A designer handbag is a piece that you want to invest in, knowing that it is made with high quality materials and craftmanship to serve you well. However, fake designer items are becoming more and more popular here in the U.K, despite them actually being illegal. It is important to do the correct research before splashing out on what could potentially be a fake item, made to a poor standard. There are many tell-tale signs of a counterfeit item, and here are some of the most common things to consider.
Check The Labels
Looking closely at the labels is a great place to start when checking if a product is legitimate or not. Most sites such as Brand Alley will have checked items to confirm that they are genuine designer brands.
Authenticity labels can be located on the inside, or the outside of the bag depending on the designer. A genuine item will include a serial number that is linked to the designer to authenticate the product.
Also, many designers will produce their products in the country the designer is from. For example, Chanel bags are made in France and Italy, so the bag should contain a label. A lot of low-quality counterfeit bags may have a label saying they were ‘Made in Taiwan’. This is a big tell-tale sign that the bag is fake.
Better quality counterfeits may say the correct information inside them which makes them a lot more difficult to spot. But looking closely at the style of the text on the label can often be a giveaway, especially if you're able to directly compare it to the real thing.
Is The Price Too Good To Be True?
Remember, designer items come with a large price tag. If the bag you’re looking at purchasing seems to be relatively cheap in comparison to what it sells for directly from the designer's website, this most probably means that it is fake.
The materials used to create designer items are expensive, and this is shown in the price of the item. If the price seems too good to be true, that’s probably because it's not a true designer product. Sites such as Designer Wear stock a host of designer goods at reasonable prices and their website is definitely one of the stops we always make.
This doesn’t mean that you won't find an authentic designer bag with a discount, because retailers will offer discounts on these products. But just be realistic when looking at the prices and know that you’re not going to find a genuine Louis Vuitton at 10% of the price. If it looks too good to be true, then it probably is!
Take A Close Look At The Stitching
The stitching is another obvious place to check the quality of an item and the likelihood of it being real. The stitching on a legitimate designer item will be tight and even, and consistent throughout the whole bag.
A fake designer item will typically have shoddy, loose & uneven stitching, something that you will never see on an authentic designer bag from a store such as Flannels. The majority of designer bags will rarely use glue to hold a bag together, it's typical that everything would be neatly stitched into the interior.
However, manufacturers of fake bags will use glue quite commonly to stick labels in, as they are trying to cut costs down. This will help you to clearly see if a product is fake or not.
Take a Close Look At The Logo
Ensure to properly check out the logo, against pictures of a legitimate designer item from a store such as Selfridges. A fake bag will most likely have some sort of difference within the logo, whether that be the font may be slightly different, the size of the logo may be different or even the actual designer’s name could be spelt completely wrong!
It is illegal to sell a product with another brand's trademark, so many of these manufacturers get around that by slightly altering the logo.
Check Out The Designer’s Website
Something that is quite common in the counterfeit goods industry, is making items in different colourways than those that are actually released by the designer themselves.
Sourcing an item that is a different colour to those that you typically see, may make you believe you are bagging yourself a rare item. However, if you check out the designer's website to see if this product ever actually existed, is a massive giveaway that a handbag is fake. There are lots of Michael Kors dupes available online but the real deal is definitely worth the investment and is one of the cheaper designers.
The designer's website will also help you when you are checking things such as labels and logos. It will help you to see the proportions of the size of the bag, where the labels and logos are placed, and whether the item you’re about to buy matches up with the real deal.
Does It Come With a Genuine Authenticity Card?
An authenticity card is a certificate that authenticates a designer item. all designer purchases will come with one of these. If a seller cannot provide you with this certificate, it most probably means it is a fake bag.
Something that is important to remember, is that if the manufacturer is making fake bags, they can almost certainly create a fake authenticity card to go alongside the product. If you really are unsure of the authenticity of the product, you can contact the designer to have them validate your authenticity certificate.
Only Buy From Reputable Companies
The best way to ensure you are bagging yourself the real deal when it comes to purchasing a designer handbag is to buy from a reputable supplier.
You cannot be 100% sure of the authenticity of your bag if you are buying it second hand off of a selling site, or even from a friend. Checking the reviews of the retailer you plan on buying on, and ensuring you have ways to contact them will help avoid a fake designer bag.
Although the price tag may be higher on a real item than a fake one, you are getting what you pay for. Which is a high-quality product, created with superior craftsmanship and superb aftercare. If you're looking to make your next or even first premium designer purchase, then be sure to check out all of our discount codes first!
