I think in general there is a TOTAL misconception with regards to the prices of things, and of how quickly a nice charming fellow can switch on you.

A fake watch in general will cost approximately Ł2 a unit, and thats landed in the uk at your place. People will buy 500/1000/2000 and ship them out to their crew. You manage to get Ł30 for 'gas money' in exchange for them and you're already doing pretty damn well.

Its NO different at all with the jackets etc, a GOOD knock off jacket/scarff/shirt costs maybe Ł7 tops, and are always good because people really really believe they are getting something for nothing. "ooh its heavy/ooh its lining is so soft/well the guy is driving a BMW he must be honest/oooh what a great deal how lucky am I!!!?" etc etc

Ever say anything like that to yourself and you're a gift from the Gods, in fact, I'll come see you!

Very simply put, the only time someone you don't know comes up to you, is because they want something, and I'll give you a clue, its generally not because they're lost. Once you know that, sit back and enjoy the tale, then either laugh or clap.

A bit off topic, but this reminds me of the best story I was ever told to try to get money. I was down in Atlanta when I was approached by unkempt gentlemen wearing only dirty overalls (no shirt) who told me that he was in the Air Force and just crashed his fighter jet, and needed a few dollars to take a cab back to base. I think I ended up giving him a few bucks simply because that was the best story I had ever heard

The story given to you is, by design, meant to be somewhat illogical, since a totally logical and sensible one does not pose a a sufficient distraction. A sensible story implies that the storyteller is logical and knowledgeable, the last thing a con artist wants you to believe of him. Whereas if you are thinking about how little money is being asked of you, you will more likely to assume that you, not he, are in the 'one-up' position in this encounter. If you do make this assumption, you instantly become more vulnerable to playing just the opposite role in the end - that of the one-down, the 'mark'.

Con artists rely on this - witness the "I am but a poor Nigerian vastly in need of your help to escape my corrupt government" emails.....

Not to belabor it, but I think a few of you are missing the core point. If these were cheap jackets, the scam is very easy to understand. But, I know the fashion/apparel space very well, and these were not Ł7 jackets.

Excellent knockoffs? Maybe - probably. But Ł7 knockoffs? No way.

Fair enough - probably a bait & switch then.

Why are you assuming he paid for them? A truckload or boxfull of jackets falls off the back of the truck, and he mysteriously sells them for 100% profit.

Believe it or not, back when I was a student in a big US city I was able to turn a scam to my advantage. A rather slovenly looking fellow was trying to pull the old 'need some gas money' fast one. I knew right away what was up, but he was persistent and followed me for a bit. Finally, I confronted him and did admittedly give him the money, but not before he scored me a big chunk of nice h@$h

I guess he was really desperate for the money.

Something similar happened to me once at a gas station in Albuquerque. Some guy came up to me saying he was in town on business and didn't have enough $ for gas to get home to somewhere in southern NM (I think Roswell) and promised to mail me the $ back when he got home if I'd give him my address. I didn't want him to have my $ or my address so I started asking him what business he was in and why his company wasn't paying for the gas and he backed off. I don't think he was prepared for my overly curious mind.

As for the OP, I would guess the guy with the jackets either stole them or otherwise got them for free, or planned to just swipe your wallet when you took it out to give him "gas money."

Perhaps, and I have no doubt that you know good quality when you see it, but I also happen to have first hand knowledge of just how cheap EXCELLENT knockoffs are to make, and the markups that people make on them. By the time someone buys a good knockoff from the guy on the street, for Ł20/Ł30 etc they've passed through several people, and those excellent knockoffs start off around the Ł7 each, and that includes transportation from Indo and Thailand.

A TOP quality Rolex knock off, cost price is about Ł20 (with a beautiful green rolex box and Chamois leather) and believe me you'd need a jeweler to open it to tell you the difference with the original.

If you feel that you missed out, and that the jacket was indeed good, hold on to it, and give the guy the cash and see what happens.

Reminds me of the guy that carried a stapler around to staple a playing card to the table to beat the 3 card monte hustlers so that they couldn't switch.

I don't feel I missed out, that's not at all what I was saying...

And a $30 Rolex replica will take a trained eye about 5 seconds to detect. Now, a $600 Rolex replica will stump even a jeweler. Therein lies my point (missed again.) But I digress....

Now would a 600 Gold Rolex replica stump a jeweler? I don't think it would be too easy to replicate the feel or look of solid gold for 600.

Fascinating observation.
And a valuable, early warning, of a scam attempt.

Thank you, simpleflyer, for that post.

- Peter

Another FTer posted about an experience very simliar to yours here

I think we're talking at slight cross purposes here!

The point I'm making is that the replica rolex that the end user buys for $600, costs $30 to the first guy in the chain in whataver country you're in.

You're talking 'retail' price of the fakes, and I'm talking about the cost price. A Ł30 rolex will have a proper automatic movement in it etc etc, but the average joe on the street won't be able to buy that replica for anything less then Ł150, usually a touch more. Now, you're jacket scammers are not average joes, there's no way they're hanging around markets and street corners buying and paying retail prices, they have connections much further down the supply chain and can get what you know to be a $xxx jacket at much closer to the maufacturers cost.

There is NO SUCH thing as a $600 replica rolex, and there in lies my point!!

But hey, maybe it was just going to be a bait and switch

You're right, which is why most (good) replica Rolex's are the stainless steel submariners, Oysters, or GMT's, anything without gold or diamonds. The bad ones will be really only for casual glances, ie, second hand doesnt sweep, date function doesn't work, screw in crown doesnt screw, no stamps on the back, and maybe a slight missprint on the face of the watch.

Thanks for finding the link !