For example, you have some spare money after the holidays (perhaps because you resold unwanted gifts) and want to buy yourself a designer handbag—perhaps Louis Vuitton, Chanel (Chanel) or Coach (Coach). You can go to these brand boutiques or department store counters to buy them. However, more and more bargain hunters are now picking up these items through online discount stores, or buying them at second-hand markets, online stores or consignment shops. This is a bit risky, though, because you can't be sure you're getting the real deal.
For example, in the process of writing the article "Luxury For Less: New Web Sites And Shops Offer Gently Used Designer Goods" (Luxury For Less: New Web Sites And Shops Offer Gently Used Designer Goods), "Forbes" magazine writer Wendy Ge Wendy Goffe purchased the handbag pictured above at Chris’s consignment store in San Francisco. Judging from the various colors on the hardware and plaid pattern, this bag is a Louis Vuitton bag. But is this the real thing?
As the owner of Cris’s consignment shop, Cris Zander cannot guarantee that the bag is authentic, but she assured Ge Fei that if the bag turns out to be a fake, she will return it in full The $500 Guffey spent on the bag (a new Louis Vuitton handbag of similar style would have cost several times that amount).
We went straight to the source and invited Louis Vuitton to participate in a video shot at their Fifth Avenue store. Our suggestion: A Louis Vuitton representative places the bag next to a display of leather bags in the store and walks us through each of the bag's features, explaining why the bag is genuine or fake.
Chanel sent this statement through a spokesperson: "Authentic Chanel products are only available in Chanel boutiques and authorized dealers." After we disputed this patently untrue statement, the same A spokesperson responded via email: "Unfortunately, Chanel has no further comment. Thank you for your understanding." Of course, fakes are rampant, but a strong second-hand market is a sign of a brand's strength. So it's really a shame that these companies are refusing to help consumers - and talk to the media.
Indeed, there are now very few third-party companies that provide services to identify authenticity, but they need to be treated with caution. I called one of the companies and couldn't get through. This company's website requires payment in advance in order to provide information to us. And there was no evidence of who ran the company, who would carry out the work and what his qualifications were to provide advice.
From the perspective of consumers, they definitely need these services, but few companies have seized this business opportunity. The reason, says Susan Scafidi, director of the Fashion Law Institute at Fordham Law School and author of the blog CounterfeitChic, is that “if your Any mistakes in authentication will lead to huge liability. “Luxury brands actively enforce their trademark rights and do not want fakes to be authenticated. Likewise, they don't want to see lawsuits filed if someone intends to sell a genuine item but it is mistakenly identified as a fake. All of these legal actions can be costly to defend.
More importantly, Scafidi said, if the counterfeiting is done well, even the company may have difficulty distinguishing the fake from the genuine article, despite their covert and overt ways of doing so. For example, the number of stitches per inch may be a trade secret, and along with markings such as the serial number of a Coach handbag, they can easily tell if the handbag is genuine.
At the same time, the proliferation of online shopping sites has made consumers more susceptible to fraud than ever before. These sites have decent names; feature pictures that look like the real thing (photos that may violate copyright regulations); and go to great lengths to price their products to look like the real thing on sale. , rather than counterfeit goods with exorbitant prices.
As with any other online vendor, you want to consider how many years they have been in business; how many previous customers they have; and if this seller has a large inventory of an item that is sold out elsewhere, that's worth being suspicious of. If they're willing to return the item for you, you're in luck, as sometimes they have to charge a hefty restocking fee to allow the return.
Be sure not to believe what they say about the origin of the product. “It’s a gift” is an all too common explanation. While you might want to believe that some merchandise falls off trucks or is smuggled out through the back door of a factory at night, Scafidi says these instances are extremely rare. Don't be fooled by a tag; someone who can make a fake handbag can also fake the tag.
What should fashionistas do? Train your eye to spot fakes and see the real thing in person – Scafidi recommends checking out a boutique or authorized dealer. Then, before you buy a handbag from other sources, check it carefully. Here are the product features she recommends you consider.
Material. Not all designer handbags are made of genuine leather. For example, Louis Vuitton clutches are made of coated canvas and trimmed with genuine leather. If the bag is trimmed with genuine leather, it should feel dry to the touch—not greasy, slippery, or sticky. Hardware should be substantial—not hollow. If the brand name is printed on the hardware accessories, please confirm whether the genuine product is also printed in this way.
Workmanship: The stitching should be absolutely even, with no loose threads or backstitches at the ends of the stitches - a sign of rough workmanship. Check the seams carefully to see if the argyle pattern on a Chanel clutch or the pattern on a Louis Vuitton clutch lines up. Companies like Louis Vuitton take their logos very seriously and don't have stitches dividing the letters. No matter which side of the seam the pattern appears on, it should be aligned accurately.
Inner lining: Counterfeiters rarely get a clear view of the inside of a handbag. Usually, they will copy the handbag based on the photo, and the color of the photo will usually be off. If you've been to a boutique and seen the color of the handbag in person, you immediately have the advantage of identifying it. The color of the lining of your handbag should be exactly the same as the real thing - not very close.
Pockets. Counterfeiters base their products on photos rather than on the real thing, making it easy to make mistakes. Scafidi had a fake Chanel handbag where the counterfeiters left out the back pocket, and a Coach handbag where they made the back pocket but added a zipper.
Origin. Some counterfeiters often label Louis Vuitton knockoffs "Made in France." But as it happens, at least one Louis Vuitton product is made in Spain. For example, the Sakura handbag designed by Louis Vuitton creative director Marc Jacobs and artist Takashi Murakami has blooming cherry blossoms printed on the bottom layer of Louis Vuitton's classic brown printing, with a unique flower heart. smiley face pattern.
Spelling error. Among the various counterfeit handbags Scafidi collected was a Coach bag marked "eatherware" (missing the "L" in the word). Goya counterfeiters made even more egregious mistakes when they spelled the company's name "Gooyar" on printed canvas bags and dust bags. The nature of counterfeiting is clearly exposed.
Based on the four above-mentioned criteria, Scafidi doubted whether the Louis Vuitton handbag purchased by Ge Fei was authentic, although she was not 100% sure. However, she pointed out that the color of the lining of the bag did not match the original; the handle did not feel like genuine leather; the pattern on the seams did not line up completely; and there was backstitching at the end of the stitching under the label.