They're scratches, and that's a great idea, thank you! I figure that a little sprucing up will make it look better (at least the scratches only show up slightly in real life). Thanks so much for your help! Fingers crossed that she agrees.Hi! It's authentic, IMO. Hope Ellie confirms - she's but better at the style than I am. On the front of the bag, when the flap is open, are those scratches or water stains? If they're scratches, you could try to buff them out with a piece of cloth.