Real bags or imitation bags? Hopefully the dealers at Baiyun World Leather Trading Center will give you the straight story. [Photo: Wikimedia/Mark Hillary]

Housed behind an ugly attempt at a Greco-Roman facade is a massive leather trade and wholesale market whose floor space could cover several football fields. The market once played a central role in selling replica brand name products that got exported across the planet, much to the consternation of brand names such as LV, Chanel, Hermes and many others.

Today, you can probably still find some, but the sellers of these illegitimate goods are much less flagrant about them than they once were, after Washington started laying pressure on local authorities to rein in the situation. For now, big name brands knock-offs have fallen into the minority.

There are still plenty of leather and imitation leather goods from handbags to suitcases to belts. Prices for some goods start cheap, whilst others are "regular" priced, assuming you know how to bargain. As most sellers deal in wholesale, purchases of single items won't get much discount.

Buying counterfeit products hurts domestic markets, can contribute to organized crime, affects local economies, and is clearly unethical. But if you still want to buy them, you could ask around the market. Apparently it's easy to find some friendly salesperson who will lead you to a nearby residential apartment filled with imitation Burberry bags and belts.

Address: 1356,1358 Jie Fang Bei Road

Getting there: Take metro line 2, and get off at San Yuan Li.

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