Counterfeit Handbags Thrive in New York City

The counterfeit handbag business in New York City is alive and well, even as the major handbag designers fume! There are no actual statistics available on New York street vendors but estimates by New York City's Comptroller puts the figure at about one billion dollars in tax revenues lost because of the counterfeit handbag business.

For the most part, the fake handbags are made in China and vendors report that they get their products from Long Island City, Queens, and Brooklyn. The biggest sellers are fake Chanel and counterfeit Louis Vuitton handbags.

The police have basically thrown up their hands at the impossibility of controling street vendors but recent legistature passed (May 24, 2005) makes it illegal to possess designer labels, even without the handbags. This bill still needs to undergo passage by the Senate to become finalized.

There is also a vendor overhaul bill being considered that would limit the number of vendors to 6 per block but would expand the number of streets that they could sell their wares.

Without consumers, there would be no illegal trade in counterfeit handbags. Informal polls however, show that the public buying these products have a lack of concern with the rights of major handbag designers. The attitude that seems to be reflected is that no harm is done. As long as this perception persists, there will always be people to buy these illegal handbags.