Purse forum a scam??..

[JetSetGo!]

If you follow our forum, you will also find members do not get banned for voicing opinions on or inquiring about the way we work.

We hope you find other reasons to hang out here and enjoy our community.

Also, if you see an authentication that you feel is incorrect, you may report the post, or discuss it with the authenticator directly and respectfully via PM. It's hard to know if your findings are valid without any references to particular posts. Our authenticators are very good at what they do, and I can assure you that many are lurking all the time and are quick to call out mistakes on the very rare occasion they are made.

 

[ccbaggirl89]

I have been surfing the Purseforum for a while and finally signed up to post some insights that might help buyers from buying fake items online. I have posted 2 posts so far, but both got deleted due to my not being an "expert" which the moderator defines as somebody who posts more than 500 posts. However, if my posts keep on getting deleted, I will never become an expert to pitch in. Also, I realized that some of the "experts" here say that a scarf is authentic even when it's clearly a fake! This is one of the reasons I signed up to post my 2 cents (to stop people like this from misguiding people). Anyway, with all my deleted posts and the false verification by the purported "experts" here, I am not surprised that some people might think this site is a scam.

If this post gets deleted or if I get banned, then you'll know the answer.

i do agree with parts of this. many of my posts have been deleted b/c i have shared a picture with someone of a bag that i own so they can compare it against theirs. even when it is the exact same, identical bag, in the same color, somehow that is considered authenticating, to share a pic?! it doesn't make sense to me either, that authentications are 'closed' except to just one or two people. if i want to authenticate an item i don't do it here, but via some paid site or off-line, if possible. everyone can make mistakes and i'd rather have someone i pay make an error than some faceless message board freebie person. because yeah, there is suspicion when you don't know who these people are or why they are the only people allowed to do anything. how are they vetted? the best thing to do is just look at the pretty pictures on tpf and don't get stressed over the authentication threads. use it for fun and photos

 

[littlerock]

I hope they just delete my thread verses ban me but I haven't done anything wrong. There are 174 comments on that site.

My love for Balenciaga was born from this forum. I really enjoy seeing all the photos.

No one cares enough to ban you, or delete your comment/ thread. It's really not that big of a deal. People believe all kinds of conspiracy theories online, it's un-avoidable in today's tech world. My brother thinks that the moon landing was faked . Some people think we delete all threads we don't like and have some crazy agenda to only authenticate certain bags. Eh.. wadda ya going to do? Can't win them all. Carry on..

 

[littlerock]

Some ebay sellers that sell fake bags are really pissed off at tPF. They might be where those comments are from.

Bingo.

 

[pursegirl3]

+1

 

[muchstuff]

If you do follow the tPF you quickly realize that there are people here who are very passionate about Balenciaga (or whatever other brand you care to check out). Many of them have been involved for years and have tons of expertise. They should be respected for offering their time, free of charge, to help out others who have questions or are hoping for authentication. I've been fortunate enough to have conversations with several of the "old pros" on both the Balenciaga and Alexander Wang forums, and have found them very willing to answer questions and offer advice, and I thank them for it.

I've seen several people weigh in on authentications who have very little background on this forum. That doesn't necessarily mean they have no expertise with the brand, but there have been cases where someone with a handful of posts has disagreed with a seasoned authenticator, only to have to recant their opinions. It's confusing to say the least and casts doubts on the forum as a whole. I would suggest that, if you feel an authenticator has made an error, you send them a PM and discuss it off the public thread.

Finally, to those who feel that they should have the right to authenticate. I've seen comments from people who "have two Balenciagas" and feel that makes them qualified. While I understand that the amount of posts you have doesn't necessarily make you qualified (I have over 500 and wouldn't think of risking someone else's hard-earned dollars by trying to authenticate) there needs to be some standard set. Someone with more than 500 posts is obviously willing to put in the time and effort. There should be a significant feeling of responsibility for anyone who is willing to definitively state that a bag is real or fake. It's not your money being risked - please be sure of your subject before you speak.

And if you wish to at some point authenticate, it's pretty straightforward...read and learn. Nothing's stopping you from posting, but please don't try to authenticate if you don't meet the rules of the forum. (And BTW, authentication is not closed to just one or two people. Some authenticators are online more than others. But, as previously stated, you need to know your stuff!)

 

[luv2bling]

If you do follow the tPF you quickly realize that there are people here who are very passionate about Balenciaga (or whatever other brand you care to check out). Many of them have been involved for years and have tons of expertise. They should be respected for offering their time, free of charge, to help out others who have questions or are hoping for authentication. I've been fortunate enough to have conversations with several of the "old pros" on both the Balenciaga and Alexander Wang forums, and have found them very willing to answer questions and offer advice, and I thank them for it.

I've seen several people weigh in on authentications who have very little background on this forum. That doesn't necessarily mean they have no expertise with the brand, but there have been cases where someone with a handful of posts has disagreed with a seasoned authenticator, only to have to recant their opinions. It's confusing to say the least and casts doubts on the forum as a whole. I would suggest that, if you feel an authenticator has made an error, you send them a PM and discuss it off the public thread.

Finally, to those who feel that they should have the right to authenticate. I've seen comments from people who "have two Balenciagas" and feel that makes them qualified. While I understand that the amount of posts you have doesn't necessarily make you qualified (I have over 500 and wouldn't think of risking someone else's hard-earned dollars by trying to authenticate) there needs to be some standard set. Someone with more than 500 posts is obviously willing to put in the time and effort. There should be a significant feeling of responsibility for anyone who is willing to definitively state that a bag is real or fake. It's not your money being risked - please be sure of your subject before you speak.

And if you wish to at some point authenticate, it's pretty straightforward...read and learn. Nothing's stopping you from posting, but please don't try to authenticate if you don't meet the rules of the forum. (And BTW, authentication is not closed to just one or two people. Some authenticators are online more than others. But, as previously stated, you need to know your stuff!)

ITA - on all points. I would take the advice of the ladies authenticating on tpf more readily, than even that of a paid authenticator, for reasons already stated.


I have a collection of vintage Coach and accessories, however, I would never entertain authenticating Coach bags, even if I had in excess of a thousand tpf posts.


One of the primary requirements of tpf in requesting authentications, is forum participation, as it is in attaining the title and respect as an authenticator.

 

[muchstuff]

ITA - on all points. I would take the advice of the ladies authenticating on tpf more readily, than even that of a paid authenticator, for reasons already stated.


I have a collection of vintage Coach and accessories, however, I would never entertain authenticating Coach bags, even if I had in excess of a thousand tpf posts.


One of the primary requirements of tpf in requesting authentications, is forum participation, as it is in attaining the title and respect as an authenticator.

:tpfrox:

 

[muchstuff]

I have been surfing the Purseforum for a while and finally signed up to post some insights that might help buyers from buying fake items online. I have posted 2 posts so far, but both got deleted due to my not being an "expert" which the moderator defines as somebody who posts more than 500 posts. However, if my posts keep on getting deleted, I will never become an expert to pitch in. Also, I realized that some of the "experts" here say that a scarf is authentic even when it's clearly a fake! This is one of the reasons I signed up to post my 2 cents (to stop people like this from misguiding people). Anyway, with all my deleted posts and the false verification by the purported "experts" here, I am not surprised that some people might think this site is a scam.

If this post gets deleted or if I get banned, then you'll know the answer.

You're certainly welcome to participate on the forum, but not to authenticate (which is why your posts were deleted). By all means join in the conversation, there are all sorts of threads to respond to (which is how you'll rack up your number of posts BTW), and while doing so you'll also learn facts about whatever brand you're interested in that you've never known before. And while it's certainly possible that an authenticator may make an error (no one's perfect) the majority of them have a ton of brand experience, based on years of personal purchasing and research.

 

[BeenBurned]

Yep. I'm just sharing because there were so many comments. I don't buy on ebay buy I know a lot of others here do.

Many of the negative comments are from one person who uses multiple IDs to post and complain.

 

[BeenBurned]

Some ebay sellers that sell fake bags are really pissed off at tPF. They might be where those comments are from.

Honestly, most of those people seem like conspiracy theorists and cranks, who can't differentiate from this forum and the Ebay one, and who can't make a concise and eloquent statement to save their lives.

*snip*

I agree with Catash- how many of these complainers got flagged for peddling phony bags and are angry Ebay actually did something and banned them?

^^^^ Both of the above!

it doesn't make sense to me either, that authentications are 'closed' except to just one or two people. if i want to authenticate an item i don't do it here, but via some paid site or off-line, if possible. everyone can make mistakes and i'd rather have someone i pay make an error than some faceless message board freebie person. because yeah, there is suspicion when you don't know who these people are or why they are the only people allowed to do anything. how are they vetted?

Authentications aren't "closed except to one or two people" and I'm not sure where you got that idea. Anyone can prove their knowledge and post as a trusted authenticator here but it's only after they prove themselves.

As for not trusting TPF's authenticators, you merely have to read through some of the AT threads. You'll quickly learn who knows what they're talking about.

Additionally, although authenticators here and on ebay's fashion board and other discussion boards volunteer their knowledge and expertise free of charge, many are also professional authenticators who get paid for the same services from an authentication company.

ccbaggirl89, if you feel more comfortable paying $7-10 for a professional authentication prior to your purchases, no one is stopping you from doing so. But for my money, I prefer to trust the proven experts here and save my money for the "long form" should I ever need it in the event of a dispute.

 

[Hyacinth]

The ComplaintsBoard will never have any real credibility because, as BeenBurned mentioned, not only do people caught selling fakes post multiple complaints against tPF, but also because the CB has no blocks in place to prevent it.

Almost every other board I've ever joined requires new members to register with a valid email address, and will verify that address by sending a confirmation email that requires a reply. THE COMPLAINTS BOARD DOES NOT. Some disgrunted moron psycho nutjob can register (and I can name several who have done it including a few former and Banned tPF members) with 50 or 100 or 500 different IDs and there's no way to prevent it and no removal process in place at all, no matter how many accusations they throw around or how many reputations they try to ruin, unless someone actually breaks a law and the person they've injured has the money to hire a lawyer, or can provide solid proof to the site owners that a law has been violated that the site can be held responsible for allowing.

The CB is a place to vent anonymously, and AFAIK there's nothing they can or will do to help anyone with a complaint whether it's valid or just a figment of a warped or diseased imagination. I've had complaints directed at me because of fakes I've reported and wackos I've outed. If there IS any effective problem-solving process, I don't remember seeing it. I'm sure there are other more effective ways of solving actual problems, but if someone just wants to throw dirt on someone else, the CB is the place to do it and never suffer any consequences.

 

[uadjit]

The complaint board complaints seem mostly baseless and as BB pointed out a lot of them are from one person who has some kind of personal vendetta.

I have gotten help from many of the brand experts on this forum and thanks to them I've had the confidence to buy pre-owned items and new bags from resellers. Many of these experts spend a lot of their time and energy helping people they don't even know for free. And I trust them more than I do many of the paid authentication services out there.

They've saved me and probably thousands of other people from buying fakes and I'm willing to bet that has made more than a few counterfeit sellers angry. Personally, it kind of pisses me off that they are getting flack because I genuinely appreciate what they're doing.

 

[puchikiwi]

If you do follow the tPF you quickly realize that there are people here who are very passionate about Balenciaga (or whatever other brand you care to check out). Many of them have been involved for years and have tons of expertise. They should be respected for offering their time, free of charge, to help out others who have questions or are hoping for authentication. I've been fortunate enough to have conversations with several of the "old pros" on both the Balenciaga and Alexander Wang forums, and have found them very willing to answer questions and offer advice, and I thank them for it.

I've seen several people weigh in on authentications who have very little background on this forum. That doesn't necessarily mean they have no expertise with the brand, but there have been cases where someone with a handful of posts has disagreed with a seasoned authenticator, only to have to recant their opinions. It's confusing to say the least and casts doubts on the forum as a whole. I would suggest that, if you feel an authenticator has made an error, you send them a PM and discuss it off the public thread.

Finally, to those who feel that they should have the right to authenticate. I've seen comments from people who "have two Balenciagas" and feel that makes them qualified. While I understand that the amount of posts you have doesn't necessarily make you qualified (I have over 500 and wouldn't think of risking someone else's hard-earned dollars by trying to authenticate) there needs to be some standard set. Someone with more than 500 posts is obviously willing to put in the time and effort. There should be a significant feeling of responsibility for anyone who is willing to definitively state that a bag is real or fake. It's not your money being risked - please be sure of your subject before you speak.

And if you wish to at some point authenticate, it's pretty straightforward...read and learn. Nothing's stopping you from posting, but please don't try to authenticate if you don't meet the rules of the forum. (And BTW, authentication is not closed to just one or two people. Some authenticators are online more than others. But, as previously stated, you need to know your stuff!)

I could argue the opposite. The person who might be selling fakes online would have more investment in posting 500+ comments to become an "expert" to authenticate here rather than a person like myself, who is only interested in buying genuine items. My investment in this site would be to help fellow consumers like myself, not sellers. So in a sense, just because I posted less in the past does not have any bearing on my commitment to helping out other members.

 

[Vlad]

Just popping in to add that I'll banning every poster in this thread.

Members, mods and admins alike.

That's how I roll.