She’s real, but is her CHANEL real?

Counterfeit or Fakes are easily accessible online or in shops, but almost TOO accessible and we often see them on News headlines. According to the International Trademark Association, $460 billion worth of counterfeit goods were bought and sold last year with most of sales happening online. More recently in the news headlines:

Recently police in China have shut down a sophisticated counterfeit Louis Vuitton racket that netted USD $15.4M!
Paris court judged nearly two dozen people guilty for their roles in making and selling fake Hermès bags.
In St Louis, USA, fake cash, designer purses and sports championships rings were seized, worth up to $300K.

Counterfeits have become so common that even brands like Chanel also fighting the fight on preventing resellers in selling Chanel, with the angle of ‘protecting consumers’ but perhaps this is a move to make their brand even more exclusive. Whether they will be successful is still yet to be seen.

So why do people produce fakes?

Money makes the world go round, and brands have done such a great job in creating beautiful aspiration brands that got ladies wanting get their own Louis Vuitton or Chanel at a fraction of the price (but at a much lower quality). Check out these images which show case real vs fake bags – but without comparison the average eye may not be able to tell the difference!

Credit: Pinterest – The Purse Queen

Credit: Pinterest – The Brands Blogger

Credit: Pinterest – Legit Check App

But if I buy from in store, why should I care about authentication of a designer handbag?

If you buy from the original designer branded stores or department stores such as Bloomingdale’s, Shopbop and Nordstrom you are bound to get an authentic product. BUT if you choose to buy from generic branded store that sells a range of designer goods, or privately such as through Facebook marketplace, eBay, Fashionphile, Amazon, Depop, Rebag, there’s always a risk.

Want to know how to avoid getting scammed?

Check out article by Kat our inhouse Luxaholic who’s had plenty of experience buying new and preloved gorgeous bags and she’s got great tips on how to avoid getting scammed, and where to get bags authenticated – a must read before purchase.

Here’s a few tell tale signs to look out for when dealing with private sellers:

If a seller asks you to send money via other means other than PayPal, ask why. Paypal protects you
If private sale – NEVER use friends and family PayPal unless this seller is well known or you have dealt with them before on authentic products
If price is extremely low – it is too good to be true!
Check photos match the actual bag itself – this sounds basic, but you’d be surprised

Bag Authenticators – and why should I use them?

These are quick easy to use services and all you need to do is send a series of images of the bag you are looking to buy. Generally, if you are buying from a pre-loved website / private group, sellers will be willing to share photos with you to enable a sale as this is very normal requirement part of process. Check out our list of tried and tested luxury handbag authenticators:

Real authentication
Zeko authentication
Bagaholic 101 – they’re quick, affordable and can also issue authentication certificates
Authenticate First
Etinceler Authentications
Lollipuff
Luxury authentication Australia

As always, if you love the bag, buy the bag & shop safely 😉

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