Authenticate Designer Handbags Part One: Beware of Counterfeit Bags on the Shelves of Your Favorite Department Store

     Yes, it happens and yes, they are lurking around even your favorite retail stores.  Counterfeit designer handbags.  Don’t fall prey to this scam.

     I was inspired to finally start my blog last week when I spotted a counterfeit Michael Kors handbag for sale at one of my favorite local department stores.  Before I get into the details of how I became the type of girl who will grab a purse off the shelf and run straight to the store manager with it, allow me to give a little background about myself.

     I love handbags.  As a little girl, I always had a tiny little bag to match my outfit (even if I didn't actually have anything to carry in it lol).  As I grew up, my tastes have changed, but my obsession with bags has stayed the same.   From vintage Coach and Dooney & Bourke that are usually older than myself, to antique Lucite or Whiting and Davis bags which pre-date my beloved grandma, I love and can appreciate them all!  Except, of course, for counterfeits!  Very few things upset me more than seeing someone spend their hard earned money on something that isn't what it appears to be.  So, this blog post will be the start of several posts explaining how to authenticate handbags.  It's easier than you might think, and once you get the hang of it, you will be able to discern a fake from across the thrift store, or better yet, from across the internet (yeah, I'm lookin at you phony bologne's). 

     Now onto last week.  This isn't the store's fault.  They were actually the victim in this scenario, so I was glad to have been able to help somewhat.   I've heard about the old switcharoo before, but never actually witnessed it firsthand.  What happened was, apparently some unsavory individual purchased an authentic bag and then swapped it with a counterfeit one to make a store return.  Then the store becomes liable for having a counterfeit purse on the shelf, since it is a crime to sell fake designer purses.  So it's a lose/lose for everyone.   This is not cute.  It is THEFT.  Obviously some people don't realize that there are cameras pointed at the return counter. 

    I'm browsing the handbags when I see this odd looking white MK bag.  As my eyes focus on the logo emblem, I notice that the color is way off and almost an orangy gold.  Also, the finish looked uneven, and pretty "blurry".  The hardware felt like plastic with a heavy coat of spray paint.  I knew it was a fake right then, but I needed to inspect it a little further to give the manager some more proof other than just an ugly emblem.  

     Upon picking up the bag, it felt too light and thin, not genuine leather.  The zipper was cheap and flimsy, the lining was cheap and thin, all of the hardware was that awful blurry orangy gold color, and some of the gold "spray paint" had been rubbed off.  

     The strap was coated foam, and at the place where it was folded over the buckle and secured, the edges were actually raw, exposing this foam.  

     

     So with my arsenal of reasons why I believe it would be in the best interest of the store to remove the bag and maybe investigate whoever had returned it, off I went to find a sales rep.  This is where it got a little frustrating.  I approach sales rep #1 to show the shoddy craftsmanship and reasons for the bag being a counterfeit.  She responds with, "Yeah, but how do you know it's fake?"  Hmm, ok.  Sales rep #2 wasn't so quick to brush it off, but still seemed to doubt that this was indeed a counterfeit.  Thankfully, she called over the store manager to speak with me.  I showed the manager, and she knew it as soon as she saw it.  She was very thankful that I would take the time to bring this to her attention, and seemed a little shocked that someone would actually do something like this. 

My goal is to help other women to be able to spot things like this.  I know somewhere out there is a woman who unknowingly has paid several hundred for what she believed to be a quality handbag, only to have it fall apart within weeks.  I'm definitely not a brand snob, but I do believe in quality... and counterfeits are just gross. 

     That's it for now!  I will be sure to post more info for authenticating bags from different designers soon.  Do you have your own counterfeit scam handbag horror story?  Leave it in the comments!