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!

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Whenever I see these little video guides- I just think to myself, why didn’t they get someone on there who knows what they are talking about. This is Molly Wood for CNet- Spotting Designer Knockoffs Online. “How To Tell Phonies From The Real McCoy!“  CBS’s put it on their morning show.  It was in response to the $61 million Louis Vuitton v eBay decision.  For example, here is the first hint on their website:

“… Louis Vuitton bags have five stitches across the top, the snaps all say Louis Vuitton, the color is specific. What should the zipper look like? Look for lots of clear, detailed photos with the listings. “     

(Which is partly true…. SOME Louis Vuitton bags have only five stitches across the top of the leather tab– the traditional monogram Speedys for example.  This is NOT true of all bags.  Some vintage bags do NOT have Louis Vuitton on the hardware.  Yes, look at the zipper and make sure it’s the right style for that bag.  And I agree, make sure there are good, detailed pictures.)

Hey, at least it isn’t as bad as my favorite worst video guide of all time.  Check it out if you haven’t.  It’s HILARIOUS!!! 

And, Molly… if you need a hand with one of those videos- give me a ring! You know I’d be happy to help you out.

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Sounds easy enough, but after my last post about the Monogram Manhattan PM picture issue, I got an email asking me to check out a Louis Vuitton Multicolore Manhattan PM.  “Is this authentic?”

It’s a simple rule.  If Louis Vuitton never made a particular style bag in a particular “skin”- then it is just not authentic.  For example, the Manhattan PM is a monogram line bag… only.  It has never been made in any other line.  So, if you see a damier, MC, epi, denim etc. Manhattan PM- it’s fake.

(Caveat- this rule doesn’t apply with special order items.  You can special order many styles in skins that are not available to the general public.  These bags are very expensive to have made- and you won’t find them for $79 - or even $379- on the internet.)

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We’ve been asked about this before, so I thought you might want a good close-up.

Notice the subtle differences. The authentic Louis Vuitton Judy Blame Limited Edition Denim Cabas Raye Pleaty patch pictured above has:

1. really rounded, even embossed font- the o’s, a’s and e’s are circular, not oval in shape
2. even and regular stitching
3. the same stitch count on every bag: thirteen stitches across the top and bottom and eight stitches down each side
4. tall “d” in the word “Edition”- it’s slightly taller than the capital E
5. tall “l” in the word “Blame- it’s slightly taller than the capital B
6. notice that in this font, the letter “u” has no tail

Compare these features to the patch in a replica Judy Blame Cabas Raye Pleaty:

It differs from the authentic patch in that:

1. the font is too large on a patch that is too small for the bag
2. the o’s, a’s and e’s are too oval in shape- should be circular
3. the stitch count is off… ten stitches by seven instead of thirteen by eight
4. the “itt” in Vuitton should be closer together
5. the spacing is off, and uneven- see “Louis”- the “Lou” are spaced wider than the “uis”, the “P” in “Paris” is too far from the “aris”
6. the “u”s should have no tail- the font in this patch has a tail on the u
7. the R in ® should be larger in relation to the circle

Another fake embossing patch:

 Although this patch has picked up on the circular o’s, a’s and e’s… it’s off in many ways:

1. the lowercase letters are too big in relation to the capital letters- notice the “a” in Paris next to the “P”
2. the red coating on the outside edge of the patch is too red
3. the stitch count is off
4. the spacing is irregular and off
5. notice the little half stitch- stitching is irregular
6. font is wrong

Hope this is helpful… if you’d like any other side by sides- or more detailed explanations, be sure to request them.

The replicas are getting more and more accurate- be careful buying online.

Check my guides for more authenticity help.  We not only want you to buy from us- but we want you to be able to avoid fakes wherever you might be buying…

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This is hilarious.  I don’t usually critique people’s guides- because the people who write them are usually just trying to help people out.

Expert Village, on the other hand is obviously just trying to make some money (and who isn’t) but how hard would it have been to get some real information (and maybe even a real expert) in the video.

My three favorite lines?  (There are more- this video is a classic!) 

1.  After explaining the registration card in a Prada bag, she says,

    “So if someone asks you, ‘hey, is this bag real or fake’ you can say, ‘oh, I watched this “how to” video, and yeah, it is real because I have my card!”

2.  After explaining that fake Coach bags have “circles” all over them (not “C’s”)… she shows a simple Coach leather wallet- that is not in the signature (monogram C) style, and says, 

    “For example, this bag is Coach, but it doesn’t say (sic), have the C’s all the way around it.  So most likely, a boutique (?) is not going to try to imitate this, because they want to try to sell the most fashionable thing.”

3.  In closing, after sharing those two tips (if it has a registration card, it’s real- and any bag that isn’t signature/monogram is real), she says:

    ”Pretty much, that’s how you tell a real bag from a fake.” 

****  Just in clarification:

1.  The paper work that comes with a bag (receipts, tags, registration cards, etc.) is often faked better than the fake bag itself.  I’ve seen receipts with watermarks, and other very close copies. Don’t rely on these items alone for authentication

2.  Counterfeiters don’t discriminate in what they fake.  The rip-off cosmetic bags, wallets, limited edition pieces in monogram, all leather, canvas- you name it. 

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