I'm developing a conscience

[ShovelnTC 31]

I have really enjoyed my Rep experience and although having reduced my Rep collection down to only 3 I am now starting to feel guilty having them.

 

Now I can happily convince myself that the huge profits of companies like Rolex won't be affected by my buying a few Reps but with the attention on all of the stuff replicated since the popularity of Chinese websites lately with watches, bags, pens, guitars and now even football supporters shirts I can't help but feel a touch sorry for some of the legit organizations that rely on some of the sales of said items to keep afloat.

 

Now I'm not going to lose sleep over the board of directors of Louie Vuitton complaining that their multi-million dollar profits are down this quarter and I don't have an issue with the Chinese manufacturers and re-sellers that are up-front that they are selling replica goods but with the amount of quality copies getting around these days there has to be a lot of good people getting ripped off by low-life re-sellers selling stuff as Gen.

 

I know it's all been said before but I'm just not as comfortable with it at the moment as I once was.

 

Just my thoughts for today for what their worth.

[RUSH2112 11]

We are a drop in the ocean. Most people won't take a chance sending money to china hoping to get a deal or are too busy to research how to go about it. I wonder if rich celebrities than can afford luxury items ever feel guilty for getting paid to wear certain brands while working stiffs pay retail.

[winky 0]

whats the tme

[Kleen™ 45]

Having moral issues about giant corporations losing a few bucks on their 'immaterial property rights' is ridiculous imo.

If I should raise any moral concerns with buying reps, it would be the very real danger to the safety and well-being of the chinese workers...although it is their choice.

[RUSH2112 11]

Having moral issues about giant corporations losing a few bucks on their 'immaterial property rights' is ridiculous imo.

If I should raise any moral concerns with buying reps, it would be the very real danger to the safety and well-being of the chinese workers...although it is their choice.

I'm hesitant to tell other cultures what is appropriate for them. Especially if it is the difference between a possibly dangerous job or no job at all. Here in the US we KNOW that football is causing brain damage and early dementia but it's never been bigger and I don't see it going away soon.

[ShovelnTC 31]

I guess I didn't word my post well as my concern is more the fact that us as end users have to significantly educate ourselves in the minutest details of just about anything that we want to buy (Gen) in order to prevent ourselves being duped by some dishonest seller misrepresenting goods as Gen.

 

Now a lot of us are educated in watches but how many of our friends or relatives are so they are at risk.

 

And if you are a supporter of a particular football club then wouldn't you want the profit made on a shirt or jersey to go to your favorite club instead of some rip-off ebay seller keeping it for himself.

[gran 198]

I have really enjoyed my Rep experience and although having reduced my Rep collection down to only 3 I am now starting to feel guilty having them.

 

Now I can happily convince myself that the huge profits of companies like Rolex won't be affected by my buying a few Reps but with the attention on all of the stuff replicated since the popularity of Chinese websites lately with watches, bags, pens, guitars and now even football supporters shirts I can't help but feel a touch sorry for some of the legit organizations that rely on some of the sales of said items to keep afloat.

 

Now I'm not going to lose sleep over the board of directors of Louie Vuitton complaining that their multi-million dollar profits are down this quarter and I don't have an issue with the Chinese manufacturers and re-sellers that are up-front that they are selling replica goods but with the amount of quality copies getting around these days there has to be a lot of good people getting ripped off by low-life re-sellers selling stuff as Gen.

 

I know it's all been said before but I'm just not as comfortable with it at the moment as I once was.

 

Just my thoughts for today for what their worth.

 

Good for you. Developing a conscience is never a bad idea.

 

BTW FuckRolex

[Kcore 0]

Moral and ethical delemas such as this have been the question for all time and will always be just like "choice." To each, his or her own.

[markj113 0]

Most people that buy the reps (me included) cant afford the gens so there is no loss of sale the the genuine manufacturer.

[Wriggles 12]

And if you are a supporter of a particular football club then wouldn't you want the profit made on a shirt or jersey to go to your favorite club instead of some rip-off ebay seller keeping it for himself.

 

Except how much of it goes to the actual club and how much really goes to the sponsors on the shirt. One of the main reasons clubs get big sponsorhip deals is because the sponsors make huge money back on sales of shirts and kit.

I would say the larger portion goes to the sponsors and the lesser to the club.

 

Of course the replica stuff never makes a payment to the club but keep in mind for the real deal the big winner is the random huge international company on the front of the shirt

[Irishcain 0]

I tend to look at it like this. Large corporations have the unwavering habit of stamping out any form of competition in order to maintain ridiculously high profits. They do everything they can, from bribing officials to have laws created or changed to favor them thereby prohibiting new entry into the market, to filing frivolous law suits that are so expensive that, unless you're already a large corporation with a massive war chest, new and small businesses have no choice but to exit the market (watch the documentary Food Inc). They file tens of thousands of patent applications every year on words, phrases, and ideas that they NEVER in tend to use for anything but the basis of possible future litigation (in the new recently, one company started suing 1000's of small businesses. Search up Patent Trolls). If they're loosing money due to the rep business, then maybe there's a small business out there that'll have a fighting chance of making it big. Unless of course, it's my business that makes it big, then I'm suing all you feckers for violating my business profits. But what do I know. I started drinking early today, lol

[BadPickle 2,747]

I'm in agreement with the OP, I'm not talking about the global corporate companies who may write off a few million here and there "just because" I'm talking about right at the other end of the food chain, say the chap who has market stall two days a week selling sportswear, been in his family for generations etc.... The counterfeit sportswear members here are buying from Ali, is putting this legit market trader out of business, taking the food from their table. Members here stopping this traders income for the sake of a few measly quid, there's probably not that much profit in the market stuff anyway, but it's better than going hungry....

 

 

[dfq23 131]

I just got a "rep" shirt. It's of a shirt that hasn't even been released so yet so someone on the "inside" must have either shared the design or it's made in exactly the same factory on the same production line but maybe, between shifts, so to speak...

 

The shirt cost me 9 quid delivered. From sports direct (if you wanna talk about developing a conscience then no one would shop there!) The exact same piece of polyester from an asian sweat shop would cost about £60 so I think the morals may be dubious on both sides

 

For other sportswear I happily support local shops and often get retro ones from toffs, but football shirts are one of the biggest cons going and always have been and even more so now they change every season.

 

My most worn shirt is a 80s style umbro chelsea from a local sports emporium that unfortunately had to close down due to mister ashley's onslaughts like selling england shirts for 15 quid during the world cup.

 

Where I live now there are no independent sports shops anymore thanks to the zero hour, dismissed for being ill, name and shame over the tannoy antics of the geordie's favourite person!

 

To bring it back to watches, is it okay to get a rep tag or rolex but unethical for a nomos or sinn as much smaller companies?

[Mattcas 0]

Having moral issues about giant corporations losing a few bucks on their 'immaterial property rights' is ridiculous imo.

If I should raise any moral concerns with buying reps, it would be the very real danger to the safety and well-being of the chinese workers...although it is their choice.

I'm hesitant to tell other cultures what is appropriate for them. Especially if it is the difference between a possibly dangerous job or no job at all. Here in the US we KNOW that football is causing brain damage and early dementia but it's never been bigger and I don't see it going away soon.

 

 

Thats cause it comes with a biggggg pay check right?

[gran 198]

Fake products come at a price and we should not fully ignore that. What really bothers me is the fake medicines and fake parts for airplanes and the like being sold....now that is dangerously scary.

[Mr Stubbs 0]

If we're worried about friends, family and football clubs (or where I'm from, hockey clubs) losing out on what are purely luxury items, we've already defined this is as a first world problem.

I live in Canada and I own three dozen watches, replica and genuine, at values from $50 to $350. I'm not pulling numbers from my arse to say that compared to the ROW, I am in the top twenty percent at least. And I'm a middle class working man.

Whether you buy a genuine piece, Ali cheapie or high end replica, they're almost all made in sweatshops. I say "almost" to allow for genuine high end manufactured items like watches made in Switzerland. It makes no difference to the child on the sewing machine or the old man assembling the watch if it's a cheap genuine, a high end replica or an Ali/Canal St cheap piece of crap. The biggest impact of buying cheap replica luxury goods is on the company shareholders.

 

Edit: And I've just now convinced myself that there is no moral high ground to a "high quality" replica of anything.

[dasselin 16]

I have no love for big corporations that either screw us or screw themselves by offshoring their manufacturing to countries that they know will copy their

Product. So a few watches or electronic gadget doesn’t trouble my conscience one bit. We could go on and on whith this subject and never see the end of it.

 

No friends my conscienence dosent trouble me at all.

[NFleischer 4,355]

One can make the argument that buying a rep if you can't afford the gen doesn't really hurt the company, but I think it does 'dilute the

 

brand' somewhat. Imagine every High School guy wearing a AP LJ? It's already happened to Rolex, most in the wild are fakes, especially Subs.

 

The upside is, a small portion of Geeks like us end up buying Gen because we like the rep so much.

 

Also, there is NO valid reason for ripping off Intellectual Property, especially artistic. In that case you are often hurting an individual who's livelihood

 

depends on the sale of the record, book,etc.

[BentleySharp 0]

I'll be the first to say, um , ok, the 18th :P to say that the Chinese replica industry is completely out of control. Nothing is off limits. Even Rolls Royce is in litigation against a Chinese company making replica Rolls Royce, called the GeelyGE!!!

The Chinese replica HUMMER,

and Mini Cooper,

 

We are all used to seeing the Chinese bootleg albums and CDs, and Chinese replica clothing and handbags from the big names in Italian and French luxury designers, but nowadays it doesn't stop there. There are knockoffs of regular name brand clothes, like Abercrombie & Fitch and Nike. Nothing is off limits in the replica world.

There is replica EVERYTHING and if a person wanted, they could probably live a complete replica life. Like Gran said above, even replica medications of the big pharmocutical companies.

I said all that to say this,

I don't think that this bubble can grow indefinitely. Eventually, enough pressure will be put on the Chinese government to where there's going to be a massive crackdown, not just on clothing and handbags, or pharmicuticals (which is just the type of thing that's going to initiate the need for a crackdown) but it will be the end of days for our hobby as well.

 

So smoke 'em if ya got 'em people

 

...As for a concience... :dunno:

[GenTLe 1,501]

I tend to look at it like this. Large corporations have the unwavering habit of stamping out any form of competition in order to maintain ridiculously high profits. They do everything they can, from bribing officials to have laws created or changed to favor them thereby prohibiting new entry into the market, to filing frivolous law suits that are so expensive that, unless you're already a large corporation with a massive war chest, new and small businesses have no choice but to exit the market (watch the documentary Food Inc). They file tens of thousands of patent applications every year on words, phrases, and ideas that they NEVER in tend to use for anything but the basis of possible future litigation (in the new recently, one company started suing 1000's of small businesses. Search up Patent Trolls). If they're loosing money due to the rep business, then maybe there's a small business out there that'll have a fighting chance of making it big. Unless of course, it's my business that makes it big, then I'm suing all you feckers for violating my business profits. But what do I know. I started drinking early today, lol

 

100% agree.

Plus: I worked in both luxury and big corporation industry and the ONLY real thing they care is to make more profit and make their shareholders happy. If this means making the working environment impossible, overpush people and kick out thousand of normal employees that finish on the street they just don't give a fuck (I'm seeing this with my eyes, and for a company that had 300 million € of clean gain last year, not a company in any kind of crisis).

I really have NO sympathy for them.

[dasselin 16]

I agree with the posts above, but, still no love lost on big corporations. For the most part they broth it down on themselves by sending their product

To manufactured in China out pure greed. SO now they are making a stink about it. Well boohoo they can cry all they want I don’t give a F***K about them.

Has for the fashion world well…. F**K them to. They sent their purses, wallets and dresses to be manufactured at fraction of the cost and pocketing the difference

On our backs. I agree that it hurts them, But the little guy that was hurt was hurt a long time ago when they closed down there plants all over America and Europe

So that a very few could make more $$ sorry no sympathies there

[baxter 6]

I used to work in manufacturing here in the uk and saw a lot of manufacturing businesses going down as they failed to compete with the Chinese .... it's interesting to see that now, with the advent of Ali express and the like that the same thing is happening with retail ... the disposable income is not even going to British retailers who have bought from China and then recirculate their profits into the Uk economy, it's going straight out to Chinese pockets.

If this gathers steam and goes the same way as manufacturing did ( and i don't see why it shouldn't as it's so easy ) then i can see quite a chunk of money being removed from the British and other home economies, not all of it obviously but maybe a meaningful chunk.

I guess in the end the landscape of western economies is changing ... it's a brave new world !!

[Kcore 0]

 

Also, there is NO valid reason for ripping off Intellectual Property, especially artistic. In that case you are often hurting an individual who's livelihood depends on the sale of the record, book,etc.

 

Since this subject has come up, I'd like to discuss.

 

Here's the scenario: I purchase a movie on a DVD from a legit source either brick & mortar or online. My purchase price has paid for the IP and artistic royalties to all involved for the "movie." During the course of my owning this movie on DVD, the disc gets damaged and I can no longer watch it. What happens? I have to repurchase and pay full price for the IP and artistic rights all over again. I'm not given the choice to just pay a dollar or two for a replacement disc. After all, only the two cents plastic disc needs replacing as I already paid for the IP which is the movie.

 

This is where I believe " fair use" comes into play. I, like many, many others believe legit purchasers of a movie should be sold a discounted replacement disc by turning in a damaged one or should be allowed a single copy. I won't go into the legalities of " fair use" and copyright laws in the U.S. but it is clear the movie studios somewhat though hesitantly agree as most new movies now also come with an online digital version.

 

To further this, each and every lawsuit brought against companies that have sold or sell software programs to allow movies to be copied have based their suits not on a single copyright law, but instead have brought suit outlining a single section of the DMCA ( Digital Millennium Copyright Act) that makes it illegal to create, own, or distribute software that allows encryption circumvention.

 

Why is this? Because the movie studios know, at least their legal counsel do that a "fair use" fight would be a protracted battle with a possible disastrous outcome.

[RUSH2112 11]

Having moral issues about giant corporations losing a few bucks on their 'immaterial property rights' is ridiculous imo.

If I should raise any moral concerns with buying reps, it would be the very real danger to the safety and well-being of the chinese workers...although it is their choice.

I'm hesitant to tell other cultures what is appropriate for them. Especially if it is the difference between a possibly dangerous job or no job at all. Here in the US we KNOW that football is causing brain damage and early dementia but it's never been bigger and I don't see it going away soon.

 

 

Thats cause it comes with a biggggg pay check right?

There is enough material items in the world for you to trade years of your life? Not me. Plus, I'm china it can be difference between eating and not eating. Footballers are trading health to live in a bigger house and drive a better car.

[RUSH2112 11]

One can make the argument that buying a rep if you can't afford the gen doesn't really hurt the company, but I think it does 'dilute the

 

brand' somewhat. Imagine every High School guy wearing a AP LJ? It's already happened to Rolex, most in the wild are fakes, especially Subs.

 

The upside is, a small portion of Geeks like us end up buying Gen because we like the rep so much.

 

Also, there is NO valid reason for ripping off Intellectual Property, especially artistic. In that case you are often hurting an individual who's livelihood

 

depends on the sale of the record, book,etc.

If you actually believe this I'm wondering why you are here in this forum. It's dedicated to informing us about how to infringe on intellectual property and copyrights.