20/20 aired an investigative piece last week on the widespread problem of counterfeit designer shoes being sold all over the internet. They uncover that there are thousands of sites selling "authentic" Christian Louboutins, Manolo Blahniks and other designer shoes for a fraction of the original retail price. I'm not sure if this issue is worthy of an investigative news story as common sense should prevail here. Sure, it would be great to get a pair of authentic Loubs for less than $200, but is really possible? Due to the highly covetable nature of designer shoes, distribution is limited and heavily controlled and prices rarely drop below the 50% mark. Furthermore, even if a couple of authentic pairs slip through the distribution crack and end up on the grey market, it's wholly unrealistic to think that thousands of sites have boundless and ready to ship merchandise at their disposal.
I believe the people who are buying from these site are not idiots. They know what they're buying and are okay with the "Made in China" price and quality. What are your thoughts?
fake from left to right, head to bottom
stark difference between the real Christian Louboutin Rolando Roccia on the left and the fake on the right
