You browse on eBay and you finally find that perfect handbag. It is the right color and even at the price you can actually afford. You look through the pictures and there are no red flags that come your way about its authenticity because you are just so excited! But how do you know the bag is actually authentic from looking at the computer screen? After all a $2000 deal instead of $4500 is still a lot of money to spend on a handbag.
There are a few preliminary guidelines that you can follow to figure out if the bag is a fake or not. First, check the seller’s feedback on the items they sold in the past. Are there any designer handbags that they sold with positive feedback?
Make sure you closely inspect every corner of the bag, its bottom and the handles. These areas usually show the most wear. Do not hesitate to ask for more photographs. Sometimes asking the seller to point out any wear might uncover a flaw that might change your mind about the purchase altogether.
You can contact the seller to ask a few general questions such as where and when was the handbag purchased and why are they selling it. The latter question will help you get to know the seller a bit more. I once contacted two sellers whose Chanel bags were obvious fakes. They both told me that they purchased their bag on one of their trips to Paris. An honest owner of a designer handbag will often tell you the exact store location of the purchase and a detailed reason why they are selling it.
Now that the feedback and the seller seem legit and you still have an “unsure” feeling, you can contact an online designer handbag authenticator. For a minimal fee, they can authenticate the handbag for you before making your purchase.
You really want to go through this process each time you find a luxury designer handbag on eBay in order to avoid any unpleasant hassles later on. However, this is still only a guideline. With the super fakes currently on the market, sometimes buying from a reputable consignment seller is the safest way to go for an ultimate piece of mind.
At Fashion Reloved every item is acquired only from trusted clients and we take our time to make note of any visible wear on our handbags. The items are thoroughly examined to ensure their authenticity and we attempt to gather as much paperwork and history on our items as possible. Hopefully this post will help you in making a decision on your next pre-loved handbag purchase. Happy shopping!