Another thing I have come across- SA's selling their scarves received free each season. I was actually contacted by one of them by phone trying to sell their scarf at a discount to me. This is a violation of corporate policy- soliciting an Hermes customer.

There are always going to be bad apples out there.

I am finding that I am already influenced by my own post.

There are a set of reseller sites I cruise every day. As I shopped before, I never cared about the bag's age--just the condition. Now I am finding the date is the first thing I look at is the date code. And it is amazing in so many pictures of blind stamps, you can't read the date code.

There are certain sellers that I typically don't pay any attention to because their prices are so criminal. Now I find that I am writing-off those same bags for a different reason--they are too new!

It will be very interesting to see if there is a new wave of "fake fear" that causes reseller sales to fall and reseller prices to fall as an attempt to boost bag sales. I am guessing that the people who buy at the criminal prices are people who don't bother to research. Knowledge of this fake issue may never reach them. And if it does, they may not care.

Originally Posted by Iwantaspybag

-------------- It will be very interesting to see if there is a new wave of "fake fear"...........

The "fake fear " should always be in ON mode in everyone's mind, anyway. Not just now...

Thank you so much to all who brought these issues to everyone's attention. I was getting set to buy a beautiful blue electric Birkin for my wife from the internet that looked amazing, with close-ups of the stitching that I could tell were hand done, but these articles have made me reconsider.

I was thinking that perhaps the reputable websites that were in business prior to the super-fakes being made (and presumably their methods for obtaining the bags directly from the stores) might be more safe?

It isn't surprising that this happened. Not just ex employees, but ones currently employed as well DO manufacture handbags outside of the shop. And sell on the side, these employees only make a tiny fraction of the merchandise they produce, and they are well aware of that. Everyone is trying to get ahead, and better their own lifestyles. I can imagine it won't feel too good to craft a luxury item that retails for over 10k, and you probably would never be able to afford one yourself. If you account living expenses.

Also, what really makes it 'Fake' per say? that it wasn't that 2% of leather, that maybe the craftmen used side leather that was 97% as good? etc. I believe these craftmen have access to correct materials including hardware, leather, etc. If they make the bag outside of the shop, does it automatically become fake? Technically, no. But personally, it would feel a bit shady to own one.

Originally Posted by toujours*chic

Another thing I have come across- SA's selling their scarves received free each season. I was actually contacted by one of them by phone trying to sell their scarf at a discount to me. This is a violation of corporate policy- soliciting an Hermes customer. There are always going to be bad apples out there.

Are you kidding me? OMG that's so 'cheeky' (replace cheeky with much stronger word). Happily, I can't imagine my H SAs doing the same, they are more precious about the H brand than any customer, you would think that any item was a holy relic woven by angels and hand-stitched by saints, when I am handed a shawl or silk it's offered like prayer shawl. Its refreshing actually, most shops chuck 'stuff' at me if they can be bothered to serve and act put-out when I point out the hole/scuff/2 left footed boots in the pair.

Originally Posted by Iwantaspybag

I am finding that I am already influenced by my own post. There are a set of reseller sites I cruise every day. As I shopped before, I never cared about the bag's age--just the condition. Now I am finding the date is the first thing I look at is the date code. And it is amazing in so many pictures of blind stamps, you can't read the date code. There are certain sellers that I typically don't pay any attention to because their prices are so criminal. Now I find that I am writing-off those same bags for a different reason--they are too new! It will be very interesting to see if there is a new wave of "fake fear" that causes reseller sales to fall and reseller prices to fall as an attempt to boost bag sales. I am guessing that the people who buy at the criminal prices are people who don't bother to research. Knowledge of this fake issue may never reach them. And if it does, they may not care.

I appriciate your posts that form such an intelligent thought-process and I totally agree on most things but I don't think this will dent the market. With the proliferation of Birkins hanging every off every X-list celeb and their legions of wannabe fans wanting to do the same I don't see an ending of the Birkin madness. Then there are the Birkin investors, who are basically small-scale resellers who don't pay tax on their earnings (what happened to working for a living or is that a mugs game? No need to answer). There are buyers who quite frankly would not care if they were carrying or reselling a fake so long as it fooled 99% of people.

I'd like the whole Birkin frenzy to crash the market entirley so we can all go into H and buy whatever suits us rather than what 'is hard to find' (my definition of consumer insanity) and actually carry our bags without having to do a mental costing at every new scratch and scuff. The market will crash but only because only so many people will want 100 of each colour and have the space to store them and they will inevitably lose their cache as they have already done in some circles but until then we are living in a Birkin mad world are just criminals feed off the insanity.

Originally Posted by papertiger

Happily, I can't imagine my H SAs doing the same, they are more precious about the H brand than any customer, you would think that any item was a holy relic woven by angels and hand-stitched by saints, when I am handed a shawl or silk it's offered like prayer shawl.

You have such a talent for describing things.

I suppose it is wistful thing on my part that this might slow the Birkin madness down.

Originally Posted by perlerare

The "fake fear " should always be in ON mode in everyone's mind, anyway. Not just now...

Yes. Yes. I knew I was not saying the right thing when I wrote that. It seems to me that people who post at TPF are always mindful that a bag could be fake and are pretty careful. Even the newbies who are in denial when they think they have found an authentic bag at a bargain price from a seller who has a feedback score of 5, they still authenticate.

The point I was trying to make is the fear may take on a different character. Luxury Zurich's post that describes the super fakes says that they can't be detected from pictures. It also says that the super fakes are so good that even reputable sellers may not realize they are fake. What does that do to buying from previously trusted sellers and using TPF to authenticate?

I am not trying to whip up hysteria, but those points give me pause and have given my "fake fear" a new dimension. Thank you for raising the issue in my poorly articulated post.

This is a very interesting read. When considering that Luxury Zurich are re-sellers themselves it puts a weird spin on their post.

Personally I don´t feel "fake fear". I know what I know and I am 100% ON at all times when I buy outside any Hermès boutique. Which I rarely do anyway.

Was cautioned that fakes goes further back than this luxury-zurich post in 2007, there are some fake vintage h...

Ditto w/ lovely64!

Originally Posted by lovely64

This is a very interesting read. When considering that Luxury Zurich are re-sellers themselves it puts a weird spin on their post. Personally I don´t feel "fake fear". I know what I know and I am 100% ON at all times when I buy outside any Hermès boutique. Which I rarely do anyway.

Yeah. It is like there is a sub message in that post that "we are the reseller's who can spot the fakes when others don't". May be self serving and self aggrandizing. But the points about impossible to detect fakes through pictures struck me deep.

Please do not take this next question as a challenge. It is a sincere request for information. How are you able to be 100% certain? Do you look at the item in person?

I see that you have a high post count so I am assuming you are seeped in Hermes knowledge. Is it trust of your own eye? I have read that frauds in multi million dollar art can sometimes only be detected by having the very experienced art expert realize at a gut level that something is just not right, even after paintings pass all kinds of scientific tests that date them as centuries old. My point is the eye of the experienced can often be the most reliable evaluation of authenticity. Are you to the point you can trust your eye?

Do you have another way?

Originally Posted by fashionistaO

Was cautioned that fakes goes further back than this luxury-zurich post in 2007, there are some fake vintage h... Ditto w/ lovely64!

Are you talking about the super fakes that are so hard to detect?

Yes

Originally Posted by Iwantaspybag

Are you talking about the super fakes that are so hard to detect?

Originally Posted by fashionistaO

Yes

When you heard that, did you hear any details about the vintage fakes?