How to Detect Fake Handbags
If you're out to find a new (or perhaps gently used) designer handbag, you want to know if you're getting the real thing, for a number of reasons: knock-offs hurt the producer, they don't look as nice or have the same quality, and they may even be funding some unsavory activities, like child labor and terrorism. Here's how to tell the Gucci from the Gotcha, the Prada from the Probably Not. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
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Assess where you are purchasing the bag. If you buy direct from, say, Coach, whether online, at a boutique or at the outlet mall, your bag is authentic. Most designers also sell though authorized department stores and boutiques.
If you are buying from street vendors, online auctions (like eBay), and home parties, you might be looking at a fake.
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Look at the craftsmanship. Most designers do not reveal specifics on how to detect counterfeit versions of their bags because doing so would enable counterfeiters to make even better fakes. But use your magnifying glass, or a sharp eye, and look for poor stitching, crooked labels and, most obviously, Prada spelled P-R-A-B-A.
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Feel the materials. If you've ever held an authentic designer bag, you probably have a feel for soft leathers like calfskin. Knock-offs are constructed from much cheaper materials, including synthetics, which have an entirely different feel.
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Check the price. Designers don't sell their bags for anything less than an exorbitant price, and they are upfront about it. Coach's website proudly proclaims, "If the deal seems too good to be true, it probably is." So that $200 Prada bag up for auction online? If you saw the same thing on Prada's site for $2,000, don't bid.
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Report counterfeits to their respective designers. Most of the major labels have a hot line or email address on their websites that explain what to do when you've come across knock-offs. When you do, write down the location, what was being sold and what hints you had that the products were fake.
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Tips & Warnings
The safest way to find designer handbags on the cheap is to visit the designer's outlet stores. Outlet stores usually carry two kinds of bags: last year's model and models made specifically for the outlet mall. While still pricey, they may be more within your budget, and the average person won't be able to tell you found it at an outlet.
Beware that fake handbags do more than hurt the designer. Knock-off goods like handbags are often traced back to organized crime sources, including terrorist groups. In 2005, Homeland Security officials testified before the Senate that they could trace counterfeit goods including bags and DVDs back to unsavory groups like Hezbollah.
