This is why I refuse to buy preloved even if it’s from a company that specializes in preloved goods like Rebag. Preloved is not nearly steep enough of a discount anymore to be worth it. I’d rather have peace of mind and pay a bit more for something I know 100% is authentic.
Beware: Best faked bags in the market
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This is why I refuse to buy preloved even if it’s from a company that specializes in preloved goods like Rebag. Preloved is not nearly steep enough of a discount anymore to be worth it. I’d rather have peace of mind and pay a bit more for something I know 100% is authentic.
I can't imagine how tough it is to be an authenticator nowadays. I feel like anytime I see too many people carrying a new bag on social media that at least half are super fakes because they're so easy to make and acquire. But I always buy vintage preloved and I've never had an issue. I wouldn't buy any bag that's come out after the year 2000 preloved though.
I live in Toronto and there’s an Asian mall here that before the pandemic had boutiques that sold super fakes—right on the shelves in the open. Yup! I mentioned this in the H forum before. When I walked around town and saw someone with hard to get bags, I often wondered if they were real or not but really couldn’t tell.
Someone posted last week about receiving bag from FashionPhile and apparently the dustbag was fake. She was paranoid so she sent the bag back to them. Of course FP ignored it and told her to send the bag back. This makes me hesitant to buy from any preloved company out there.
Poshmark is full of fakes, too. Anything under $500 is most likely fake sadly. If you buy over $500, they offer free authentication, however, the question is how good is their authentication service? and can we trust them?
I would be very leery of purchasing any recent season bags or shoes from resellers at this point (including Fashionphile, RealReal, etc) since the super fakes are truly incredible. The factories are producing fakes at a level that is on par with the luxury houses so for peace of mind, I would definitely opt for buying in store.
The replica craftsmanship seems to have improved over the years. What details are you referring to? Leather quality etc.?
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The details like number of chain links or threads or quilts identically matching the authentic version, serial number on the gold chip, hardware weight/color/engraving, etc. Seriously... the fakes are INSANE. To ensure authenticity, the only guaranteed method is to buy direct from the brand itself. These 'high-end' fakes even come with replica paperwork!!
I have purchased preloved and that too online but mostly bags that are less likely to be faked (meaning bags that are not that popular like my Versace Vanitas Barocco Medea I got recently preloved but in new condition was likely never a bag that was replicated though I could be mistaken) I did trust the authentication though. I'd NEVER get a Chanel popular style preloved anymore unless it's an older one. Maybe if I saw a bag I liked that was a rarely seen one. Classic flap bag? A dime a dozen now and I'd guess that half of them I see are fakes. Especially in black! I do have a mixed leather chevron boy from 2016 that I got preloved. This particular style I have not seen another besides mine in person. So I don't think it was likely to be in the replica market and also my old medium gabrielle python in dark gold I think is pretty safe at not being replicated.... but again I could be wrong. It's truly scary!
The details like number of chain links or threads or quilts identically matching the authentic version, serial number on the gold chip, hardware weight/color/engraving, etc. Seriously... the fakes are INSANE. To ensure authenticity, the only guaranteed method is to buy direct from the brand itself. These 'high-end' fakes even come with replica paperwork!!
So the only difference is that they don't have to deal with rude SAs?
. But seriously, this sounds absolutely insane and scary and leaves me with some rather philosophical questions.
The details like number of chain links or threads or quilts identically matching the authentic version, serial number on the gold chip, hardware weight/color/engraving, etc. Seriously... the fakes are INSANE. To ensure authenticity, the only guaranteed method is to buy direct from the brand itself. These 'high-end' fakes even come with replica paperwork!!
Huge reason too why I just took the plunge to buy my heart bag from the boutique.
A Chanel fan Instagram page from Asia posted a video of a fake heart bag and no one could tell the difference.
Like a few other people on this thread, the same goes for me, I will not purchase preloved recent bags -- only bags from early 00's by a reputable reseller.
I've noticed more than a handful of photos posted on the subreddit reposted here as purchases, with no one here the wiser. From the subreddit, I've noticed Chanel and Hermes seem to be replicated quite well. LV leaves a lot to be desired. Loewe and YSL seem to have the looks of the item down, but I'm willing to bet the leather quality isn't on par.
That is crazy, we can't even tell if they're fake or not. I remember it was quite easy to spot a fake bag
The whole microchip thing makes it even easier for fakes to pass through.
Can you share the link to the reddit sub? I am interested in how these superfakes are passing and would like to educate myself on what to look out for!
I went on the reddit subforum to have a snoop on the fake bags. Boy was that an eye opener. People clearly have no issues on the ethics of making these purchases. In fact there is derision for those forking out to buy real. A significant proportion will also end up being sold in the preloved market as authentic chanel. Such a shame.