I've ordered a few new things recently that have finally come! When I can't find what I'm looking for with brands (Item is too rare and hard to find and/or far too expensive) I turn to replicas. I really liked the quality of this Angelic Pretty Sugary Carnival JSK!!~
I have three more items coming in the mail soon: AP Milky of the Fawn, AP Lamb print, and AP Lyrical Bunny!!
I really liked Angelic Pretty's Little Bear Cafe. However, not enough to purchase the real thing!
I also purchased the matching bow!
The seller was nice enough to send me this as a free gift!
She sent this as a free gift as well!!
On to the discussion!~
What do you ladies think about purchasing replicas?This is of course just an opinion, and I know there a lot of them out there, but!
Personally, I believe that there is nothing wrong with purchasing replicas. Not everyone has money for full brand prices, and that's perfectly understandable (And even those of us that do, can't always find the items we want, or simply don't feel like paying a certain price for a certain item.)
However, I have been in the lolita community for years (Since around 2006) and I do recognize a few issues with replicas, such being:
-Buying replicas drives the re-sale value of lolita way down. (In all my years buying and selling, even major economy crashes did not drive re-sale down too horribly--it was when many replica companies came into business that this arose.)
-Buying replicas may eventually drive smaller indie brands (or possibly large brands) out of business. I say this because: You, the consumer, are what funds brands like Baby, the Stars Shine Bright, Victorian Maiden, and Angelic Pretty. They're not huge multinational corporations with million dollar funds--each purchase sincerely does affect the outcome of their future lines, and prospective business. When you buy from a replica company/group, instead of funding your favourite brand, the brand you love so dealy may eventually cease producing prints...prints for replica brands to rip off. And before you know it, there might not be very many brands around!
That is, of course, a worst-case scenario, and unlikely to occur.
But either way, there is still no reason to not purchase from replica companies. To each their own, and I, obviously, have no issue with purchasing from them!
I think the best way to buy is to support major brands and buy from them to keep them in business, while also purchasing from replica brands/other brands!
~What are your opinions on the idea of purchasing replicas that rip off original brands?~