You should buy a handbag because you will use it fairly regularly. Designer bags are typically made of first-rate materials that will last a lot of years. The ability to identify counterfeits and replicas is useful if you want to purchase a genuine designer bag.
Fortunately, there are some immediately identifiable attributes that you can look for when buying designer bags. A genuine designer bag will always feature premium leather, zippers, and fastenings, as well as a precise logo and, in most cases, an authenticity tag. To ensure you are getting the authentic one, avoid market stalls and just go to an official name-brand store.
Here is how you can spot if designer bags are real or fake.
How to Spot Fake Designer Bags
Even if lots of savvy buyers have never seen a genuine designer bag, they might be able to easily identify fake designer bags. The overall quality of craftsmanship and other aspects speak on counterfeit bags, and when designers are well-known for their magnificent work, knockoffs are also super easy to spot.
There are usually 2 “instant” ways to check if the designer bag is real or fake, including the price and the location of sellers and the amount of designer bags sold.
If you’re a fan of Louis Vuitton bags, make sure to read our guide on how to spot fake Louis Vuitton bags. It covers various key indicators of authenticity like the monogram pattern, date code, stitching, hardware, and more. With this guide, you can save yourself from being scammed when buying a Louis Vuitton bag.
Identify Fake Designer Bags Based on Price
The price is always considered one of the most significant aspects of fictitious bags. Genuine designer bags might be discounted, but never to bargain-basement clearance prices. So, any seller who asserts to have designer bags at out-of-this-world prices is telling the whole truth in one way: the price is so unrivaled as they are not prices for genuine bags. If you see a Louis Vuitton handbag for $50, for instance, you can bet it is completely a forgery, because a genuine bag from this designer generally begins around $800.
Seller’s Address and Number of Bags Purchased
The location where the designer bags are sold is also an obvious sign of their authenticity. It is true that you will not find an original designer bag at a thrift store, from a market stall, or a street vendor. Designers always restrict the number of every style in circulation to maintain high demand, often limiting the number of bags one buyer might buy in a particular time frame (generally three handbags of one design each month). So, any seller who has a large number of the same type of bags for sale is most likely selling counterfeits instead of the authentic ones.
Features of Counterfeit Designer Handbags
The designer bags themselves have always been the most reliable source of determining if they are genuine or fake. When inspecting a probably counterfeit designer bag, look for the following features:
- Materials and fabrics: Low-quality materials are used in counterfeit bags; leather might feel like cheap plastic rather than smooth and pliable, or the dye job on the fabric is usually clumpy and uneven.
- Stitching: Genuine designer bags always have even and tight seams, whereas cheap imitation bags tend to have loose, poor workmanship, uneven seams, or even seriously lacking stitches where fabric is attached or glued instead of stitches (particularly on the inner side).
- Tags: The inner stickers of genuine designer bags will always say made in Italy (or another authentic location), although several phony designer bags will say the same, others usually say they are made in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, or other manufacturing countries.
- Designer logos: The majority of designers use signature logo panels on their bags. These sheets must be sharply printed, whereas counterfeit panels might be foggy or possibly a bit incorrect. A popular technique is to mispronounce the designer’s name, such as Prada becoming Proda. So, always look for all logos printed on the inner liners as well; counterfeit designer bags usually miss this detail.
- Authenticity information: To verify the authenticity of a designer bag, it is common for it to arrive with an authenticity certification. This documentation will be missing from counterfeit bags, despite sellers’ claims that it would be sent out or basically lost.
- Inaccurate styling: Fake designer bags might be available in styles and colors that genuine bags do not. So, don’t believe sellers who assert that the unique shape is obviously uncommon and thus a better price.
- Unaligned details: Bags with fasteners or gemstones, such as Juicy Couture bags, must have straight and clean lines as well as symmetrical spacing. Counterfeit designer bags, on the other hand, are less thoroughly embedded and might have misshapen decorations.
- Beginning damage: Genuine designer bags are always carefully packed for maximum protection (generally in tissue or paper) until they reach the customer. So, any bag that shows signs of wear when it is ostensibly “new” is most likely a forgery – look for scuffs, scratches, tiny tears, and other comparatively small flaws. The fashion bag industry takes pride in its exceptional quality, and such scrape products will never be sold.
Looking to purchase a designer handbag, but worried about buying a knockoff? Check out these tips on how to spot a fake Chanel bag. From examining the stitching to analyzing the authenticity card, this article can help you determine whether your potential purchase is the real deal or not.
It Is Illegal To Purchase And Sell Fake Designer Bags
Due to the obvious financially rewarding profit margins on designer bags, the lure for disreputable manufacturers to fake sought-after designs is very appealing. Asian countries, in specific, have the advanced technology to make cheap imitation bags with slight variations that can dolt the majority of customers, particularly those who are unfamiliar with genuine designs. Several counterfeits might even be manufactured in European countries, allowing them to claim they were made, for instance, in Italy (one of the most admired and respected countries for high-end fashion).
Fake Designer Bags Are Always Of Poor Quality
To boost the profit margins of fake bags even more, the quality of counterfeit handbags is far inferior to that of genuine designer bags. Plastic or pleather might be used in place of genuine leather, and gold-plated hardware might also be used in place of genuine gold pieces. Customers who are keen and naive frequently fail to notice those differences before accidentally buying a copycat item.
When examining the quality of a designer bag, check the stitching and the materials used. Fake bags may have uneven stitching or use low-quality materials that are not durable. Read here to spot a real Coach purse from a fake one.
Counterfeit Bags Unauthorized Use Of Company Logos And Brand Names
The Lanham Act forbids the use of company trademark rights and logos. Fake bags are those that have been recreated to look like the real thing, including minor details such as brand logos. In addition, bags that are counterfeits but do not steal brand logos and copyrights are not illegal.
Your Purchases Of Counterfeit Designer Bags Help Terrorists And Criminals
If you only buy a fake or copycat designer bag, you are not breaking the law. Even so, if you try to buy and sell a forgery designer bag, you may face legal consequences. So, before buying a fake designer bag or a cheap replica, think about who you’re supporting. Both types of bags are sold by criminal groups that also use human trafficking to sexually utilize children and women. Furthermore, the profits are typically used to fund terrorist activity.
Why Should You Care Even Though It is Just A Cheap And Appearance Is Just Good
Forgery is a crime that does not have any victims. (It is also a crime; charges may include planning to commit criminal copyright violations, producing fake items, and exploitation in products carrying knockoff brand names and labels.)
To begin with, the original authors of an item have their intellectual property rights violated. According to the United States Customs and Border Protection Agency, forgery has resulted in the loss of approximately 750,000 jobs in the United States. The selling of low-cost counterfeits has even been linked to terrorism and criminal enterprises.
And if you purchase a copycat designer bag, you are getting something far inadequate to the real thing. And one that numerous true fashion designers will be able to detect a couple of miles away.
If you want to get a designer item but don’t have a lot of money, then I highly recommend starting with a relatively small splurge. Get the luxurious designer’s wristlet or wallet, for instance.
That way, you will have all the prestige and maybe even a little extra cash.
Choosing authentic leather material over synthetic ones can be a way to spot a real designer bag. Learn more about the differences between leather and synthetic materials and the advantages and disadvantages of each one here.
How to Recognize and Respond to Fake Designer Bags
If you discover yourself with a counterfeit designer bag, the negatively affected designer might want to be informed so that they can change their designs to make such knockoffs more difficult to detect. Moreover, any suspect transfers or presumed illicit activity should be reported to the appropriate authorities.
