I am not brand obsessed, but I’m not brand immune either. I think I like fashionable stuff about the same amount as other GenX women. (We are products of the Reagan era after all.)
I confess I once hopped into a windowless, unmarked van on Canal Street in NYC to buy a fake designer purse. Once.
Well, now that fall is here, I wanted a new silicone “solo loop sport” band for my Apple Watch in a fall color. The “moonglow” one that came with it is too light-colored for the season. The official Apple ones are very expensive and in limited colors.
This sent me sorting through the endless array of Apple Watch band knockoff websites.
I finally ordered one from god-knows-where that I thought was going to be $20, but ended up being $30 with the shipping.
The email address for the company literally came up “iMod Watches Knockoff Bands.”
It took forever to get here (from China, I presume) though the outer packaging says it came from “Shipping Department” in Jamaica, NY.
It feels very similar to an actual Apple Watch band. My only complaint is the color is a bit redder than I thought it would be. It was called “plum,” but I’d say it’s actually maroon.
I like it (so far). It feels just like the Apple one.

What about you? Do you ever go searching for “knockoff” products? Do you have any moral or economic objections to buying them?
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Sometimes we get what we paid for, other times we get luck (or unlucky). It’s a lottery game. I have a smart watch and I have to say the “brand name” watch is much better than all the no-names I tried before (I caved).
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Very true. It’s a crap shoot.
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“imod” lol 😂
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🤣
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Like you, I am not brand obsessed, but neither am I indifferent. I can’t remember specifically seeking a knockoff, but I don’t have any moral objections to them. As long as they are properly labeled. After all, isn’t competition supposed to be the name of the game in this economy?
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I guess so, but the labels are so obviously mimicking the real brands, it doesn’t seem quite right. In the case of the fake purses, I definitely couldn’t tell the difference. I believe they finally cracked down on those Canal Street vendors.
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Good points!
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I’ve been on the fence about an Apple Watch. I used to wear a watch religiously until COVID and working from home. Then came my sabbatical and I needed it even less. But I like the functionality. But if I did wear a watch, I’d miss wearing the non-Apple watches that have been collecting dust…
I was thinking of getting one of those medical alert gadgets for my mom, just in case of an emergency. Thankfully she has an Apple Watch and that can serve the same purpose. It’s funny… my 85 year old mother has better technology than me.
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That is funny. The Apple Watch will definitely detect if she falls. It happened when I fell. It asked if I wanted it to call 911, so that feature works! The digital health prodding (“time to stand up” etc) also works well for a lazybones like me.
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I didn’t know about the prodding. I can use that!
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Oh it prods. Must stand 12x per day for a minute. Sitting is the new smoking ya know. 😉
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