Okay, so it was purchased form a Duty-Free in Hong Kong in May 2016. I'm going to have to dig deep on the hardware change. The bag doesn't look like it's been dyed. All the details are consistent with a Nero bag.Thank you!!
Here are the two photos, a hopefully clearer shot of the tag and the receipt. The seller said she bought the bag from a “friend” and this is the receipt.
View attachment 4333607View attachment 4333608
It totally helped to call the BV website. So it turns out the serial number is in the system but the number in the system shows a taupe color Olimpia, not black. It’s inconsistent with the bag. Could this be a system error? Does this ever happen? I almost feel worse for the seller at this point.
Do I return this bag as not authentic even if I’m not sure? I’m so torn.
To be honest, with all the inconsistencies that Bottega Veneta has stated, and your concerns, I would return the bag. I'm not familiar with Mercari so I don't know what their criteria is for disputes. My advice is to post in the eBay forum and ask @BeenBurned for help - she has a lot of knowledge about these types of things. Good luck and report back. I'm sorry I couldn't be more helpful