High class luxury items from well known designer’s brands such as Louis Vuitton, Coach, Prada, Channel, Gucci, and other brands are always in demand. With new technology and skills, the quality of the imitated goods is now better than ever. Some sellers outright admit it and say that the goods they offer are replicas of the original ones, but some will try to trick you into thinking that the designer items they sell are genuine. Sometimes, it is not possible to spot right away if the items are fake or not. This "how to detect fake branded items" page will guide you in detecting if the branded items you found are authentic or not.

It is very important to examine the items you are going to buy very carefully. Never buy branded goods in a rush, unless you’re buying them from an official boutique. You need basic knowledge about the brand and the items, a lot of research, and sharp eyes to detect counterfeit items. Sometimes they are blatant replicas, many times they are not. Buying items online is especially risky because you cannot examine the goods closely. Many times you need to see all the parts of the item and feel the fabric to be able to know if it’s fake or not.

Here are some general guidlines to help you detect fake branded items you might encounter while shopping.

Who is selling the item to you? Are they authorized dealers or distributors? Are they trusted sellers at Ebay?

If you are buying these items from flea markets, back of the car sale, backyard sale, house party sale, unreliable websites, or unreliable sellers on Ebay with a bad rating, there is a very big chance that the items they offer are counterfeits.http://www.wikihow.com/Tell-if-a-Designer-Bag-Is-Fake http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/view/27879

Buying from big chain retailers and departments stores is a lot safer, because the retailers are likely to want to maintain their reputation, good relationships with the brands, and to avoid lawsuits. Note that perhaps, even big named retailers can sell fake branded items, sometimes not on purpose, but because they have been fooled themselves. In the case of Gucci against a discount retailer who had sold fake Gucci handbags, the judge had ruled that the retailer had been fooled by the distributor. He said that the fake Gucci was “a high-quality product capable of fooling even the most discriminating buyers."http://www.pradafan.com/howtospot.html You should not let your guard down just because you buy them from big name retailers. Always check the item carefully before buying.

One of the safest ways to buy luxury items is from the brands’ official boutiques. These boutiques can also help to check if the items you buy are genuine.

There are many high qualities fake branded items, sometimes they are very hard to differentiate from the genuine. But there are still a lot of the fake branded items that you can still detect right away.

Stitches

Stitching on original luxury brand items is always very neat, and a lot of the designers’ branded items are hand-stitched. The stitches should be even, regular, and strong. For handbags, the handbags should be double stitched. For Louis Vuitton the number and location of the stitches should be exactly the same as for other bags with of same model.http://reviews.ebay.com/Louis-Vuitton-Is-This-Authentic-Part-1_W0QQugidZ10000000000021258

Construction

Designer items should last for years. strong construction and pattern is a sign of quality. Branded clothes and shoes should be comfortable to wear in the right size. The right and left side should look even when you fold it in two and the cut should be precise.

Hardware

Designers always use the best zippers, handles, logos, and other accessories for their bags. Sometimes the zippers and handles are monogrammed with the brand’s logo. On the Coach handbags, the zippers are branded with the manufacturer’s logo: YKK. http://reviews.ebay.com/How-to-spot-a-fake-COACH-bag_W0QQugidZ10000000000839005 On some designers’ handbags, there are protective metal bases embossed with the designer’s logo at the base of the bags.

We all want to get the best item with lowest price. But lower price for luxury brands is one of clearest signs that the items are fakes, especially when the items are newly launched items.

Do not get greedy when you spot a Louis Vuitton bag for $100, real Louis Vuitton bags cost $500 to thousands of dollars.http://www.pradafan.com/howtospot.html There is high possibility that if the seller allows you to bargain for the item’s price, then the items are fakes.http://ezinearticles.com/?How-to-Spot-a-Fake-Designer-Handbag&id=335473

For high class luxury handbags, the official resellers usually do not offer high discount or any discount at all for limited edition items, or for classic style items. So if the highest discount the authorized distributor can give is around 30%, it is impossible to get a 75% discount for similar item at other place.

Always examine the tags, are they one of the telltale sign of counterfeit products. Tags for luxury branded items can change every season depending on their brands. They are usually very carefully crafted and hand-stitched to the products.

How about the “Made in” tags? Should we always look out for “made in France” tag in Louis Vuitton products? Not always, and here is where it gets tricky. Now, a lot of designer brands open factories in other part of the world outside of their home countries. Yes, there are some genuine luxury branded items produced in China, such as Coach handbagshttp://reviews.ebay.com/How-to-spot-a-fake-COACH-bag_W0QQugidZ10000000000839005. So seeing a “made in China” tag does not always mean the item is counterfeit. However, if you find this item from unreliable vendors and, you are unsure if the brand company produces their products in that country, it is a good idea to be cautious, especially when the tag says that the item was made in China, Korea, Taiwan, or other countries which are not the home country of the brands.

Some notes:

• Nike shoes are always produced in Asia. Now, they mainly produce in Indonesia, Taiwan, China, and some other Asian countries.http://www.citinv.it/associazioni/CNMS/archivio/multinazionali/profilonike.html
• Louis Vuitton has factories in USA, Spain, Germany, and Italy.http://reviews.ebay.com/Louis-Vuitton-Is-This-Authentic-Part-1_W0QQugidZ10000000000021258

Packaging

Designer’s goods always come in excellent packaging. There should be a high quality shoe box for the shoes you buy. Nike shoes sold without a box or receipt are likely fakes. http://www.helium.com/items/1469552-how-to-recognize-fake-nikes A lot of high quality shoe brands provide you with a pair of rod like plastic inserts to stretch your shoes to keep them in shape while you are not wearing them.

Handbags are sold in soft and high quality dustbags, sometimes with a booklet of how to care for your handbags, especially if they are made of leather.

Lining

The lining of the designer’s handbags usually has the logo of the designer’s house. Coach handbags will have logos on the lining when the exterior of the bag do not display a logo and vice versa; it will never have a logo on the outside and inside on the same iterm.http://reviews.ebay.com/How-to-spot-a-fake-COACH-bag_W0QQugidZ10000000000839005

Aside from the logo, look out for the quality of the fabric. The lining should be strong and carefully stitched, just like other parts of the bag. The lining also should come from the finest material, such as velvet, superfine leather, or finest cotton. http://www.pradafan.com/howtospot.html