Louis Vuitton Sues Ebay- Stick THAT in Yer Purse

Ebay has just lost a lawsuit filed by LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton and has been ordered to pay the luxury goods brand a whopping 38.6 million euros ($60.8 million) in damages. The Paris court has ruled that Ebay has not done enough to ensure that counterfeit LVMH products aren’t put up for sale on the site. According to the New York Times, 90 percent of Louis Vuitton bags and Dior perfumes sold on Ebay are fake. 

I know someone who once sold fake bags on Ebay and she made a pretty good living from it. She claims she never said they were real, which could be true, but I doubt someone would pay very much for a bag that is obviously a fake. She eventually had her Ebay account frozen and all her money taken. That’s pretty uncool, as I do believe some of the money she made on Ebay was not from (counterfeit) bag sales.

Over here in France, many of us living near the border go to Italy for grocery and other shopping as many things are less expensive there. There is a big outdoor market in Ventimiglia and in San Remo a few times a week, and on those days, when you are coming back and going through the toll booth into French territory, there are usually Douanes there- police from the Customs department. They aren’t there just to welcome you to France and give you a complementary beret, they are checking to see if you’ve purchased any counterfeit products, which are readily available at the outdoor markets in Italy. Occasionally the Italian police crack down on the sellers, who are usually trolling the streets with trash bags filled with counterfeit Gucci, Prada, Dolce & Gabbana, Versace; you name it.  Or they’re carrying a little photo album of what they have on offer (if you want something, you pick it from the photo album catalogue, then they run back to wherever they are storing the sunglasses or handbags or whatever and bring your selection back to you). The Italian police appear to be mostly half-hearted about the crackdowns, and the sellers are pretty slick about getting by them. So I guess that’s where the French Douanes come in- they catch the products as they come into France. Local legend says they confiscate your faux items, destroy them in front of you and then levy an enormous fine.

An unnamed friend has purchased some of these fake bags, even though I have told her she is supporting human trafficking, child labor and goodness knows what else, and it’s tacky! If you have the money, why would you buy a vinyl bag that is going to fall apart in a month? As I’ve mentioned before, I love my Louis Vuitton bag. And I know that craftsmen in France made my bag. She has gone through at least 5 bags while my LV looks brand new. Sheesh! I should be getting a sales commission from Louis Vuitton!