Fake Hermès bags worth $1.8m seized in Georgia

Nearly 200 counterfeit Hermès bags with an estimated retail price of $1.8m have been seized by customs officers in Georgia, US.

The shipment - which was en route from China to an address in Atlanta - was seized at Georgia's Port of Savannah seaport and was made up of counterfeit Hermès Birkin copies manifested as polyurethane handbags. The originals retail for nearly $10,000 apiece.
 
The seizure is the Port of Savannah’s third multi-million dollar seizure of counterfeit goods this year. In July, customs seized 377 cartons of counterfeit sunglasses with an estimated manufacturer's suggested retail price $1.6m, and in April officers seized more than $1m in counterfeit soccer clothing.

"Counterfeit goods pose a potentially serious safety threat to consumers and economic loss to US businesses," said Lisa Beth Brown, Area Port Director in Savannah, Georgia.

"Enforcing intellectual property rights (IPR) remains a top trade priority for US Customs and Border Protection," she added. The counterfeit handbags will be destroyed.

Such is the appeal of the Hermès Birkin bag that there is a thriving secondary market - for both pre-owned and vintage items - and it is thought that many counterfeits end up through these sales channels.

When shopping for these iconic bags it is important to check that they are hand- and not machine-stitched (fakes will have stitching that lookstoo straight and even), have handles that stand straight up and down without a bend or kink, and have heavy, quality-feeling clasps and other hardware.

Toggles and zippers will also have a smooth action, and the leather used to manufacture the bags will generally be grained and not smooth. Importantly, no Hermès bag is sold with an authenticity card, although the fakes are sometimes supplied with one to give the appearance of being genuine.