Fashion Forum

Hello o' fashionable ones,

I want to buy myself a new handbag... I need a new handbag that is big enough to use everyday but hot enough to take out at night (my marc jacobs is getting wrecked so I need something to swap it up with from day to day) so I was thinking a Balenciaga but I am not sure... so first question is:

1. If you were going to buy a new bag that is timeless to a degree, what bag would you buy?

2. When shopping on ebay how do you know for definite that they are real? I I have brought some off there and have had great success but the Balenciaga and the Chloe bags on ebay make me very nervous... I am very naive to these things so help is needed badly PLEASE!



Corrine xx

Someone who is selling an authentic bag on ebay usually includes a photo of the bag with the store box, dust bags and receipt. If the auction photo's dont include these items then you can always ask to see a picture of them. I dont keep the boxes or bags for my stuff, but I always keep the dust bags (to keep them clean... Because I'm sort of scary like that) and the receipts (for my contents insurance). If its genuine, there is a good chance that whoever is selling it has these things too.

and also it won't be super cheap (ie $200). You can double check on tpf if you are unsure - I've bought 2 chloe handbags and double checked with the tpf girls and they are very authentic. (My biggest bargain was the Chloe edith for AUS $700 when its usually $2-3K)

Also do a little bit of research on the bag from the outset.

For instance, a real Louis Vuitton will never ever have the LV monogram on a seam. Plenty of the fakes do however. For instance, here's one ending soon on eBay:



It's up at $800, but it's a fake: note that plenty of the LV's are cut by the seams. If this occurred in the real LV factory, the bag would be destroyed upon inspection.

But here's a genuine one: http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Authentic-Louis-Vuitton-Monogram-Speedy-30-Like-New_W0QQitemZ280228759249QQihZ018QQcategoryZ63852QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

As Danica herself said, this person has kept everything including the original receipt.

So find out details of the real bags. With a Chloe Paddington bag for instance, the fakes often have serial numbers embossed on a leather tag inside the bag. Worse still, they're all the same serial number. Ask the seller for the serial number and type it into Google. Odds are that if it comes up, you're looking at a fake. If they refuse to tell you the serial, don't buy.



Don't take the inclusion of a carry bag as a sign that a bag is genuine, these can be faked too.

make sure you ask to see the original reciept. Most people hang onto these for repairs, insurance etc. I have killed the dreams of many friends when telling them their chanel, LV, chloe, gucci etc handbags are fake- but i know what to look for. A few tips- make sure the pattern is symmetrical and stitching is even. logo's will prtty much never be cut off. As to look at the logo imprints on hardware- these will always be done evenly and cleanly (my sister bought a fake chloe from a store in the city and thats what gave it away, the imprint wasnt even and the metal had given a little around it). make sure any embossing on the leather is straight. My little sister was sold a chanel by a good friend which included not only a dust cover etc, but an authenticity card- the whole works. the quality was good and the only reason we realised it was a fake? the eyelets where the straps went through gave way.
if you are buying off ebay i would suggest reading alllll the feedback- if the person is selling fakes chances are somebody out there is pissed off and has left them nasty feedback.
personally, I wouldn't be buying something so easily faked off ebay...

ahhhh see this is why it terrifys me as I really dont feel confident enough to say "yeah I can tell for sure" because sometimes I can but sometimes I cant and it freaks me out. I wouldnt even look at LV for instance on ebay as there is way way too much fake rubbish out there... plus I am not that huge of a fan. What are the 'tpf' girls Esh?

Ok so lets see... these are some I just found... have a look and let me know - fake or real?

* http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=180245525695&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=008

* http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=180245525695&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=008

* http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=180244493540&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=008

* http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=320254360839&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=011

* http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=170221073311&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=007


somethinh to fill in some time if you are bored... I think I need an ebay champion to do my buying for me! lol.

OK, to give you an idea of what to look for - the two chloe bags. One of them is a fake.

If you look at both of the logo's on the locks of the black bag and the tan bag, the Chloe logo is a different font size.

I did a quick google search to see if I could find a close up image of a Chloe logo on the padlock and found this:

http://www.sunnyreplicas.com/catalog/product_info.php/cPath/40_53/products_id/12846

I dont like your chances of those black ones being genuine.

The tan one looks genuine to me. The font is smaller (this is what set me off because I was pretty sure the writing isnt supposed to be that big).

I wouldn't trust the last Chloe - the blurry photo says 'something to hide' to me.

The Balenciaga certainly seems like it could be real - current season, and the first digits of the serial number are accurate.

Its always a risk buying off ebay and thats what you should always remember. It is a treasure trove that u have to dig to find the good stuff. Any seller with genuine items will send you extra info, pictures to make you feel like you are bidding on a genuine 100% authentic item. In saying that there are some countries to be careful buying from. Of course there are the obvious ones but places like bulgeria and spain be careful as they have alot of unauthentic items that float around. There is always an origin to check cerial numbers against. For instance with my balenciaga i contacted the store it was bought from originally(which was listed on the reciept photo with tags etc)via email. Check feedback scores to get an idea of the merchandise and the seller and if in doubt dont bid.

Basically in summing it up think that ur a member of csi and ur prize is ur item.HEHE.

oh god this is all too hard for me guys!