I Spent $925 on a Fake Canada Goose Coat

Because you want a Canada Goose coat. For some people the high price is a feature, not a problem.

He said his Canada Goose coat was great and kept him really warm.

They are indeed a very warm coat. So warm, that I prefer a Ski jacket where I can open the armpit zipper when I overheat while walking.

Remember, if you are in motion, you will generate heat, so if you are waiting for the bus a lot, a very warm coat is good. If you walk a lot in winter, you need a versatile warm coat that also allows for heat to be released so you don't sweat, and get colder.

Edit: My ski jacket is nowhere near the price of a Canada Goose Jacket, it was bought on sale for $200. So yes, they are very expensive coats and you can buy very warm coats for much cheaper. Not endorsing any specific coat, just pointing out that they are indeed very warm coats (too warm for me).

There isn't too much out there with extreme rating, so if the likes of North Face and similar brands aren't warm enough you start to consider them regardless of price. Even if they have become surprisingly trendy, for no apparent reason, price alone perhaps? So who is in the same niche with a better made, but cheaper product?

A friend of mine bought a coat from what is probably Canada Goose's main competitor in their Montreal factory store. It was expensive, even on sale, but it was also a very nice cold weather coat that fit well--in addition to looking good.

I can wear just a t-shirt underneath it when it's -30°C (-22°F for you using freedom units) on my way to the gym and still feel warm.

Why people spend that amount of money on a Canada Goose while living in a place where the temperature never hits the freezing point is beyond me though.

I live in Minnesota and wear a lighter weight parka for most of winter. On single digits days like today however I bring out my heavy duty down parka.

You don’t need a Canada Goose in the city. You are just going from warm car to warm building. Best to wear layers when jumping from in and out. Same goes for winter activities.

If you want a winter coat on a budget your best bet is probably Russian (well, USSR probably) milsurp. You might have to do a little research on how clothing is sized to find one that fits properly and you won't give off an aura of high class while wearing it though (but this is expected with any budget solution).

Do I regret it? No. I feel good when I wear it and I like reading about clothes, trying things on, and deciding what to buy.

There are a lot of fantastic clothing brands and products that are largely unknown to the general public, and a lot of really mediocre garments being sold by big-name brands. Many sponsored mountaineers and climbers wear brand X clothes because they're good, but have them embroidered with brand Y's logo because they pay the bills. Certain brands are known for using very discreet logos on their garments, because they don't want to cause trouble for people with endorsement deals for other brands.

Canada Goose jackets are reasonably well made, but they're fashion items and priced accordingly. The Snow Mountain and PBI Expedition parkas are decent enough garments for arctic use, but they're overkill for normal use. Rab, Montane or Marmot will sell you a jacket of equal or better quality for less than half the price.

Define "worth"? There are many nice jackets for 1k US$ that you can buy.

This being said, I am not aware of any military Unit wearing feather coats. And this is not a money problem. AFAIK, feather coats are warm but not well suited for continuous outdoor activity.

I live in Sweden, it does tend to get cold here. I've been using the same jacket (a heavy black fleece-lined cordura/nylon work coat) for about 15 years now, it cost me 375 kr (around $45) back then. Nobody wants to rob me, the opposite is probably true as the thing does look a bit like a police or guard uniform jacket. Had I worn something like those Canada Goose products they would not have lasted more than a year or so, probably less given that I use it while logging etc.

[1] https://polisen.se/aktuellt/nyheter/2018/november/flera-pers... (Swedish police warns about increase in robbery of expensive brands)

I'll give you a different example. Say you are in a foreign city and you use Uber. After a while you have a bad experience. Say, the driver insists you pay something which should have beem included. You contact Uber and you get a refund. So what is the resonable choice now? A. Stay with Uber and be mindful of paying extra fees. B. Take other taxis which might be better, or just scam you without any recourse. For most people it would be A. Large brands win when the market is dysfunctional.

That Amazon lets anyone seemingly be anyone, even major brands, as sellers, and lets blatant frauds continue for long periods of time, is a serious problem. This isn't the buyer's fault whatsoever.

Good they got a refund, but it's nice that they shine a light on it.

At the very least they could add a "verified/unverified" badge to store names and give verified status to manufacturer outlets.

I, too, am guilty of assuming when I buy a product it is actually the product and not a different product.

The fault lies with Amazon for knowingly and intentionally adhering minimally to the law because it is more profitable to do so than to launch an effective crackdown against counterfeiters. If they forced sellers to get verification from the companies whose products they purported to be selling, or proactively banned sellers who are obviously hawking counterfeits (before a journalist shines a spotlight on them), they'd lose profit. We need laws that require these things, and levy fines large enough to be a clear deterrent against those who break them.

Indeed, their behavior is illegal even under current law. They intentionally obfuscate the seller, and prevent revealing a seller as a counterfeiter on product pages. This is knowing abetting of counterfeiting. Amazon is almost certainly the largest and most flagrant abetter of counterfeiting in the United States.

What gave you that impression?