So we hear that it’s not only fake luxury handbags that are drawing bargain hunters into China. Because as of recent, a new craze has hit the country and is busy infecting everyone within the vicinity with yet another round of “brand” fever.
This time, it’s with fake paper shopping bags.
What? Yes, really.
Fake paper bags that carry famous brands as well as paper boxes and ribbons are selling (and selling really well) on websites. The brands in mention are such as Hermes, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Prada, and Burberry. As a matter of fact, a random search using the keyword combination of “paper bag” along with any luxury brand will draw up a list of dozens of links.
On Taobao, the most widely used shopping website in China, there are more than 80 online stores selling Chanel paper shopping bags. Some 70 are selling Gucci paper shopping bags. And let’s not even get started on the other famous brands.
The bags are usually priced between five yuan (RM2.50) to 40 yuan (RM20).
Though most of us are still wondering why these would appeal to people (are there even viable reasons for this?), some buyers have come out to defend their reasons for purchase by saying that paper bags with brand names are better looking than the ordinary ones. One woman even said, “I use it to carry gifts for my friends”.
Uh. Okay sure. That’s nice.
But we definitely don’t want to be the ones opening a Chanel shopping bag only to find something un-Chanel inside.
