Why take out a hefty loan for the price of a high-quality luxury handbag when you can easily buy a lookalike item online for more than half the original price?
At least, that’s what some shoppers have come to believe amid the increasing “dupe” trend taking over the fashion industry. But what happens when those counterfeits, like a fake Louis Vuitton bag from DHGate, are the harmless purchase that ultimately blocks you from easy entry into the United States?
‘Dupes’, also known as cheaper alternatives to products that often go viral online, have become an inevitable part of the fashion ecosystem thanks to international online retailers like Temu, DHGate and AliExpress.
TikTok has only escalated this growing trend, with viral posts from influencers showing off their coveted purchases and users recommending cheaper alternatives to these overhyped products.
It’s no secret that copycat designs have always been prevalent in the fashion and beauty industries. To some, a dupe is simply a product that mimics the results of another popular (and more expensive) item, while an item that masquerades as another item is generally considered counterfeit.
‘A dupe is short for duplicate, while counterfeit is identical’ Bernard Garbya fashion commentator with more than 412,000 followers on TikTok, tells DailyMail.com.
“With counterfeiting, they put the Louis Vuitton logo on it or the Dior logo on it and say this is actually Louis Vuitton, even though it’s not Louis Vuitton. A dupe would be shaped like a Dior bag, the handles, but not the Dior logo.”
However, the line between a dupe and a counterfeit item is often blurred in the eyes of shoppers… and can lead to serious consequences.
A ‘dupe’ is a product that mimics the results of another popular item, while an item that masquerades as another item is generally considered counterfeit

Americans have reported having their Global Entry applications denied or revoked by USCBP after purchasing counterfeit bags from international sites such as Temu and DHGate
Amy Conrada 37-year-old content creator from Texas, took to TikTok earlier this month to share an important warning after influencer Kylan Darnell – known for her Bama Rush videos – admitted that some of the designer handbags she shared in her viral Christmas gifts were actually fake.
“It is illegal to own counterfeit goods,” Conrad said in a TikTok with more than 371,000 views. ‘You may think: ‘But a lot of people buy those goods. You won’t get charged by the government or go to jail unless you buy hundreds of them.’
“But every year there are countless people who have their global entry status denied,” Conrad claimed. “So, if you have a Global Entry and like it, or if you don’t have it and you want to get it in the future, if there is a record of shady shipments to your address, there’s a very good chance that your Global Entry— application will be rejected.’
Many people on the Internet have since reported how their dupe designer purchases led to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency denying their application for Global Entry — a membership program that allows pre-approved travelers expedited entry upon arrival in the United States to get. .
On Redditone user explained how they bought an authentic Starbucks Stanley cup from Japanese online marketplace Mercari, amid last year’s Stanley Cup craze.
“I waited a few weeks for it but it never showed up, so I opened a case with Mercari and they refunded me,” they wrote. “About a month or two after purchasing it, I got a piece of paper from customs saying they had confiscated it.”
The online shopper didn’t bat an eye until weeks later they received notification that their application for global access had been denied due to “previous customs or agricultural violations.”
DailyMail.com has contacted CBP for comment.

Influencer Kylan Darnell went viral on TikTok for her Christmas collection filled with luxury and designer bags, only to later admit some items were counterfeit
It turns out they weren’t the only ones reprimanded by CBP for buying dupes online.
“I’ve been through the same thing,” someone else said on Reddit. ‘I bought a pair of sneakers online that turned out to be fake and my GE was revoked. I have requested a reconsideration, but it is still pending.”
According to the CBPany U.S. applicant may be deemed ineligible for the Global Entry program if he or she is found to be in violation of any customs, immigration, or agricultural regulations or laws in any country.
China-based e-commerce companies such as Shein, Temu and DHGate have been raising eyebrows for some time now. Recently, the United States Trade Representative released the findings of its 2024 Review of Notorious Markets for Counterfeiting and Piracy. The report on its site, DHGate called “a large number of counterfeits” and described how “sellers of counterfeit goods reportedly continue to evade detection by using code words and digitally blurred logos.”
DailyMail.com has contacted DHGate for comment.
Meanwhile, controversial fast fashion retailer Shein was previously accused by independent designers of infringement-related racketeering activity in a first-of-its-kind RICO lawsuit. The lawsuit, filed in California federal court in July 2023, accused the clothing giant of using a “secret algorithm” to identify trending art and reproduce the independent designs for Shein’s website.
Nevertheless, these sites claim to be compliant with US intellectual property rights, perhaps at the risk of losing millions of US-based buyers. The 2024 USTR report said DHGate last year introduced an intellectual property enforcement program that includes a new online complaint portal and significant investments in AI-based screening tools to detect and remove counterfeit goods.
Most online marketplaces such as Amazon or eBay have their own takedown processes and built-in counterfeit reporting forms, and are protected from liability if they respond to takedown requests in a timely manner.

An estimated 49 percent of Gen Z shoppers and 44 percent of millennials have intentionally purchased a dupe of a premium product at some point
But despite this crackdown, dupes are somehow still more in demand than ever. A 2023 poll from Morning consultation found that about 49 percent of Gen Z shoppers and 44 percent of millennials have intentionally purchased a dupe of a premium product at some point. This is largely thanks to TikTok, where videos with the hashtag #dupe have been viewed nearly six billion times to date.
“The thing about trademarks, logos and products is that we as a society attach a lot of meaning to what they represent, and especially what it says about us when we wear them or are seen with them,” says Cece Xie, a former corporate lawyer. specializes in intellectual property, told DailyMail.com
“It’s kind of a natural consequence that we strive to have that meaning, when we might not necessarily have the money, especially when we’re younger, to buy the actual product,” she continued. “Because it’s so much easier to promote dupes or make a TikTok, it’s now easier to find out.”
To some, it may seem as if dupe culture has simply leveled the playing field; now anyone can stunt with the hottest viral product or latest handbag on their shoulder, and others are none the wiser. But as these online retailers rake in millions of dollars every year from copycat inventory, it’s the independent designers and small businesses who reap the financial losses.
It appears dupe culture is here to stay, despite the U.S. ban on the short video platform that could potentially upend the economy TikTok has cultivated from influencers and brands pushing out cheap alternatives to viral products.
And while it’s unclear exactly what economic impact that ban might have, the rise of dupe culture has nonetheless signaled a change in the way we shop as a whole.
‘We all know that it is ethical to support the designer. But at the end of the day, if you’re in that demographic that’s driven by budget, where you have to make budget-conscious purchasing decisions, you’re most likely going to buy what you can afford,” Garby said.
‘It is not up to the consumer to ultimately decide what is good.’