Knock off designer handbags is a big industry. It is understandable that young women around the globe want to imitate their favorite celebrities and indulge in wearing the same high fashion clothing and accessories. But many have opted to purchase knock off items like designer handbags as opposed to an authentic Louis Vuitton or Chanel.

Most women don’t want to wait to save up for the real deal or buy on a whim on a city street corner – but is this okay? Sometimes the buyer of a knock off wasn’t aware that their new ‘designer’ handbag was indeed a fake – they just thought they were fortunate enough to find a bargain.

Don’t feel embarrassed because it happens all the time. The counterfeit industry has become very sophisticated in replicating designer handbags. Even professional authenticators agree that it is now more difficult to spot a fake.

In familiar circles, purposefully buying knock off designer handbags has become unacceptable and I am about to tell you why – after hearing the truth, I think you will agree.

Counterfeit handbags are an astonishingly big business, making up 20% of all counterfeited products in circulation. It is illegal to sell counterfeit handbags and in France it is illegal to buy them. I bet it may have never entered your mind that this illegal business doesn’t pay its taxes – it is an all cash money business and yet who is making up for it? You and I! We pay taxes like all good citizens whilst the counterfeiters line their pockets with our hard earned money. More shockingly still is the fact that the counterfeiting trade is connected to terrorism, drug trafficking and child labor, amongst others.

Author, Dana Thomas wrote about the devastation the industry has on children in her book, Deluxe, How Luxury Lost its Luster. Here’s an excerpt from her book…

Sometimes the cases are truly horrific. "I remember walking into an assembly plant in Thailand a couple of years ago and seeing six or seven little children, all under ten years old, sitting on the floor assembling counterfeit letter handbags," the investigator told me as we drove away from the raid. "The owners had broken the children's legs and tied the lower leg to the thigh so the bones wouldn’t mend. He did it because the children said they wanted to go outside and play."

Nothing good comes out of buying replica handbags. Instead, using my blood, sweat and tears to save for the ultimate designer handbag is more rewarding and what some consider a great investment due to the high return in the resale market.

Now that you know some of the horrible truths behind fake designer handbags, you may be asking yourself how you can spot a fake and avoid it.

At the end of the day, there is much more satisfaction from buying an authentic designer handbag that you worked and saved hard for. Don’t be left with the guilt of buying a knock off designer handbag when you know of the terrible things related with this trade, and do your best to seek out the correct distribution channels of your next dream buy!