I'm not sure about craigslist offerings or which chairs you are specifically interested in, but Overstock has a couple of Eames shell chair knock-offs which have lots of reviews. The consensus seems to be that they're fine if you really dig the style, but the quality isn't fabulous.

A Chinese-made knockoff of anything is going to be substandard.

i have two knock of eames chairs. the dowel chair and the eames rocker. the bases are okay. problem is the top definitely is NOT fiberglass. but if your on a budget i would say go for it. they aren't flimsy its just that the plastic seats give them away.

I'm planning on purchasing the fiberglass tops eventually and using the knock off bases.

this is where i purchased mine: www.mikazahome.com
i don't know if they are by the same manufacturer as the ones you've mentioned

Quality varies greatly. I have two LCWs w/ a walnut finish, and they are fantastic. I studied the real thing at Room & Board just before I bought mine at White on White, and saw no differences in construction, fasteners, rubber washers, or finish. I've had them for two years, with no problems and always recommend White on White.

No personal experience here, but I've been considering the same thing with Panton/S Chairs.

If I do go the replica route, though, I plan on purchasing from a place that offers a full refund--something you might want to take a look at.

Even though White On White offers store credit only, they seem to have nice merch. (Glad to here ric--above--was pleased with his experience.)

I caved and bought myself an Aluminum Group Executive chair off Craigslist. The chair looks great but it's squeaky and a bit wobbly. I'm certain a real Herman Miller chair wouldn't have these troubles and at five times the price $200 versus $1,000 ) I wouldn't expect any either.
http://stylenorth.ca/blog/2009/06/knock-off-heaven-modern-studio-inc/

I had real Eames chairs, and they too are not made with fiberglass anymore. They are made from plastic.

I bought two Eames Molded Plastic chairs knock-offs for $140 when I found out that the Authentic ones were now made of plastic as well as opposed to originally being made with a fiberglass-enforced plastic. The price of the ones at DWR were $249 each.

The knock-offs aren't a great achievement in craftsmanship but, every time I look over at my dining room table, I smile.

yes... they suck. LOL!

The specific one's I'm looking at (I'm "Michael" the questioner) are the Eames Soft Pad chairs -- avail on Craigslist and other places from a place called "CoolChairz" dot com.

They sell a "Commodore" chair that is the knock off.

MRL

Is White Furniture still in Chicago?

I would not buy a fake one just based on principle. The same I would not buy pirated DVDs, CDs, not a fake LV handbag and so on. I would rather choose a chair I can afford and is solidly built and pretend I have something that it is not. Please do not cave to the temptation of buying fake. It is not fair to the industry and it is definetely not fair to the designers who created them.

Looking on that site, "coolchairz", I find the lines are really different from the originals... the lounge chair look akward, and the Corbusier pieces are all wrong. Maybe you could find better copies than these, even if they are a tad more expensive.

It depends on the replica.

There are companies out there, whose names all slip my mind at this moment, that make authorized reproductions of mid-century designs that are authentic in every way except the production year. And there are companies that copy a look only accurately enough to pass a comparison test in photographs, where were you to have the living breathing chairs in front of you, you'd know in an instant that one is good and one is not.

Actually, a similar question to yours was discussed here.

Good luck.

Whether you buy original vintage ones, or new made originals or knockoffs, it DOES help to what you are buying as some of the knockoffs may not be EXACT replicas of the real mcCoy, others are exact replicas, but perhaps use lesser materials and as had already been noted, even the new versions of the chairs by Herman Miller aren't fiberglass reinforced plastic, but plastic alone.

If I'm not mistaken, Modernica sells the actual fiberglass versions and look/feel just like the ones from Herman Miller.

Of course it is too good to be true. That's why they cost what they do.

They are cheap crap, and intellectual theft to boot.

Buy a used original, or buy something else.

I have a replica Eames lounger which cost 1/4 of the price of an authentic one. The only difference as far as I can tell is that the authentic one is a little better padded. For a saving of roughly AU$6,000, I can tolerate this. It's still very comfortable.

That said, coolchairz.com doesn't inspire confidence. Their Eames lounger ("Calypso") is an inaccurate replica - the footstool should have four feet, not five. Try shopping around to find a better quality replica.

DON'T DO IT. I purchased a knock-off and absolutely regretted it; never again.

I found that some of the knockoff Eames chairs such as the LCW can have very unnatural repetitive looking woodgrains that make them look obviously fake.

I purchased one from http://www.roveconcepts.com/store/living-room/chairs/eames-lounge-chair their compare us section is very informative and I am very happy with it!

I have read a lot about replica pieces, specifically for the Eames models. If you are going to take the replica route, I'd recommend www.manhattanhomedesign.com They offer return policy and customer service is helpful.