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A fake Chanel bag - Source: ONE News -
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Lawyers representing French fashion giant Chanel are investigating a small Auckland gift shop for selling fake versions of its handbags.
ONE News discovered the shop is not only selling the bags and wallets but they are also happy to shop to order. The handbags and wallets are on offer for just under $200.
During hidden camera recording by ONE News, a shopkeeper is heard saying the items are from below ground places in the likes of Shanghai.
Customs says fakes cross the border daily and while it is not illegal if the product is for personal use, it is illegal if you are planning to sell it.
"It is a growing problem. It's a worldwide issue, it's not something that's going to go away and it will probably increase over time," says Customs' Dave Meredith.
Customs have the power to detain goods for 10 days and more often than not importers surrender their stock to be destroyed.
"We intervene, we run alert based systems, we examine goods and we work across the range of goods coming across the border at any one time," Meredith says.
Chanel is one of the world's leading fashion houses, a label worth a fortune and synonymous with luxury, so lawyers are hired locally to protect the brand and they seek out fakes for sale.
The Auckland shop's owner, Deborah Westgate, admitted to ONE News that she makes many trips to China for the fakes.
"I've bought them in about four times. Customers will say 'Are you going to bring some more in', so I guess I've been a little bit encouraged," Westgate says.
She says she does not see the harm in selling a few handbags.
"It's not taking anything away from Chanel, because those people are never going to buy a genuine Chanel anyway," she says.
If prosecuted and found guilty, the maximum penalty for selling the fake products is a $150,000 fine or up to five years in prison.
The shop has since stripped its shelves and will surrender the bags if asked.
Customs investigators have meanwhile launched an inquiry to find out how the bags slipped through the border undetected.
