Handbags are a girl’s other best friend, so it’s no surprise that women want the best of the best. Whether it’s Louis Vuitton, Hermès, Coach or Prada, a handbag is the best accessory a woman can carry.
Unfortunately, there is a huge market for knock-off bags. Obviously, if you’re getting a Louis Vuitton for $50, you can safely assume the bag is a fake. But if you’re eyeing a cute LV bag on, say, eBay for example, you may want to do some research before giving $200 (a bargain in terms of Louis Vuitton merchandise) to an unauthorized seller.
One of the main trademarks of any designer bag is quality. Most designer handbags are handmade, part of the reason why they are more expensive than other handbags. Telltale signs of a fake bag include uneven stitching, puckered seams or low-quality material. The thread from the stitching should be the same color as the bag. Louis Vuitton uses one piece of fabric to make a handbag. Therefore, stitching and seams are kept to a minimum.
Designers have high quality control standards. They provide the best construction and materials for the money their customers spend. A bag should be able to stand on its own, not fall in. High-end handbags are always made up of soft leather or suede which is heavier. You will never see a designer bag made from second-rate textile like plastic or polyester. In addition, designer bags are built to last. Designers would never sell a substandard product. If taken care of, a designer bag can last a lifetime. If the product looks cheap, it probably is.
If using eBay, beware of sellers that have a large quantity of the same type of product. Fakes are easily mass-produced. Also, the more pictures a seller posts, the better. It’ll give you a better idea of what to look for in an authentic bag. Designers are big on the packaging of their handbags. No designer bag would have its handles wrapped in plastic or tissue. The real thing will come with a dust bag and identification card.
While many fabricators can duplicate a designer’s signature design or stamp, there are ways of telling the bona fide from the fake. For example, Louis Vuitton bags have “Louis Vuitton Paris, Made in France” stamped on it.Hermès bags say “Hermès Paris.” Coach’s stamp should have raised lettering versus imprinted. The identification numbers embossed onto the inside identification tag of a Coach bag should have the abbreviated “No.,” followed by four numbers.
You should also scrutinize the smaller details like zippers and press studs. For example, fabricators stamp “LV” onto zippers much like a real Louis Vuitton bag, however, the monograms should be clear and precise. Fakes have smudged monograms and tend to look gaudy. On Juicy Couture bags, look for the “J” heart shape to be all leather, making sure the leather is not shiny. Coach uses YKK zippers for their handbags, so make sure you look for that tiny detail.
Another way to differentiate a real handbag from a fake one is by visiting the designers’ Web sites or stores to study the details. If the bag doesn’t exist on the Web site, odds are the seller is trying pass off a fake bag for a real one.
If using an auction site like eBay sounds like too much work, other Web sites like eLuxury.com (run by the company which owns Dior and Vuitton) and net-a-porter.com (in which Jimmy Choo is affiliated with) are both legitimate dealers of designer bags. You can trust these suppliers to provide you with an authentic handbag.
While, the price isn’t always indicative of quality, you should be suspicious of anyone offering a high-end handbag for too low a price. If you’re unsure, don’t buy it.
