November 26, 2007
Counterfeiters Get Coal This Christmas
Earlier this year the law started cracking down on illegal bootleggers of all kinds, so those looking for more inexpensive gifts like Prada bags or not-yet-released DVDs on the city sidewalks may be barking up the wrong Christmas tree.
The NY Post reports that cops are paying extra-special attention to the counterfeiters this year, leading to a big decline in sales for the sidewalk entrepreneurs and aiming the consumers to (gasp!) legit storefronts.
That's great news for legitimate shop owners, who argue that the fly-by-night peddlers should be tossed in jail for routinely breaking the law by hawking knockoff handbags, watches, perfumes and the like.Not only is there less money coming in, there's more risk for people like Blattle, who now have to watch out for the bulked up task force set up to "keep tabs on peddlers this season." Unsurprisingly, the most watched areas are those that are tourist-heavy: Times Square, Fifth Avenue, Rockefeller Center and Herald Square. But fear not, if you really want that knock-off there are licensed peddlers out there."This holiday season looks really bad," moaned John Blattle, 52, who sells watches off a folding table on West 34th Street. "A lot of people were looking, but nobody was buying. It's really disappointing because all my money is tied up in this."
Photo via mcbnyc's flickr.
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As far as I can tell, these areas aren't watched at all. I was just on 34th yesterday and there were people selling fake purses and watches all over the place. How can it be so hard to stop this?
I always wonder: why haven't the cops ever gone after the counterfeiters who have set up shop by spreading their crap in the bike lanes just south of South Street Seaport?
Aw, leave the poor guys alone. If you want the real thing go to a retailer.
Do you really think someone who buys a fake Prada bag or a fake expensive watch on the street would buy them at retailers otherwise at prices way out of thier range?
the bags are $5 to 10 ea? how do they make money?
who really has a problem with this? omg, boo-hoo they are selling knock-off goods in the street. like designers don't rip each other's designs as it is.
right, let's see, christmas sales are on the decline which means slim pickings for wall street and retail executives. that can't happen! so let's wrestle up all those street vendor dudes, give 'em heafty fines, then the women will flock to their nearest Lord & Taylor which will drive the stock back up and good old CEO Elfers can treat herself to those 3 Bentleys and a trip Brazil with her 20 year old boyfriend where she's going to give all the local latino kids classes on hair straightening and talking like a gringo
the big pro in this situation: nypd cops can claim mega overtime in the aggressive crackdown of these evil immigrants who brave the cold and bad weather to make a living selling cheap pocketbooks.
what? more tax money for city hall and the police department to enforce this petty legislation? why, it's starting to look a lot like christmas!
DaLata:
duh
Enforce immigration laws and the bootleg problem solves itself.
Really people. If a person can knock off an item for one hundreth the cost of the real item one must question the real cost of the original item. How can a pocket book cost $4,000? When it is probably made in the orient to begin with for a cost of maybe thirty dollars.
I buy fake watches from these guys all the time, if only because I don't want to bang up my real watches while on the job.
10 bucks lost on a banged up watch is alot better than fucking up one of my 1500 dollar Breitlings.
We don't get sales tax on all this crap and these people sell hundreds of thousands of these bags on Canal St.
I hate tourists - they come to our city and spend hundreds on the black market on those tacky fake Louis Vuitton bags. God, they are lame. Eat a salad and exercise for once!
Don't stand in the middle of the sidewalk! The subway train will move - grab a pole, and don't yelp and fall down when it moves! And look around - no one else is practically yelling and talking loudly on the subway!
Sorry, just had to rant.
We used to have a state law that banned vendors taking up space on sidewalks. I know it's like wishing Santa Claus came in right now to give me a pony, but wouldn't it be worth reenacting that?
Taking a close look at the photo, I see that the vendor is selling the cheap knock-offs, not the cheap counterfeits. Stylistically, there is a difference, they have no brand names or logos. Are they illegal as well? BTW, mine are real and they're spectacular!