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Comment by Pinus | Hacker News Reader

A bit off topic: Like Amazon, Fnac.com seems to be drifting towards being a "marketplace" rather than a vendor. (I have only shopped in their brick-and-mortar shops, as a tourist in France, so maybe it has always been like this; I don't know.) Do they have the same issues as Amazon with counterfeit goods?

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Counterfeit goods is not so present in France, definitely not on Fnac and neither really an issue on amazon.fr. the issue is more with Chinese drop shipping of the same article with different brand name. You cannot find a thing on amazon.fr, I guess it is the same in the US

I'm not sure how it is in the US, but the simple fact of coming back with a Louis Vuitton bag from a country known for counterfeiting might trigger an investigation from the customs, with confiscation + fine if you wear a counterfeit.

https://www.economie.gouv.fr/dgccrf/Publications/Vie-pratiqu...

Which is especially comical If you've ever wandered through the street markets of Saint-Ouen just outside of Paris - stall after stall of haute couture brand merchandise priced under 10 euros.

> I'm not sure how it is in the US, but the simple fact of coming back with a Louis Vuitton bag from a country known for counterfeiting might trigger an investigation from the customs, with confiscation + fine if you wear a counterfeit.

This is utter nonsense, unless your counterfeit bag is still in packaging and obviously brand new. And even then, no way you’re getting in trouble unless you have a luggage full of them.

Not only are the odds of having your luggage inspected by customs while flying to France nonexistent, the odds of getting trouble during a customs inspection because you have a fake bag in your luggage are also nonexistent.

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