Does the Coach outlet sell fakes??
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That's happened at other stores especially right after the holidays. And of course there's the infamous history of poster "Loukpeach" here at tPF. "Pulling a Switch" is especially common at stores where they're not familiar with Coaches or any other higher priced brands on a daily basis. Even if the CS people suspect a switch they're usually ordered to refund the person's money anyway to avoid a fuss. The problem happens when they put the suspect item back in inventory.
What bothers me about the two recent posts by the same member here is that one post says "Someone sold me a coach wallet im woodburry commons" and the other one says "i bought a coach wallet from someone who bought it from woodburry commons but it didnt seem to be authentic to me when i got it." . We're getting 2 different scenarios by the same poster and there's a world of difference between "I bought it at Woodbury Commons" and "I ordered it or bought it online from someone who CLAIMED she bought it from Woodbury Commons." Buying something from a store at a legitimate mall is VERY different from buying it sight unseen from someone who SAYS they bought it from a Coach outlet. That's why when we do authentications here we insist on knowing WHERE the item was purchased, from whom, and the URL where it was sold.
Do stores sometimes sell fakes? Probably, although that's much more likely at "last chance" retailers like Marshall's or TJ Maxx than at a manufacturer's factory outlet. But according to what I'm reading, the chances of getting a fake from what was probably an (anonymous) online seller is much more likely. The actual circumstances should be stated up front when someone's asking for an authentication
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OMG I’m getting so scared if this post because I do buy a lot in Macy’s. I always say I prefer department stores over boutiques or retail stores because they have better returns and exchange policies and they get you the 15%off turist discount.
This is so depressing and scary. Having to be careful at Macy’s store is not nice. You buy at malls to feel safe of buying the real thing. That’s so awful and annoying.
Now all bags have a serial number tag no ? You can authenticate them with it no ?
At least i think I saw one in my Michael Kors bag.
So the only safe places now are the Retail stores that’s quite sad you can’t trust a department store.
This is so depressing and scary. Having to be careful at Macy’s store is not nice. You buy at malls to feel safe of buying the real thing. That’s so awful and annoying.
Now all bags have a serial number tag no ? You can authenticate them with it no ?
At least i think I saw one in my Michael Kors bag.
So the only safe places now are the Retail stores that’s quite sad you can’t trust a department store.
Absolutely not! What does a serial number prove? Why wouldn't counterfeiters use real OR fake serial numbers? It would be pretty stupid of them to make fakes and then not put the correct number in, and many counterfeiters are professionals who know how to make their fakes seem authentic. A stamped number or creed or brand of zipper never proves ANYTHING. Read the Salearea Coach Guides Pinned at the Coach Shopping forum for more information on spotting fakes and some of the common mistakes that have been posted in many so-called "authenticity guides". There's no one or two details that can ever prove a Coach is genuine.
AND DON'T BELIEVE EVERYTHING YOU READ ON THE INTERNET.
https://forum.purseblog.com/threads/salearea-guides.983575/#post-32252957
Have purchases of highly faked items like Coach authenticated here before buying, or buy from a legitimate retailer or website with a strong anti-counterfeit policy or one that's affiliated with the manufacturer. Avoid sites like Poshmark or Etsy.
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Hyacinth, I've been reading and admiring your work here since the first day I landed on this board and you authenticated a red quincy I'd found at a yard sale. You. Are. Amazing. I know it sounds cliche, but, "truly a treasure".
Thank you - everyone has to have some kind of obsession, right?
(Leans over to say,) Yes, but you use your obsession to help others. That matters.
And *of course* all of the other authenticators on tpf too. It's just that because of the vintage Coach I've been watching you for so many years. Amazing.
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They don’t sell fakes but coach purses sold from outlets are specifically made to be sold there as in the quality is not as great as the retail because they are made in factories to produce lots of them. Coach retail however, is more about quality which is why the prices are more expensive.
Call me a cynic, but isn’t it possible that even Coach could sell a fake?
From reading through TPF aren’t some counterfeiters potentially employed by Coach and that’s how such good fakes are made, possibly even using Coach materials?
If a fake is good enough, it might fool an SA if the person switches the real bag they bought with a fake when they return it :/
Though my guess is that some bags are too expensive for it to be profitable to counterfeit them.
But of course, the best chance of getting an authentic bag is buying directly from Coach or somewhere like Nordstrom, Macy’s, etc. I think places like TJmax, 6pm, etc. get rejects even it seems from the Coach outlets, so they often have only one of a style or the bags that don’t look the best to begin with.
From reading through TPF aren’t some counterfeiters potentially employed by Coach and that’s how such good fakes are made, possibly even using Coach materials?
If a fake is good enough, it might fool an SA if the person switches the real bag they bought with a fake when they return it :/
Though my guess is that some bags are too expensive for it to be profitable to counterfeit them.
But of course, the best chance of getting an authentic bag is buying directly from Coach or somewhere like Nordstrom, Macy’s, etc. I think places like TJmax, 6pm, etc. get rejects even it seems from the Coach outlets, so they often have only one of a style or the bags that don’t look the best to begin with.
There are undoubtedly some Coach employees at newer plants especially in China or the Philippines who might make fakes after the plants are officially closed for the day, either by themselves or under orders from someone in management. We've seen some interesting fakes, especially some older fakes with Made in Italy creeds, that only have details that a current or former plant employee would have access to, like apparently genuine creed stamps. But those items are made without Coach's authorization and are NOT sold through Coach stores. What would be the point in making after-hours fakes if you're not going to sell them to some gullible schmuck and pocket the profits? If that's what you're thinking can happen, I don't think it's likely.
It wouldn't make sense to go through all that just to fool some SA (and many of them are easily fooled). You'd have to make those fakes almost on an assembly line basis to show any sort of profit. There's too much of a risk getting caught when 95 percent of the time a reasonably good fake that you can buy on Ebay or Poshmark would work just as well. Look how long Loukpeach got away with her scam, and she never got her delicate hundred-dollar-manicured little fingers dirty making her own fakes.
Ok so I had not read about Loukpeach (until now...yikes!) but what she did was exactly what I was envisioning could happen - sourcing believable fakes (possibly from counterfeiters with some connection to the brand?) then returning those in place of the original bag.
I think this is why Coach outlet online bans people who buy multiple copies of things often - as their buying patterns resemble those of resellers, bag switchers, or counterfeiters (even if they are genuinely gifts for friends and family) who take profits away from Coach.
I guess moral of the story we can never be too cautious when buying bags!
ALL Coach bags are made in factories, regardless of whether they are outlet or retail. We refer to the outlet bags as MFF, which stands for Made for Factory, meaning they are to be sold in the factory outlet stores, not because they are made in factories.
You mean my bags aren't all hand made? Ugh! Just kidding, lol. You are absolutely correct.