Fact or Fiction?

Most fakes are coming from Asia and many designer bags selling/coming from Asia are therefore fakes.

Here's what to clarify: Yes there is a vast quantity of designer fakes that are made in Asia, primarily from China, Korea and others BUT designers MOST profitable and BIGGEST markets are also in these same places, like Japan, HongKong, China (a growing huge potential, ironically), Singapore, Indonesia etc. Unfortunately, while most fakes are made in Asia, and there are a good number of Asians carrying fakes AND the real stuff, many of those buyers in Chinese open-air markets (something like flea markets) are...Caucasians. That said, many sellers registered in China or offering wholesale are most probably selling fakes.

Fact or Fiction?

Fake designer bags are used to fund terrorism

Ha! I thought this was one very funny reason for not buying fake designer stuff! As I had mentioned, there are many fakes made in Asia, mostly in China, Hong Kong, Korea and well, all I can say is that the terrorists are not coming from these countries! Most manufacturers for fake designer items are in this business for money/profit, pure and simple.

Fact or Fiction?

Brand new Louis Vuitton selling @ cheaper prices than current retailing prices definitely means fake.

Well, I have seen many different pricing for Louis Vuitton Boutiques all over the world. They can vary as much as 50% or even more. One of the most expensive places to buy Louis Vuitton from their boutiques is in China, where prices can vary by as much as 40% to 50% from USA. That said, of course, in some other countries, due to the currency differences, as well as to the tax rebates offered to tourists and etc, well, it may be simply cheaper to buy as a tourist sometimes.

Due to upward trend of the Euro dollar, as well as the downward trend of the US dollar, prices for Louis Vuitton items have shifted upwards dramatically during the last 5 to 15 years. An unused Louis Vuitton bag purchased several years back and sold at a lower price than the current retailing price would perhaps even a make a small profit, if it is kept well or if it is made in a less likely to degrade material .e.g. Epi leather range, Mat Monogram range.

The other reason why a brand new Louis Vuitton can be cheaper on eBay: as a reseller for Louis Vuitton bags, I usually (there are exceptions e.g.limited editions) have to sell an authentic brand new unused Louis Vuitton item for a lower price than that of Eluxury or the current Louis Vuitton boutique price. Otherwise, there is no incentive for buyers to buy! How do I do that? Besides the reasons above, anyone who wants to sell me a used or even brand new Louis Vuitton item must sell it to me at lower price than the current retailing price, and only if I can make a small profit after deducting off all eBay, Paypal, travelling, shipping expenses etc, then I will take in the Louie and sell at BELOW market price. Otherwise, there is little incentive buying from me or eBay, right?

However, do run far far away if you are paying a Brand New Louie at just 10%, 20% or a ridiculous small percentage of what you are paying at the boutique instead! Note that there are some reputable sellers who will start their authentic Louie at a low starting bid as they are confident that it will end at at a good/high/fair market price. Some sellers also have a Reserve Price, which means that they won't sell unless the bid reaches a minimum price they have set.

Fact or Fiction?

All auctions featuring a NO PAYPAL sale are there to take your money and run off.

There are reasons why I don't accept Paypal for some of my auctions, and besides my reasons, I have also listed why some other sellers may not be accepting Paypal.. Reason 1: There is too much credit card fraud, too much risk factors for a seller to accept Paypal. Reason 2: Paypal can give a lot of problems even for legitimate sale, for buyers and sellers alike. 3. The exchange rate offered by Paypal is lower and therefore less favourable, for buyers and/or sellers, if it is not in the same currency for either party. 4. Paypal fees are too exorbitant for some sellers 5. Paypal is not accepted because seller is based in a country that Paypal does not endorse.

All that said, however, of course there are some sellers who are not taking Paypal because they are out to take your money and then disappear/cheat you. Read seller's feedbackand reputation, no matter what you are buying and ask why they are not accepting Paypal, and then decide if there are legitimate reasons.

Fact or Fiction?

Date codes, receipts, pictures of an authentic bag... Do they all mean I am getting the real deal?

There are many sellers who COPY and post an authentic bag posted either in eBay or elsewhere and pass off as their own. No one knows where the pictures came from, but the least you can do is to check the consistency of the background and the quality of pictures do tally with the rest of the seller's other items on auction, if seller is selling other items too. U can also do a check with the history of items sold or put up on eBay by using a feature that allows you to check completed items based on eBay user-ID.

Louis Vuitton receipts, tags, dustbags, boxes, paperbags... all these can be fake too. The counterfeits are getting a lot better and can provide you all these just to win your confidence over. Not to mention that original Louis Vuitton receipts can be sold online and elsewhere, making a small profit for the person who did purchase a Louie from the Louis Vuitton Boutique. For this reason, I cannot understand why some buyers or even some sellers insist that because of the existence of a Louis Vuitton receipt, the Louie on hand must be authentic (??)! Likewise, authentic Louis Vuitton dustbags, boxes shown together with the bag does not mean that the bag must be real. But do run very far away, if you can tell that the dustbags, receipts, boxes, gift cards etc are not even authentic, because it is a 99% possibility that the bag is fake too.

Date codes are tricky, and I shall not go into the details here, as most buyers are informed at knowing that (MOST BUT NOT ALL) Louis Vuitton bags/items comes with a date code at specific places. BUT the presence or absence of a date code does NOT mean it is a fake or real. As warned, counterfeits are getting a lot better with the printing and the accuracy of date codes these days.

MOST IMPORTANTLY, if you are buying on eBay, do your homework well, check that your seller is a REPUTABLE SELLER, email previous buyers (if there are) about their buying experience from the seller. Many associations and websites now offer to authenticate Louis Vuitton items for a small fee, such as www.mypoupette.com Even if you are not buying, have a look at their websites for some great tips!

Fact or Fiction?

Hey! The Louie that I see on Eluxury or the Louis Vuitton catalogue does NOT match the one that my seller is auctioning. Is it a fake Louis Vuitton bag?

Sometimes, Louis Vuitton makes a prototype first, then when they go into full swing mass manufactuing the bags for sale, perhaps they decide to twinge the design a little. As a result, what you see on Eluxury or their catalog may NOT match entirely with the actual bag details itself. Over time, some older designs also get updated or changed a little here and there, therefore, well, it might be simply a matter of older or newer versions.

Fact or Fiction?

I bought a Louis Vuitton bag online and when I tried to have it authenticated at the local Louis Vuitton Boutique, the Sales Associate tells me it's not real!

Sales Associates at Louis Vuitton Boutiques may not be the best qualified person to verify your purchases, they can and have made mistakes, whether authenticating fakes as authentic stuff or authentic stuff as fakes. They might not have the experience to have seen the older versions, nor have the sharp judgement to know the very best grades of counterfeits from the authentics. Sales staff everywhere are all subject to employee turnover rates, including Louis Vuitton sales staff. The Sales Associate that you have asked may have worked only for a mere week when you walked into the boutique requesting for a verbal authentication. Always ask the Store Manager, period. If you don't have a Louis Vuitton boutique near you, get a reputable online service like www.mypoupette.com or some others.

Fact or Fiction?

Any negative feedback saying that "BAG IS A FAKE!" means that yep, that seller must be selling fakes!

I won't rule out the high possibility that seller has indeed sold a fake bag BUT just like there are bogus sellers, there are bogus buyers and unfair/untrue/vengeful remarks! Similarly, a seller with 100% positive feedback doesn't tell you that what he/she sells are all the real deals. It is still best to evaluate a seller including several ways as I have suggested earlier, besides, of course the feedback score of the seller itself. Likewise, a PowerSeller doesn't neccessarily qualify as a honest seller with authentic designer stuff. They have simply achieved their status by maintaining a certain sales value on eBay. Besides, check how much of their feedback is from selling designer stuff, some people are selling a lot of miscellaneous low-end stuff or buying a lot to contribute to their feedback score too! Check too, if they have a history of buying fakes, it may indicate that a fake could be passed around, knowingly or unknowingly!

Fact or Fiction?

This seller offers a Money-Back guarantee on authenticity. Does it mean that it is safe to buy from this seller since I can get my money back if the Louie/designer item turns out to be a fake?

Wait! Before you hit the button to buy and pay for your item, do pay attention to how some crooks are operating these days! They promise you (just like some boyfriends do, hmm!) that it is a money-back guarantee if "you are not happy or satisfied with your purchase", because they want to tell you indirectly that if you are not happy with the $150 you have paid for the fake Louis Vuitton Multicolore Speedy 30, you can have your money back minus the shipping, 10% re-stocking fee (or whatever percentage they may charge), your own re-shipping fee etc, the hassle, and lastly, the insecurity of not knowing if you will ever get your money back even after you have returned the bag! Why take the risk? Buy only if you are very sure, very confident that the seller is reputable, honest and sells the real deal!

Fact or Fiction?

I compared my own Louis Vuitton bag that I have purchased it myself at the boutique with the Louis Vuitton wallet that I have just purchased on eBay. The color and canvas/leather texture does not tally completely.

Like all things on earth, the used Louie you have purchased may have changed color over time, with use or simply because the color and texture of the leather/canvas has been twinged slightly over the years by Louis Vuitton. The texture and feel of the canvas or leather can become softer with use or stiffer if the canvas has been exposed to heat/cold/mothballs/relined with new leather etc such that it may even crack. I noticed that items used very frequently, stored/used in dirty bag interiors (eg. pouches, wallets, key holders, coin holders) or held frequently and comes in contact with perspiration, oil from hands/body, heat, dirt etc (bracelets, wallets, coin purses, bags). Wallets frequently get the most abuse and wear, because too often, some owners stuff plenty of cards, bills, receipts, coins... all too much into it, not to mention that coins/notes carry quite some fair bit of dirt. Mens' wallets are also sat on and bent when placed on the back trouser pockets at the bum - all that stress and bum heat! With age, heat, cold, humidity, neglect, careless storage etc, everything gets factored in, and there you have it, everyone's pre-owned Louie is a different unique used condition!

Have it authenticated by the Store Manager in Louis Vuitton boutique, if you are unsure!

That's all for the time being, folks! Till I have more time to share more stuff again~! :O)

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