Don't waste your hard earned money on a
fake counterfeit designer handbag or purse! That hefty investment you make $200-$800 in a fake designer handbag or purse
can end up being worthless. If you are going to buy a new purse, invest in
something of value, not cheap imitations. ALWAYS insist on a money back
guarantee!
Why in the world would anyone want to buy a
fake designer handbag or poor quality? I just can't comprehend spending good
money purchasing a fake designer purse. It doesn't even begin to make sense to
me, even if the purse looks like the real thing. When you know it's not
authentic - why bother?
Above all else, be aware that buying a
counterfeit item is illegal, period.
Counterfeit designer merchandise has a
sub-culture all its own. I'm not sure if people enjoy the fact they are getting
something resembling the real thing at lower cost, or if they just don't
understand the quality, durability and value of authentic designer handbags in
the first place.
I find humor in it now, but pre-internet,
the counterfeit handbag purchasing process seemed mysterious and intriguing. It
felt as though you were somehow privileged to know how to buy these uncommon
goods. Pre-internet, the only way to locate a fake bag was through word of
mouth. Wholesalers of counterfeit bags still make sales by appointment only.
There are signs throughout the store reminding you "ALL SALES FINAL."
It involved a sort of cloak and dagger
approach when walking into wholesale stores, asking to talk to the manager and
introducing yourself as a friend of a friend. Introductions were all made
through word of mouth referrals. There's no advertising at all. Unlike online
purchases, where everyone boldly claims their goods are authentic.
The counterfeit shopping experience is
intriguing. You can almost feel the illicit connection made with the handbag
underground. All you want is a new purse, a designer copycat, something that
looks like the real thing without the hefty price tag. The irony in all of this
is the reality of the experience. They are NOT inexpensive.
In reality, you pay a lot of money for
junk. Maybe the leather is good, and maybe it is not. How would you know? Have
you seen the real thing to compare? If you did, you certainly wouldn't be
investing in a fake after handling the real thing! Solid metal hardware, rich
sumptuous leather and finely crafted details trump the plastic & vinyl attachments,
poorly stitched linings and knock-off logo's cheaply glued to counterfeit
designer purses and handbags.
We know the best designer handbags and
leather goods are made in Italy
and France .
No need to drop names here, we all know the top sellers. Fakes might be made in
Italy or France , and
they may not. You never know. Most of the people you are dealing with are
hustling you to make a big profit on something of little worth and definitely
of no real value.
The evolution of designer handbags has made
its mark world wide. Every woman with fashion sense wants to carry a new, hot,
high-end designer handbag, and the price is not cheap. On an average, the
retail boutique price for a new designer purse starts at about $1000. That's a
hefty price to pay to feel good when you leave the house. I know some women who
carry bags costing more than their cars! The Hermes handbag collection of some
of my clients' totals more than the initial cost of my first home!
The Internet has opened a flood gate of
ecommerce sites for handbags. There are more than enough websites selling
purses these days. And, the best stores sell authentic designer merchandise,
not fakes. The difficulty comes in trying to determine the real from the fake
and make the distinction clear.
Here are a few tips for identifying a
website selling fake counterfeit designer handbags and purses:
A new store comes online just in time for
holiday shopping.
The new website's contact information is
missing or obscure.
The new website's registration information is "private."
You can't locate the owners.
The same style or design of a bag is
available in many colors.
The website sells only three or four
designer brands.
The handbags look like items you've seen on
many other websites,
Prices are too good to be true less than
half of retail.
There are page after page of similar items.
There's one page of authentic-looking bags,
but the rest of the website contains the same bag in every color under the sun!
I've seen websites come and go over the
past ten years online. First, the sites selling fakes offered Gucci, Fendi and
Prada. Then, there were the ones selling strictly Louis Vuitton and. The Hermes
Birkin and Kelly bag are still prolific in the counterfeit world, but they are
not as commonly seen online as the other Designers.
The most commonly counterfeited handbags
today are: BALENCIAGA, TODS, CELINE, and CHLOE. Plus, the old-time favorites
are still hotter than ever in the counterfeit market: GUCCI, LOUIS VUITTON,
HERMES, FENDI and PRADA. I recently saw even LAMBERTSON TRUEX smooth calf
leather fake bags, too.
With all the choices out there, how can you
tell if you are buying a genuine product? Well, in reality you just don't know
unless you really know the product well. I am a purse expert, but sometimes I've
been fooled, too. Most of the time, I know what I'm doing, and I buy the right
thing.
Three rules I use to make a handbag
purchases online:
Ask before you buy.
Talk with the owner of the site ONLY!
Obtain a full money-back guarantee for
authenticity.
I asked a wholesaler if his bags were
guaranteed authentic, and I was told, "Yes, they are guaranteed to be 100%
made in Italy ."
Another wholesaler told me, "Our bags are the best quality." Yes, but
are they authentic designer goods? I've also heard, "The man who made this
bag worked for the Design House for over 20 years. Of course, it's
authentic!" Wrong. If you don't get a straight answer, pass on the
purchase.
Please don't blindly believe everything you
see and especially not what you are told. I arranged a meeting with a
wholesaler at a well-known annual conference. The bags I pre-ordered were
authentic items, yet when the order arrived, they were obviously not exactly
like those styles shown at the pre-order sale. Be careful. Buy from a website
or seller who has been online for a very long time. Over the past ten years
selling online, I can honestly say that the best lessons I've learned were from
customers who did their homework. Talk to people, share your insights, and
please... let's all stamp out fakes online!