Why take out a hefty loan for the price of a quality, luxury handbag when you can simply purchase a lookalike item online for more than half-off the original price?. At least, that's what some shoppers have begun to believe amid the rising 'dupe' trend taking over the fashion industry. But what happens when those copycat goods, such as a knock-off Louis Vuitton purse from DHGate, is the innocuous purchase that ultimately leads you to be denied easy access back into the United States?.
![[Americans have reported getting their Global Entry application denied or revoked by USCBP after purchasing knockoff bags from international sites like Temu and DHGate]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/13/22/94053805-14279547-image-a-13_1736805825728.jpg)
'Dupes,' also known as cheaper alternatives to products often going viral online, have become an inevitable part of the fashion ecosystem thanks to international online retailers like Temu, DHGate, and AliExpress. TikTok only escalated this growing trend, with viral shopping hauls from influencers showing off their highly coveted purchases and users recommending cheaper alternatives for these over-hyped products.
![[Influencer Kylan Darnell went viral on TikTok for her Christmas haul filled with luxury and designer bags, only to later admit that some of the items were counterfeit]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/13/22/94053785-14279547-image-a-14_1736805847551.jpg)
It's no secret that copycat designs have always been prevalent in the fashion and beauty industry. For some, a dupe simply constitutes a product that mimics the results of another popular - and more expensive - item, while an item that pretends to be another is widely considered as counterfeit.
![[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]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/17/15/94053769-14279547-An_estimated_49_percent_of_Gen_Z_shoppers_and_44_percent_of_mill-a-9_1737127443810.jpg)
'A dupe is short for duplicate, while counterfeit is an identical,' Bernard Garby, a fashion commentator with more than 412,000 followers on TikTok, tells DailyMail.com. 'With counterfeit, they're putting the Louis Vuitton logo on it or Dior logo on it and saying that basically this is Louis Vuitton, even though it's not Louis Vuitton. A dupe would have the Dior bag shape, the handles, but it won't have the Dior logo.'.
