Illegal Street Vendors

Counterfeit Handbags in Venice

ABOVE: "Vu compra" street vendors sell fake purses and luggage on the Calle Larga XXII Marzo, west of the San Moisé church and the Piazza San Marco.

In Venice, as in other Italian cities, you're likely to encounter street vendors--most of them from Senegal--who hawk counterfeit designer purses and bags at bargain prices. The peddlers are nicknamed "vu compra" because many of them use that grammatically inelegant Italian phrase to ask "Do you want to buy?"

Should you purchase a fake designer handbag from a street vendor? The answer to that question isn't simple, but here are some facts to help you reach your own decision:

Reasons to buy:

• Counterfeit handbags vary in quality, but some are made by the same same Italian factories that manufacture designer handbags, using the same materials, designs, and techniques.

• You'll save money--especially if you're good at bargaining, since the vu compra don't have fixed prices.

• You'll be supporting African immigrants who subsist on what they earn as street vendors.

Reasons not to buy:

• Selling and buying counterfeit goods are illegal, and you could be fined up to 10,000 euros if the police conduct a sweep and you're caught with a knock-off. (See our article, "Fines for Fakes.") This may not happen often, but if you're the unlucky tourist who gets nailed to set an example, statistics won't provide much consolation.

• As mentioned above, counterfeit handbags vary in quality. If you can't tell the difference between leather and plastic or know little about handbag construction, you may discover that your bargain knock-off was a rip-off.

• Street vendors obtain their bags through middlemen, and there's no way of knowing who those middleman are (e.g., the Mafia).

• When you purchase a fake from a street vendor, you're contributing to trademark infringement and tax evasion.

If you still can't make up your mind, read an article from The New York Times (via the International Herald Tribune) titled: "In Italy, 'buying a fake bag isn't a joke'--it's a crime." And for a fictional view of the vu compra, read Donna Leon's Inspector Brunetti mystery novel, Blood from a Stone.