filthy pram and wearing a food stained track suit yet is carrying $900 LV handbag. Yeah right! Fakers. Also how does someone wearing fakes feel inside? By wearing them you are reminding yourself you really want a Hugo Boss shirt but are not successful enough to afford the real thing and hence bought a fake. Fuck that,I'll just work harder and take real pleasure in my achievement of saving and buying something I really wanted. I spent $2500 on a branded suitcase,I feel like the shit when I travel with it because it reminds me that I have been successful enough to be able to afford such an expensive item. I could have bought a fake one for a fraction of the cost,but would I feel great with it? Nope,I'd feel like a failure.

Fakes are for fakers.

Post: #11

Agreed. I don't know why people want to fake the funk like that. I've gotten burned on ebay thinking I bought legit stuff in the past when it was fake. And I'll just feel weird knowing that I'm wearing something that is a fake.

Post: #12

(06-16-2012 03:05 PM)Vorkuta Wrote:  Can think of nothing worse then fakes,I'll leave them to the lower classes of society. If I want to wear Gucci I'll buy the real thing not some cheap knock off from a factory in Guangzhou. I can spot a fake a mile off too,anyone with sense can because they are not congruent with the rest of the person. Like when you see these single mums pushing a filthy pram and wearing a food stained track suit yet is carrying $900 LV handbag. Yeah right! Fakers. Also how does someone wearing fakes feel inside? By wearing them you are reminding yourself you really want a Hugo Boss shirt but are not successful enough to afford the real thing and hence bought a fake. Fuck that,I'll just work harder and take real pleasure in my achievement of saving and buying something I really wanted. I spent $2500 on a branded suitcase,I feel like the shit when I travel with it because it reminds me that I have been successful enough to be able to afford such an expensive item. I could have bought a fake one for a fraction of the cost,but would I feel great with it? Nope,I'd feel like a failure.

Fakes are for fakers.

I disagree. In my opinion "status" items offer many people with low self esteem a way compensate by buying their way into respect.

They need a brand name to tell the world "I'm worth something".

An expensive watch doesn't make you "high class" nor does the lack of one make you a low life. That's a B.S. worldview that the wealthy use to keep them rich.



A $150 pair of Jordans costs no more than 15 bucks to make with labor and cheap materials. So paying that for a pair of sneakers more than likely just means (to anyone with real money) that you are stilll a lowlife who managed to save up your nickels to hang with the big boys.

People with real money can drop $5000 on a watch they way an average dude can drop $50 on a pair of jeans. Do you honestly think that rich person will think more of you because you scratched $5000 together to emulate him?

Your comment about single mums tells me a lot about your character. I mean seriously why would you even be paying such hard attention to the kind of bag they are carrying? It's like the pot calling the kettle black.

Does this mean that liking nice things makes one a posers?

Hell No, if you are truly buying that item for it's intrinsic qualities and not the perceived status it would offer you.

A fine watch is a fine watch but there are replica's that offer decent quality and look virtually identical to the real deal. I'm talking about you would have to open up the watch to tell the difference. Admittedly they are tough to find, but that's neither here nor there.

....and again, why would anyone be looking THAT closely ?

Post: #13

If you get a decent fake watch, aka a replica, 99% of people will not be able to tell. Watches aside, fakes aren't usually worth it because they look shitty, at least in the states. I own a fake Patek, and it fools people. And I also freely tell them it's fake - it's just the fake was better looking than any real sub-$100 watch. Plus I wouldn't walk around with $10k on my wrist. Anyone who knows me would tell you I don't front.

But if fakes didn't look bad, I'd have no problem wearing one. What matters is the look and the quality of the overall item, not the brand stamped on it. You don't see knockoff high end suits, because the craftsmanship is what makes it authentic, not some gaudy label. But if some hoe is going to bang you for wearing a fake "ARMANI EXCHANGE" shirt, who is being tooled, you or her?

I leave the brand whoring to women. I once heard this supermarket executive telling how he once discovered he could sell handbags made in the Chinese Coach factory, at a fraction of the price, minus the Coach branding of course. So he had them made and put them on sale in the store. And they failed spectacularly. Because bitches be brand whores.

Glasses are an interesting case, because one company, Luxxotica, makes almost all the high end glasses in cheap factories, and has a huge markup.

What Caligula mentioned is interesting, but seems harder to come by in the states. Then again, I don't patronize these flea market type joints much.

Post: #14

(06-16-2012 05:59 PM)rhodey Wrote:  I disagree. In my opinion "status" items offer many people with low self esteem a way compensate by buying their way into respect.

They need a brand name to tell the world "I'm worth something".

An expensive watch doesn't make you "high class" nor does the lack of one make you a low life. That's a B.S. worldview that the wealthy use to keep them rich.



A $150 pair of Jordans costs no more than 15 bucks to make with labor and cheap materials. So paying that for a pair of sneakers more than likely just means (to anyone with real money) that you are stilll a lowlife who managed to save up your nickels to hang with the big boys.

People with real money can drop $5000 on a watch they way an average dude can drop $50 on a pair of jeans. Do you honestly think that rich person will think more of you because you scratched $5000 together to emulate him?

Your comment about single mums tells me a lot about your character. I mean seriously why would you even be paying such hard attention to the kind of bag
they are carrying? It's like the pot calling the kettle black.

Does this mean that liking nice things makes one a posers?

Hell No, if you are truly buying that item for it's intrinsic qualities and not the perceived status it would offer you.

A fine watch is a fine watch but there are replica's that offer decent quality and look virtually identical to the real deal. I'm talking about you would have to open up the watch to tell the difference. Admittedly they are tough to find, but that's
neither here nor there.

....and again, why would anyone be looking THAT closely ?

Because I might notice a brand of handbag someone is carrying you can tell me all about my character?!! I think you need to have a cup of tea and a lie down sweetheart.

Post: #15

(06-16-2012 03:05 PM)Vorkuta Wrote:  Can think of nothing worse then fakes,I'll leave them to the lower classes of society. If I want to wear Gucci I'll buy the real thing not some cheap knock off from a factory in Guangzhou. I can spot a fake a mile off too,anyone with sense can because they are not congruent with the rest of the person. Like when you see these single mums pushing a filthy pram and wearing a food stained track suit yet is carrying $900 LV handbag. Yeah right! Fakers. Also how does someone wearing fakes feel inside? By wearing them you are reminding yourself you really want a Hugo Boss shirt but are not successful enough to afford the real thing and hence bought a fake. Fuck that,I'll just work harder and take real pleasure in my achievement of saving and buying something I really wanted. I spent $2500 on a branded suitcase,I feel like the shit when I travel with it because it reminds me that I have been successful enough to be able to afford such an expensive item. I could have bought a fake one for a fraction of the cost,but would I feel great with it? Nope,I'd feel like a failure.

Fakes are for fakers.

Do you really feel like the shit because of a suitcase? And you would feel like a failure if you had a fake one?

If something looks good I'll buy it. It doesn't matter if it's brand name, fake, or wal-mart brand.

I'll buy a 60 dollar suit and wear it proudly. It doesn't matter how much it costs as long as it fits right and looks good. I'll wear a 60 dollar watch as long as it looks good on my wrist and works well, even if it's a fake. Also, a lot of the "fake" stuff you see is manufactured in the same factories as the real, licensed designer items.

The only thing I'll splurge on is something I know is going to take a beating and serves a funcitonal purpose, such as luggage, furniture, dress shoes, sports apparel/shoes, prescription sunglasses, etc. With good quality leather items, they actually look better as they age.

I don't understand this fixation on class, name brands, what is fake, etc. I find it immature.

Also, normally I wouldn't state this ever, but I come from a well-off family that, growing up, was be able to buy LV bags whenever, eat out at expensive restaurants every weekend and often multiple times during the week, buy designer clothes, I drove a Lexus in high school, etc. I'm not saying this stuff to brag, but to make a point. I also buy stuff off of sale racks, buy stuff from thrift stores, buy used, and yes I buy fakes and wear it like it's no big deal. The thing is, we were just as happy eating rice, kimchee and spam at home, and I would have been just as appreciative if I had gotten a ten year old civic, as long as it got me from point A to point B.

There's nothing wrong with buying nice things, but trying to draw a sense of superiority and false sense of confidence from purchasing nice things is a fools errand.

Live and let live, I guess.

Post: #16

(06-17-2012 06:07 AM)UgSlayer Wrote:  Do you really feel like the shit because of a suitcase? And you would feel like a failure if you had a fake one? Different strokes, I guess.

If something looks good I'll buy it. It doesn't matter if it's brand name, fake, or wal-mart brand.

I'll buy a 60 dollar suit and wear it proudly. It doesn't matter how much it costs as long as it fits right and looks good. I'll wear a 60 dollar watch as long as it looks good on my wrist and works well, even if it's a fake. Also, a lot of the "fake" stuff you see is manufactured in the same factories as the real, licensed designer items.

The only thing I'll splurge on is something I know is going to take a beating and serves a funcitonal purpose, such as luggage, furniture, dress shoes, sports apparel/shoes, prescription sunglasses, etc. With good quality leather items, they actually look better as they age.

I don't understand this fixation on class, name brands, what is fake, etc. I find it immature.

Also, normally I wouldn't state this ever, but I come from a well-off family that, growing up, was be able to buy LV bags whenever, eat out at expensive restaurants every weekend, buy designer clothes, I drove a Lexus in high school, etc. I'm not saying this stuff to brag, but to make a point. I also buy stuff off of sale racks, buy stuff from thrift stores, buy used, and yes I buy fakes and wear it like it's no big deal.

Live and let live, I guess.

Do I feel the shit because of a suitcase? Yeah I feel pretty damn good. Just like a guy in a made to measure suit does or the guy driving the top of the range Lambo.

Unlike you I did not come from wealth,I grew up in a one bedroom apartment in a shit hole town with parents who barely had enough to stick the 50 pence pieces in the electric box every time the lights went out. And through hook and by crook I have escaped that poverty and gotten into a position where I can afford to buy the things I want. Buying designer items that I genuinely like for their innate quality and style ( nothing to do with the brand name - like everyone else I will happily wear Primark etc. if they sell an item I like ) makes me feel good because it reminds me of what I have managed to rise myself out of and how successful I have become whilst the people I grew up with have not.

As you say, to each their own.

Post: #17

(06-17-2012 06:26 AM)Vorkuta Wrote:  

(06-17-2012 06:07 AM)UgSlayer Wrote:  Do you really feel like the shit because of a suitcase? And you would feel like a failure if you had a fake one?

If something looks good I'll buy it. It doesn't matter if it's brand name, fake, or wal-mart brand.

I'll buy a 60 dollar suit and wear it proudly. It doesn't matter how much it costs as long as it fits right and looks good. I'll wear a 60 dollar watch as long as it looks good on my wrist and works well, even if it's a fake. Also, a lot of the "fake" stuff you see is manufactured in the same factories as the real, licensed designer items.

The only thing I'll splurge on is something I know is going to take a beating and serves a funcitonal purpose, such as luggage, furniture, dress shoes, sports apparel/shoes, prescription sunglasses, etc. With good quality leather items, they actually look better as they age.

I don't understand this fixation on class, name brands, what is fake, etc. I find it immature.

Also, normally I wouldn't state this ever, but I come from a well-off family that, growing up, was be able to buy LV bags whenever, eat out at expensive restaurants every weekend, buy designer clothes, I drove a Lexus in high school, etc. I'm not saying this stuff to brag, but to make a point. I also buy stuff off of sale racks, buy stuff from thrift stores, buy used, and yes I buy fakes and wear it like it's no big deal.

Live and let live, I guess.

Do I feel the shit because of a suitcase? Yeah I feel pretty damn good. Just like a guy in a made to measure suit does or the guy driving the top of the range Lambo.

Unlike you I did not come from wealth,I grew up in a one bedroom apartment in a shit hole town with parents who barely had enough to stick the 50 pence pieces in the electric box every time the lights went out. And through hook and by crook I have escaped that poverty and gotten into a position where I can afford to buy the things I want. Buying designer items that I genuinely like for their innate quality and style ( nothing to do with the brand name - like everyone else I will happily wear Primark etc. if they sell an item I like ) makes me feel good because it reminds me of what I have managed to rise myself out of and how successful I have become whilst the people I grew up with have not.

As you say, to each their own.

The bolded part I can respect. Whatever drives you to succeed.

Post: #18

I have a high opinion of fake shit these days since the quality is generally excellent. I bought a knockoff tablet for like 90 bucks online, it's worth about 300 or so and it's probably the best tech investment I've ever made.

You should get a thousand bucks or so, buy yourself a few hundred pairs of sunglasses and designer shirts and sell that shit on ebay.

Post: #19

(06-17-2012 01:08 PM)Hades Wrote:  I have a high opinion of fake shit these days since the quality is generally excellent. I bought a knockoff tablet for like 90 bucks online, it's worth about 300 or so and it's probably the best tech investment I've ever made.

You should get a thousand bucks or so, buy yourself a few hundred pairs of sunglasses and designer shirts and sell that shit on ebay.

I think I may do that. I need to do a little reserch and start to flip. I am debt free and probably spend less than 150 a month. 100 dollars too much given that everything is provided to me. They have cracked down since the wild '00's on bootleg items. I have some postal connects here that can put me up on game, but I know leaving the country we have a limit on the amout of items we can leave with.

The watches have A, B, and C grades. The watches on the pic are B and one is an A grade. As what was stated earlier, the Chinese are technicians with the replicas. The hardest part is finding the A grade and getting a fair price. These guys probably get their watches for 20 a pop but trying to sell them for 50-80 dollars. They work with you though.

If we have any Ebay sellers on the forum, I would be happy to hear from you. I'll keep you guys updated on my progress. If I can make a few extra thousand while I am out here, why not?

Any deployment soldiers take, especially out here in Kuwait is time for self-improvemnt. I tell all my soldiers that. Get your body, mind, money, spirit, and game right. I pissed away a full year on each aspect expect for the body. It is time for me to get serious so I can prep myself for my Mexico move. I love this forum.