Dooney and Bourke have put out a warning about “counterfeit” Disney Dooney and Bourke bags.

“The availability of counterfeit products has grown over 10,000% in the last two decades.  The United States, Italy and France are among the countries most negatively affected by counterfeiting. These countries thrive on producing high-value products that are protected by intellectual property rights and trademarks. By 2017, the U.S. was estimated to be losing up to $600 billion each year. Buyers might see a “good deal” but not fully understand how their buying decisions have worldwide consequences. China is the major producer and supplier of counterfeit goods worldwide, while the United States is the largest consumer of fakes. Buyers also might find themselves with a cheap knockoff that falls apart after a few uses. Counterfeit goods are made using cheap and potentially hazardous materials that may be harmful to consumers and the environment.  ”

This is not surprising to me. I’ve seen it happen many times with bigger name purse brands (and other types of items.) But in this case it is a bit weird because it’s only one print that they know of.

“Currently, there are two known counterfeit Disney Dooney & Bourke handbags available on the market. These bags are produced illegally in China and are available in the White Sketch print on coated cotton in two silhouettes: the letter carrier crossbody bag and the small satchel.”

Here are the real versions:

Of course they don’t want you to buy fakes because they lose money. I don’t blame them, but here’s the hard part.

“Because the sale of counterfeit accessories is such a big moneymaker, it is getting more and more difficult to spot the real items from the fakes. Some bags are even produced in the same Chinese factories as the authentic goods without permission to do so.”

This happens a lot, with a lot of items. Toys are one of the big markets too.  The factories being hired to make the items, then take left over parts and make more to sell out the back door.  I think that might be the case here because they admit there really aren’t any obvious ways to spot the fakes. Most likely because they are made with official parts, the only reason they aren’t “official” is because Disney or Dooney and Bourke didn’t sell them.

“Even with side by side comparisons of the real Disney Dooney & Bourke White Sketch small satchel, it is hard to tell which one is fake and which one is genuine. Unfortunately, the prints look extremely similar and there are currently no known obvious signs on how to spot the fakes.”

(Real bag on the left, counterfeit on the right)

So how do I avoid counterfeit bags?

The only real way to avoid this is to buy from Disney parks or Shop Disney. The article even goes as far as to say not to buy from resellers at all.

“If you are looking to purchase either the White Sketch Small Satchel or Letter Carrier, DisneyDooneyandBourke.com strongly recommends that you purchase them directly from the Disney Parks or ShopDisney. Buying these two bags from a reseller or second hand is not advised. While counterfeit Disney Dooney & Bourkes can sell for $40-$50, the real thing retails between $178 and $198. If it is too good to be true, it probably is!”

I think it is dangerous to make the comment they just made. Now, the fraudulent sellers to raise their prices so people don’t know they are fake.

Going out to eBay I don’t see any in either price range. Most go for a lot more.

It’s something to be aware of going forward, although it sounds like they are identical so if you accidentally have one I don’t think it’s going to hurt you much. However, if we would like Disney and Dooney and Bourke to continue making new bags we should support the real ones. Otherwise they will stop.

Source: DisneyDooney.com, a friend