Please Heavensent, the site are SELLING their information that makes me mad. If one can not give that kind of information for free I do not consider them better than the person who sold the fake Speedy 30 Murakami for $600. They are both out to earn money the wrong way :evil:
I've been there before... MyPoupette.com and a couple of eBay members "About Me" pages are also good resources for helping one distinguish a real LV from a fake one when buying from eBay. When I go to buy mine I think I'll just go to the LV store instead of worrying about whether or not I paid good $$$ for a fake.
I think the one in US was very short lived. Search eBay for that topic 'cause I remember reading it in ebay community.
Whenever I consider buying an LV on ebay...I always go to mypoupette recommended sellers. But I always end up just buying from the LV boutique...Sometimes the prices can come so close like $200 from the price...might as well buy a new one. I hope others have better luck than me though...Maybe for discontinued items guides are a must. I like vintage but not too much...
It's too bad that the handbag consignment shops is not as developed in North America as in Hong Kong. Even though you can get a replica at every corner, there are a lot of discerning consumers that only purchase (or at least choose to purchase some) authentic handbags. There is a thriving industry of selling used handbags, which can be considerably discounted and this is done with some less questionability than some online resellers. And to stay on topic, the easiest way to spot a fake LV.. is to take it into the store..
Okay, so when Gary and myself are out anywhere and I see a woman with a Louis Vuitton, I always figure out if it is fake or not. Gary asks me how I do it, but really I just don't know !!! I have like a 6th sense when it comes to spotting fake bags! I have lots of LV's and I know what looks fake and what doesn't. So my tips on spotting fakes are: On ebay, people sell them with plastic wrappers around the straps - FAKE! Inside a real LV it is made of brown material, fakes are made with suade. Real LV uses metal and brass- a fake uses painted plastic or fake gold on the zips, padlocks etc... So ladies and gents, explain how you tell if a LV is fake or not...
Plastic wrap on the straps doesn't necessarily indicate a fake. Believe it or not, they do put plastic on the straps. The boutique just removes it before displaying the bag. Quite a few members here have received their bags from Elux with the plastic still on. However, I believe the bags on Ebay with tissue paper taped around the hardware are fake. LV doesn't do that as far as I know. There are a lot of things to look for when trying determine authenticity. The fakers are getting better too. There was another member here who found out the Sonatine she carried for several years was fake! From her pics it was really hard to tell. There was only a small discrepancy with the stitches on the handles.
Also, it depends on the bag as to what the inside is made of - some of them have Alacantra Suede lining - some are not lined at all. A real sign is when you see Papillons and Speedys where the monogram is the right way up on both sides and there is a seam along the bottom - there is no seam as these bags are made from 1 piece of material so the monogram is upside down on one side.
The vintage "French Company" Speedy bags actually have a leather strip on the bottom and LV is right side up on both sides. The speedy 35 that I bought from Eluxury came with plastic on the handles also.
