Karmaloop Update
If you have been putting off getting the Sabochan or Sandy Cactus Friends vinyl toys, Karmaloop has them in stock now on their Toys Page – and you can get them for 20% off with Rep Code SR426 at checkout.
Guide to Fake Tokidoki Bags Update
I recently updated #5 of my How to Avoid Fake Tokidoki Bags on eBay guide to include information about the new batch of second generation original Tokidoki print bags that recently hit the LeSportsac Seattle outlet store. I also included some photos of the hardware on fake Pirata bags that have been showing up on eBay lately at the end of #5 so that you can weed out the Pirata fakes more easily.
Tokidoki Bag Archive Update
I am working on updating the Tokidoki Bag Archive on this site again, and I am (finally!) finishing up the Fall 2006 season of bags and getting ready to start adding the Winter 2006 bags. I should have more time to work on the guide again for the next few days, so hopefully I’ll make some decent progress.
These fake bags make me sad =(
I know what you meam ChristineDior. They were on the escalator with me and they were looking down at me and my inferno bag and probably thinking I didn’t notice…but I did.
I wonder if they know their bags are fake. I hope they at least know it.
O__O I would feel quite odd walking around with a fake bag. I mean, if they know it’s fake and they’re ok with it then more power to them..but the people who made the bags should be ashamed of themselves.
I recently just became obssessed with tokidoki bags… My mom told me “wow they are too expensive i bet fake ones are cheaper” yuck xD if i know something is fake i wont wear it. to me its better to have nothing than a cheap rip off of it.
plus people who make fakes or sell fake are lame… they basically trick people into buying fakes when they couldve gotten an authentic one for just a little bit more money.
if it wasnt for this blog i probably wouldve been suckered into buying one on ebay >.
I saw some fakes on the streets as well and MAN.. the quality is really bad. However, the pricing is less than 5% of the original pricing and I guess that is what that attracted people to purchase them.
I do agree with Jenn that if i didn’t become crazy over tokidoki stuff and didn’t read the “how to differentiate fake” blog, I will have never been able to tell between the fakes and the authentic ones.
Thanks again for this wonderful blog, at least I won’t get cheated off my money from those heartless sellers ( those who claim that their fakes to be real !!) in ebay and yahoo auctions.
i wonder if those people were together or if they just both happened to be at the same place at the same time with the bad fakes. my guess is that they were together.
Oh the humanity! People who make fake designer bags should look at themeselves to see what they have done! I would be embarrassed to carry a fake bag! I do remember seeing someone at the mall with a fake inferno. Without the guide to fake bags on this site. I wouldn’t even know that it was a fake bag.
But I understand what Jenn has to go through with her mom. Every time I go to the mall I show my dad a tokidoki for lesportsac bag. The first thing he checks is the price tag!!! He says it is wayy to expensive for a plasic looking bag! But he did admits that he liked the designs of the tokidoki collection. Oh well at least I have a couple Tokidoki bags that aren’t fake.
Xoxo
Brie
I think its only a matter of time before these fake bags flood the US market. Pretty soon they will be everywhere, just like overseas. Personally, I think if you dont mind a fake bag you can still sport the really cool artwork for a fraction of the price. Ive never been a fan of Lesportsac in its own right, its the art that makes the bag so nice. Technically, the bags are nylon, so they shouldnt cost so much. I think if your spoiled and you can afford to sport one thats great, but then those are the same people who think they are better then everybody else because they can afford to spend a rediculous amount of money on a nylon bag that would otherwise cost 10.00 at walmart if not for the Lesportsac logo, and Im sure if walmart can legally get there hands on these things you can look foward to seeing the fakes there too. Sorry label whores, good things just arent meant to last, I hope you got your moneys worth.
I agree with Jackie…
I don’t want to spend all my money on a bag I can get cheaper.
I love Tokidoki, but their things are just too expensive for me.
I really don’t care about labels.
Jen, saying that you’d rather have no bag than a fake bag really makes me kind of mad.
I’d take the fake bag any day, but that’s just me.
There are people out there who can’t even afford the knockoffs. So yeah… Labels don’t mean a thing, and PERSONALLY, I think that anyone who uses 100+ dollars on a bag just for a label… They have issues.
~Pai-chan
Jackie – spare us your whining. If you are into fake bags, you are at the wrong blog.
Pai, I’m sure that NO ONE that reads this blog is buying tokidoki bags “just for a label.” The real bags are of MUCH better quality than the fakes – and of course when you buy a real bag, it supports the actual artist who created tokidoki rather than supporting people ripping off his work. To me, the fakes look cheap, tacky and cheesy – not to mention often being misshapen.
Personally, I agree with Jenn – to me it’s better to have nothing than a cheap rip-off of it.
I don’t buy the bags just for the labels, I find that LeSportsac bags are quite durable. In my experience the cheaper bags I have bought haven’t lasted that long and it has cost a lot of money to replace them so many times.
I have bought the Tokidoki prints because I want to support the designer so he continues to make them.
Not everyone who has the money to buy these bags are shallow. I couldn’t always afford to buy bags like these and during that time I didn’t buy any.
Personally, I believe that we all work hard for our money and should purchase whatever we want to without people judging.
Sorry, I’m not sure if this is the right place to ask this, but does anyone know if this is a fake or not?
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=200135902 169
I like it, and I thought maybe it’s part of that Fornarina/Combo merchandise that was only released in Europe… but I don’t really know, and I don’t want to end up with a fake..
Any help would be much appreciated!
I had fakes just to hold me over until I was able to get a real one. As for Jackie calling people label whores, you are truly closed minded.
Can people y’know, buy expensive, authentic tokidoki bags because they are devoted fans and true appreciators of Legno’s work?
Oh god. I was in the Sanrio store in Oakland chinatown yesterday to buy a huge plush Totoro for my friend, and my mom pointed out some fake Tokidokis in the store. What on EARTH is going on here?! I went up for a closer look and it was all wrong. I didn’t have a camera to take pictures, but it looks like fakes are slowly trickling in… to find them in the Hello Kitty store of all places was pretty shocking in itself.
check out this store, i found it while on a hunt for more tokidoki stuff… it seems fake but i am not an expert yet… can someone tell me if this is genuine or fake stuff made to scam pple out of their hard-earned, tokidoki-craving cash?
http://www.chicki.co.uk/tokidoki/cat_26.html
AAARRGHHH i just had to write to say every item on my site is 100% genuine. I search high and low in Europe for new and limited edition items and original styles. The Tokidoki brand came out of Europe about 3-4 years ago and there are a few companies who are liscensed to produce items under the Tokidoki name currently. It seems the fakes are all le sportsac rip offs coming out of Asia and being sold through ebay and market stalls.
We cannot get hold of lesportsac bags over here and i hear that you can now pick up the fakes in London. Many ppl probably don’t even know what they are buying. They just think they are getting a cute bag for a good price until someone points it out. But i don’t suppose these ppl would care much.
Vicky – I will back you up that all of your items are authentic (and incredibly cute!!). Sorry, I must have missed d0d0′s comment when it was originally posted. Many of us love your shop!!
I’m new to the tokidoki bags as well but very obsessed…lol….I suppose buying a real Tokidoki used is much better than buying a new fake one if those are your only options? I just can’t rationalize paying $160 for something I’m going to use and not store away safe, lol.
Even though there are some people that purchase the bags without knowing that they are fake, they usually aren’t aware of that. They buy them because the bag, not the label, appeal to them. I know one of you mentioned this before, but I felt I needed to emphasize it.
While I don’t agree that it’s right that the designers of those fake bags are stealing off someone else’s art, I think that the bags aren’t necessarily evil.
As most some of us realize, the real Tokidoki bags are expensive. I saw a display at Macy’s and fell in love with the bags. I had visited the offical site before that, and fell in love with the designs. (I’m a total fan of anime and cute things, so seeing these two mixed together was pretty cool.) I ended up buying one of the bigger ones, but started to feel really guilty. I almost wanted to return it, but I just accepted the guilt and I’m glad I kept it. I don’t know if I’d ever spend that much money again, but I’m glad I got one while I had the naive willpower.
Anyway, do any of you ever think that there are some people who don’t have that much money to buy even a single bag? People who may be lower class or lower middle-class. I mean, I’m not rich, but luckily I had received a lot of Chirstmas money that year. What if there are some people who, though they were poor, saw the fake bags and the prices of them? (Usually the fake bags are a lot cheaper.) Don’t you think that maybe being able to purchase the cheaper bags would probably make their day? They may be aware that the bags are fake, but just the fact that the bags look similar to the real ones would probably make them happy.
Now I doubt the people who make the fake bags are doing that to make people happy – they are just making a quick buck. But I am pretty sure there are a few people out there who are happy to have been able to afford the cheap fake bag vs. the real expensive.
Wow!!! This is so enlightening!!!
I guess, if people are going to sell the fakes, then they need put that in their listing. Of course if they do that, their listing will be removed.
I personally feel that a person took their own creative talent, and created a work of art! Therefore, that person should relish in the glory of the item they created. They shouldn’t have to look behind their back only to see someone copying their work, and producing them like cookie cutter replicas. By copying that person, you are not using your own talent of creativity.
I don’t feel it show much integrity. There are many purses out there that are adorable and reasonably priced…so why not purchase those???
By the way…can someone tell me if this one is REAL?
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=1502 51520445&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=005
thanks
By the way which shop is your Vicky?
I persoally would not buy or sell a fake of anything!!! It shows no RESPECT for others!!!
I agree I would rather not wear it at all, then buy a fake…I personally feel like I am steeling from the original designer.
By the way I am a big FAN of LOUIS VUITTON……and those are expensive!!! The real bags are gorgeous…and fakes are just not eye pleasing…I have a couple of real LV’s….and I work hard, so I will spend my money on whatever I choose.
Now I have Tokidoki L’Amore…..and I am proud to carry such a beautiful and quality purse!!!
A year ago I purchased a tokidoki bag from a Chinashop store. I was pretty sure it was a knockoff, but I bought it anyways. I bought it because I knew that I would never be able to afford a 150 dollar bag, and in my area it would’ve gotten stolen pretty quickly.
The main reason i have never bought designer things is because of how quickly they are stolen. I get paranoid when I wear or carry something that cost me so much. Also, I like to get a lot of different bags.
While I understand that it may be disrespectful the original designer, it is my own opinion that they chose to list their things at the prices they do, and in that way make them unaffordable to certain people. I respect the work the designer put in, but I have to admit I don’t have the money for a real one that could get stolen or damaged. I am more practical person than anything, and 170 dollars a bag is too steep for me. I also believe that people who put their purses at such prices realize that there will be knockoffs made and that they’ve already accepted that, though it doesn’t exactly make them happy.
This is merely how I feel and how my pocketbook feels.
Also, I just wanted to add, a lot of us who get fake purses know they are fake. It’s hurtful when people scoff at those of us who choose not to buy straight into Coach or LV. We can’t all afford those types of purses, and it seems sort of silly to me for someone to be so disgusted at someone simply because of their purse choice.
Melanie – While you certainly have a right to your opinion, this is simply not an appropriate place to attempt to defend fakes. This blog is for fans of real tokidoki items.
I think all she’s doing is trying to explain from her side of the bit. I don’t think she’s saying it’s right for someone to take another person’s designs and create knockoffs. She’s only saying why those girls in your pictures and she purchased these knockoffs.
I think it only sounded defensive because it does sound like some of the people who posted scoff at those with knockoffs like it’s a crime, you know?
Sarah – You have the same IP address as Melanie.
Therefore your “she” = “I”.
Also, knockoffs are the product of counterfeiting, which is a crime that tokidoki aggressively works to prosecute (with my full support!).
I stumbled upon here because a friend of mine happens to like this crazy weird sounding thing called ‘Tokidoki’, mind you I laughed my arse off when I heard its name. I am not defending fakes, because I like authentic stuff myself. But I think some of your should really calm it and think from another perspective.
If there was someone, like me, who had no damn idea about this ‘tokidoki’ thing or craze, happened to saw the design (which is quite cute, but not my taste), and liked it, and bought it because, well, it was a cute design and everything. Not knowing, they just picked up a fake, knock off of a brand name. They, are not to be blamed, more like it, they should be educated, and told that it is a fake, and they, if you really do like the design, purchase, (maybe) a real one.
Of course, not all will go and buy one just because the fans told you it was a fake, or, some will, because they really do like the design and would support the original artists. It isn’t a CRIME like some of you people seem to think, but it can be also a misunderstanding, because that person might never have been in contact with this design.
But to me, I don’t know, $160 for this type of bag is definitely not my cup of tea. Not that I can’t afford a $160 bag or anything, but it doesn’t seem that it is seriously worthy it to me, but would be for you, as I mean, I would go and spend $600 on a Gucci bag, so different taste.
But I just think that you guys should just CHILL. I mean it if it is BIG brand names like LV and Gucci, Dior etc, and people buy fakes, they KNOW it is fake coz it is so damn obvious? Whilst customers of this brand, might not happen to know the ‘craze’ and the ‘oh so big big brand’ of this and hence, just buy a fake one because of lack of knowledge.
So I just don’t think you guys should judge those people who do carry those bags as a criminal or a ‘bad’ person. For heavens sake, there are always other sides to the story. I mean, not for those designer brands, because, heck everyone knows them and everything, and half the people carrying it, are carrying fakes ANYWAY. Whilst for this brand, not many people actually know the ‘brand’ they are carrying, so just chill.
I, personally would support authentic. As I own authentic bags/hand bags and know that it is also a ‘class’, a ‘symbol’ and a ‘status’ thing that people want. That is normal. And of course, people who have authentic things tend to really put down those who carry fakes, because ‘they are of lower class’, probably not as rich etc. But, always stop and think, they might have a reason… Because I knew I had a reason when I bought my one and only fake bag in my entire designer collection. And I know the feeling and the reason I did so, so I can always stop, and think why.
Grow up and think before you accuse people. It is your accusations and remarks that got me to post this anyway, because I think you people should stop being so mean to those who either defend fakes, or give a reason why there might be fakes going on. Stop being so childish.
Btw, don’t know if you EVER crossed your minds, that it might be a sign that is is gaining popularity? Why one earth would someone duplicate these weird looking things unless they are gaining popularity? Gee.
Well, I can sort of understand why some people will purchase fakes. They just don’t have the money to shell out $60-500 for the real deal, so they purchase a fake version instead. Rather than put out a decently priced bag, the high prices have driven many to purchase fakes instead. Some know that they are fake, some don’t. Most do, but some just think that they’re getting the deal of a lifetime.
Now me personally, I prefer the real thing. I do have a fake bag that I purchased before I knew how to tell them apart (all I knew was the general styling of the bag), but I just can’t get the same joy in it that I do with my real tokidoki bag. However, I’m not going to look down on someone just b/c they can’t afford to get the real deal. Posting pictures & poking fun at them is just plain mean. Maybe the abundance of people carrying fakes is a sign that you should lower the prices on the bags so everyone can afford them?
I do want to say that counterfeiting is still a crime, but I’m just trying to explain why some people will willingly buy a fake. They just can’t afford a $300 bag, even if they save up. I’m not saying that all of the tokidoki bags should be dirt cheap, but making a line where the prices only go as high as $60-ish would be nice. Heck, it could even be a charity line where part of the proceeds go towards the charity of the company’s choice so the company looks even better for it.
I just wanted to leave a comment for a moment. I want to tell everyone that over a year and a half ago I was in London, UK and purchased two bags called “sport” I had never seen bags like these before and all I knew was that they were adorable, and actually really good quality. I purchased another one while traveling this past summer in California and it to was called “sport”. It wasn’t until just last week that I actually found out they were knock-offs, and I have been searching hi and low to find where to find more. Although I do not support the pirating of ideas, I also do not support the snobbery of some people who can’t stand the thought of ever soiling their bodies with anything but designer products. I myself have never been a label person and I never will be, but I will definately be keeping a lookout for nice tokidoki bags on sale.
All of you people defending fake bags DO NOT GET IT. It has NOTHING to do with snobbery, and it has nothing to do with only wearing designer brands. Your ignorance disgusts me. Whoever you want to blame for having the fake bag (the factory, the store, the purchaser, etc) is STEALING money from the creator of the work. It’s that simple. You are taking money out of his pocket for all the hard work he put into creating what he made. Why are you so important that you get to tell him what he should retail his bags for? If it isn’t worth the price then you can go and create your own artwork, find your own fabric maker, get your own seamstress, find your own factory, get your own contract, your own distributors, and your own shipping department and do it yourself. Or carry around a fake bag and have everyone talk about it.
Whether or not a person chooses to purchase a fake bag it is up to them, but as it has been said this is a blog for fans of tokidoki. Not fans of flowers and spring or any of the counterfit bag brands. That being said I personally love this blog because it has helped me, a late to the plate tokidoki fan, find authentic prints from the earlier years. If you cannot afford it, do what everyone else does, stake out ebay and wait for a really good deal. Until you have to pay for someone to make, stock, anwser phones, distribute, and run a website company, you cannot possibly decide how much to charge for a bag. Btw…chicki.co.uk is Vicky’s store and sells absolutely cute items.