as your deal on designer duds really just a dud? Is that Marc Jacobs or Louis Vuitton you’re carrying proudly around really just a cheap imitation of plastic and ‘pleather’ AKA fake leather that you overpaid for? Okay, so you know the bags you buy on the corners of NYC streets are fake, but what about the one you paid $500 for on eBay that was $400 below market value, or the $1000 bag you got for $399 claiming to be guaranteed authentic or your money back on a fashion site online? The amount of fake products flooding the markets are not only hurting you and your wallet, or purses for this matter, they are hurting our economy as well, and they are getting harder and harder to spot. The producers of the counterfeit products are picking up on the trademark tell tale monograms, holograms, and authenticity cards to make their product easier to pawn off as the real thing, and to put more money in their pockets as pure profit.

              Buying fake handbags effects our economy greatly. Counterfeiting IS ILLEGAL. Buying products from counterfeiters or from a third party is supporting an illegal act. Counterfeiting effects your community as well. Counterfeit products are commonly linked to terrorists and organized crime. Could your “Louis Vuitton pouchette” purchase at a purse party paid for the ammunition on an attack on your own country? Counterfeit products do not get taxed, that means no support for schools, roads, parks, programs and activities for you and the people in your community. Or the fake Coach bag is made by a five year old in a sweat shop over seas who makes $5.00 a day, ironically about the same price the bag itself is worth.

          In addition to hurting your pockets and your community, you are hurting the brand. Coco Chanel would be appauled that her name is all over ‘pleather’ bags that fall apart within a week. If the abomination of fakes keeps up, the brands will mean nothing and get a bad name because of the imposters. Here are some tips on avoiding the tons of counterfeit “designer” handbags out there.                                          

Some great stores to buy AUTHENTIC designer handbags

Off Fifth Avenue Saks- They have designer purses for a fraction of the price including Michael Kors, Coach, DG, and Luella. They also have great designer sunglasses including Dior, Marc Jacobs and Armani for 69 dollars!

Nordstrom Rack- Basically the same merchandise, they also carry a lot of Juicy Couture and Betsey Johnson. They also have the wide variety of sunglasses for generally 10-20 dollars cheaper but tend to take worse care of them, inspect every pair.

Cohoes/Burlington Coat Factory- They tend have a lot of Prada, Michael Kors, DG, Emilio Pucci, and Chanel. Act quick, they go as fast as they come in.

TJ Maxx and Marshalls- Have deals on overstock or out of season handbags. They usually have a ton of Coach and Dooney and Bourke but occasionally have a DG or Kate Spade.

****Be sure to check the sale sections in both the stores and the websites of Bloomingdales, Nordstrom, Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus and Saks, they go up to 60 percent off at times! That way you are guaranteed to get it authentic and a reputable store to back up the product you buy.***

How to avoid the fakes

Avoid House Parties, Office Parties & Hotel Sales:
All high end designer purses, leather goods and jewelry sold at house parties are fake.

The goods sold are low quality fakes and these purchasers are being unknowingly victimized. Typically the counterfeit seller claims the goods are discontinued designs, overstock, irregulars or "seconds" with minor cosmetic flaws. This, and the savings from eliminating the middleman, sounds logical and seems to explains or justify the "bargain prices," which may be as low as half the retail cost. The purses sold for $50 - $200 at these parties are usually nothing but shoddy $10 - $15 purses bearing a counterfeit trademark of a quality manufacturer. Dooney & Bourke, for instance, receives an average of sixty counterfeit purses each week from persons requesting warranty repairs. Manufacturers such as Chanel, Coach, Dooney & Bourke and Louis Vuitton never market legitimate products in this casual manner.

Beware of Goods that Lack Proper Markings:
Most legitimate goods and packaging contain manufacturers' codes, trademarks, copyrights, toll free phone numbers, etc. Many also contain bar codes, recycling signs or holograms. The more familiar you are with the brand, the easier it is to note whether there is missing information.

Beware of Goods Where Country of Origin Identification is Missing:
Many high end designer products are manufactured exclusively in the United States. Others are made in France, Great Britain, Italy, Brazil and other countries. Many of the counterfeit products come from China, Korea, Taiwan and other Asian countries. Since counterfeiters realize that many consumers would become suspicious of a $200 designer handbag or a $100 pair of designer sunglasses if a "Made in China" tag was affixed to the item, they remove the tags showing the country of origin

Look at the leather:

Most high end designers that sell their bags for hundreds of dollars are not going to use fake leather, they will use real leather which has a softer, more pliable look and feel. For instance, when stored it is not likely to get creases and cracks like vinyl will. When worn, leather will tan and get softer, where vinyl will start falling apart and cracking along the edges.

Check the hardware

Most high end companies will print their name and/or logo on all the metal pieces of the bag like zippers, latches, snaps and sometimes feet. Most counterfeiters will skip this as it is a lot of extra work, although some will take the extra time. Sometimes the name or logo is filled in with an enamal color, sometimes it's not. But it's usually there, especially on leather bags.

The plastic wrap is not what it seems

Cheap wholesalers will often wrap the handles of their handbags in plastic for shipping, but most high end bags do not get shipped with this. Eluxury *sometimes* ships their Louis Vuittons with plastic wrap but very few other companies do this. If you see plastic wrap covering the handles of a bag, it might be a fake.

Look at the price

One of the easiest things to look for is simply the price, especially on merchandise marked new. For example, why would someone sell a brand new $500 purse on a buy-it-now for $50? If it were a real handbag that they never used, they could return it to the store. Most people won't sell something for 90% less than what they paid for it just out of the kindness of their heart, so while the dream is always there of finding something for nothing, be realistic. Some people don't think about taking their bags to dry cleaners or shoe repair places either. These purses are typically floor displays or customer returns that stores will sell at different times during the year, but they will typically mark them in some way inside (with a hole punch or a marker) so that they cannot be returned to the store.

Look at the accessories for extra proof

If someone paid a lot of money for a handbag, chances are they received some extras with it. They could include, but are not limited to, a dustbag/sleeper bag, cleaning products, control card, lock, and/or a box. It will vary by company, but if you have doubt, ask the seller what they received with the bag and if they are including it with the auction. Counterfeiters are getting better at copying some of this stuff but most of them don't take the time. This goes along with the "knowing the brand" and getting to know what *should* come with your new bag.