 |
    |
I was interviewed by Lauren Sherman of Forbes for the article that she wrote called, "How to Avoid Online Auction Scams". She gives goes over some of the risks of buying luxury goods online- and how to avoid them.
Of course, one of my favorite quotes:
"...if you love luxury goods and appreciate a decent discount, the auctioneer still offers great deals through formidable sellers like Davis. "
If you're interested in the article in Forbes today, take a look....
With eBay facing lawsuits from Louis Vuitton, Hermes, Tiffany & Company etc. and having them come up on both sides of the win-lose column, I thought I should write a little mini guide to help my blog readers who are looking to buy authentic luxury goods on eBay.
They are there. Yes, you can find amazing, authentic pre-owned and brand new Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Hermes, Gucci, Marc Jacobs, Coach (who else do you love? yep, them too...). You know, we'd prefer it if you bought all of your bags from us But it's equally important to us that the bags you get elsewhere are at least authentic. So here are a few basic hints to keep you safe from fakes and fraud:
1. Buy from trustworthy sellers. What kind of feedback does the seller have? Don't just look at numbers. They may have just bought a bunch of junk to pump up their feedback score... Actually read responses. What have they sold and bought in the past? How long have they been selling?
2. Get to know your bag. Go to your local boutique and "try the bag on". Take note of the details. If you're looking fro Louis Vuitton, check our Photophile, for good, clear pictures of authentic bags for comparison. You can also search eBay for similar items sold by reputable sellers. They say, "the devil's in the details" and this is so true with the "better" fakes.
Check online for a good buying guide for the brand or line that you are interested in. Study our free Louis Vuitton buying guides. (They have all kinds of interesting information on release dates and colors, etc. ie: If White Epi wasn't released until 2007, a white epi bag with a 2002 date code must be fake.) You'd be surprised how many good guides are available on eBay's Reviews and Guides.
3. Are there good clear pictures? If there aren't enough pictures- ask for them. If you don't get them, move on. You'll need a picture of the interior, some hardware, the embossing and any special markings (date code, registration number, creed etc) You can't make an informed decision on whether or not a bag is authentic based on one or two pictures.
4. Watch out for red flag wording. Get out quick if you see words like "final sale", "got this from rich neighbor, aunt, collegue, etc- she's a doctor's wife" (for whatever reason, these are never real , "it's real- don't ask", "this was a gift, but it looks real", etc.
5. Communicate with your buyer. This is an expensive purchase that you are making. Go ahead, ask questions. Pay attention to the content and tone of the emails that you get in response. In fact, if you are buying an expensive bag, and would feel more comfortable talking to the seller- ask if you can give her/him a call. We get calls from potential buyers all the time. We recognize that it makes people feel more comfortable to talk to us ear to ear.
6. Make sure they take refunds for authenticity. Even if the buyer has a hard core no refunds policy for condition, etc. if there is no refund available for authenticity... just don't chance it. This goes for sellers who say, "I know this is real, so I won't take a refund for authenticity."
7. Don't be afraid to get it authenticated. There are all types of paid services, from My Poupette to Carol Diva- and the experts on The Purse Forum and eBay's Purse Board will actually authenticate for free!
8. Is the price, "too good to be true?" It probably is. You just won't find a Louis Vuitton Neverfull Gm in great condition for $250 Buy it Now. Be careful about this. Sure, there are bargains to be found- but these are relative bargains. Like finding that Neverfull for $550 BIN. You just aren't going to find great condition, authentic, luxury bags for 25% retail.
9. Pay by Credit Card- Preferably buy PayPal, but at the very least... only pay with a credit card. You will have the Credit Card behind you if you get in an authenticity dispute with your seller. If you pay by PayPal, you have an additional level of security. Even if their buyer protection is weak, it freaks out sellers when you file a claim.
And finally, number 10. Buy from FASHIONPHILE! Honestly- we take the worry out. If there are ever any issues at all- we'll work them out. We do our best to make sure that you have a great experience with us. If you don't for whatever reason, let us know. We'll make it right. So go ahead, and check our current weekly eBay auctions and all the fabulous items on our www.fashionphile.com website!
Good luck in finding the authentic bag you've been searching for at a great price!
I caught this article from the blog The Luxist. "Can Fanny Packs be Luxurious?"
Honestly, my first thought was of the picture of Kanye West at Paris Fashion Week in late June wearing his Louis Vuitton Monogram Pochette Belt 40, ($480 on Eluxury). As an aside-- Notice LV steers away from the name "Fanny Pack" probably partly because of the "nerdy" connotations- and partly because in the UK, the word "Fanny" does not mean what it does here in the US, but refers instead to a very special part of the female anatomy!
Anyway... regardless of the prominence of the Fanny Pack in Weird Al Yankovic's "White and Nerdy" video- or maybe because of it... it's impossible to ignore the fact that Fanny Packs are making a comeback.
Personally, I've always secretly wanted to wear fanny packs. My sister, Emily (above) calls her Louis Vuitton Bosphore Bum Bag (LV Fanny Pack!), her "Disneyland Bag"... because she loves the fact that she can carry her wallet, cellphone, lipgloss and a couple other bits, without having to worry about a big bag. We actually have an authentic pre-owned Louis Vuitton Bosphore Bum Bag listed on eBay right now. Be sure to check it out!!!
So go ahead... you know you want to... go get yourself a nice little bum bag. Everybody's doing it!
I am always worried when rights owners use trademark arguments to keep such tight reign on their brand distribution that legitimate resale of authentic goods is limited. This is what happened in France with the LVMH v eBay, resulting in all LVMH perfumes being banned from the site. And this is what worried me the most about the Tiffany & co. case.No honest seller wants any counterfeits available on eBay. It hurts all of us. Even though we only sell authentic luxury bags- when the reputation of eBay is damaged in such a way, that potential buyers associate online sales with only fakes- we lose and eBay loses and the potential buyer loses the opportunity to purchase an authentic item at a discount.
At this point- at least with highly counterfeited brands like Louis Vuitton, Tiffany & Co, Chanel, etc. eBay has taken specific measures to keep the fakes off. They do what a gatekeeper can do- make sure that seller's are legitimate, that they are who they say they are, eliminate one day auctions, deal with second chance offer fraud, etc. They've made great strides since early 2006- and the results are amazing. The only way to "finish the job" and truly clean up the marketplace is to have rights owners get more involved.
Judge Richard Sullivan said regarding the Tiffany & Co. case...
“Tiffany has failed to demonstrate that eBay knowingly encouraged others to dilute Tiffany’s trademarks. Rather, to the extent that eBay may have possessed general knowledge of infringement and dilution by sellers on its Web site, eBay did not possess knowledge or a reason to know of specific instances of trademark infringement or dilution as required under the law.”
If you want to read more about it...
) 
I got another brilliant question from one of our buyers about a Louis Vuitton Denim Baggy PM that we currently have listed. It's a question that I've had before (and one that I've never seen accurately or thoroughly responded to elsewhere), and thought you all might be interested in.
Hi!
I noticed the Denim Baggy PM you had for sale back in March has the leather patch ABOVE the inner pocket, but this one is on the pocket. Which one is authentic? Thanks
Hey, trick question! But a good one!
Here is a picture of the interior, leather patch and pocket of the bag that she's asking about:
And here is a picture from a Louis Vuitton Denim Baggy PM from our Photophile (the database we keep on our fashionphile.com of our sold items):
As you can see (if you look carefully at the placement of both patches)... the Louis Vuitton Denim Baggy PM that we have currently listed on eBay has the leather patch on the pocket. The Denim Baggy PM we sold earlier has the patch above the pocket.
So which is authentic? They both are, of course
The deal is that when the Louis Vuitton Denim Baggy (PM & GM) came out in 2005, ALL of the bags (whether made in the USA or made in France) had the leather patch on the pocket... like the one in our live auction.
For whatever reason, beginning in about October of 2005- all of the French made (Made in France) bags began placing the leather patch above the pocket. Since then- and at least through December of 2006- all of the French made Denim Baggys (usually FL, but also AS & TH date codes) will have the patch above the pocket. All SD- made in USA bags will have the date code on the pocket.
Hope that helps!!!
And if you're in the market for a new baggy... The Baggy PM retails for $1380 and the GM for $1560 plus tax brand new. We've got the fabulous PM listed above and two authentic Louis Vuitton Denim Baggy GM's on eBay for much, much less!!!
Un-be-freaking-leavable...
Like I've said before... Louis Vuitton is well within its rights to do what it needs to do to get the counterfeits out of here. And even, to perhaps seek sanctions for past gross negligence... But this is going too far- big time.
Basically, today the Court of Appeals upheld a June 30 ruling that has ordered eBay to stop allowing the listing of any Christian Dior, Kenzo Parfums, Guerlain and Parfums Givenchy fragrances and cosmetics on eBay France.
eBay's is already appealing the original $63.2 million ruling on negligence in allowing Louis Vuitton counterfeits on the site... But they were trying to get an emergency injunctive order after a review of the part that forbid them from allowing sellers to list authentic LVMH perfumes (that were sold outside of Louis Vuitton's regular, authorized distribution channels) on the site- or face the unreal DAILY fine of 50,000 euros, or $79,000.
So, the appeals court basically upheld the fine and in fact- upped the ante- ordering eBay to pay an additional $15,736!
Wow. I mean, what would it do to the value of any luxury good- if it no longer had resale value? A lot of people buy cars, art, jewelry (and handbags) with their inherent resale value- and even, investment value in mind. Unreal.
Again... I'm on the egde of my seat to find out what a US Court will say in a similar situation (Tiffany & Co. v. eBay). Any day now...
Now THIS is how you do a video guide. Incredible. For all of us who have felt more than a little awkward talking to an SA at the boutique, wondering just how badly we were butchering the pronunciation of French Louis Vuitton names . I love it. How to pronounce most Louis Vuitton lines and bag names...Good job, and thanks- Janka!!!
At least until they come out or I see someone interesting carrying on... I was asked to post some unwatermarked pictures for Polyvore. I've never used it before- but apparently I've got some blog readers who love it... (BTW- I'd love it if you'd send me a link when you're done!)
OK. So here they are. Rei promised us two re-issues.
1. We've got the LV X CDG Danube/ Petit Marceau- almost identical but slightly larger than the old PM.
2. And the new LV X CDG Amazone... again, so similar to the vintage Amazone- the newer Sac 2 Poches pictured in my last post.
I mean, check out the hardware! The leather pull tabs look identical to vintage tags and the actual pull almost looks like an old Eclair pull...
She also said she'd do- Two Icons.
1. The Spidified Mini Speedy HL. Those handles are really thin. The part that holds them to the hardware is only a couple stitches. It looks to me, like you'd jut hold this by the top set of handles-- if you were to actually use it (and not just keep it as a collectable).
2. The Charmed Papillon 30.
I'd have to fight my daughters for the "charms"... (a bunny on the left, a teddy bear on the right- and a... Teletubby in the midde)
And finally- she said she'd create two original "party bags"... (original is debatable, since they look mighty familiar to me- but it makes sense that for a collaboration in in honor of the 30th anniversary of Louis Vuitton in Japan- Rei Kawakubo would reached heavily into the past 30 years at Louis Vuitton for her inspiration for all six of her designs).
1. I like to call this one the Hybrid Looping/ Musette... cause it's got a looping inspired strap and a narrow flapless musette body.
2. And the hybrid Looping/ bigger Secret... cause it's just a little bitty simple bag like the old Pochette Secret
Sure- they've all got a unique, CDG twist, but I actually really like the Re-issues and the Papillon. Too bad they'll only be available in the CDG X Louis Vuitton temporary boutique!
I mean, let's face it... she's from the Karl Lagerfeld camp- and has been around, like forever! So, it makes sense to me that Rei Kawakubo'd have some nostalgia for some tried and true 1980's vintage Louis Vuitton staples. I'm seeing that a lot in her Comme De Garcon's x Louis Vuitton collaboration pieces.
The Amazone- or revamp of the Sac 2 Poches pictured below, the Danube- the newer Petit Marceau, the Pochette Secret (and Mini Poche along with other bitty bags) along with the Pap 30 and Mini Speedy HL. That's what it looks like to me anyway... what do you think?
Here is the fruit of the collaboration:
And here's a page out of a 1983 catalog:
What do you think?
In the Press
  |
Bad Behavior has blocked 493 access attempts in the last 7 days.
