Heres a tidbit of info I found useful on the eBay forums id like to share with you.. This is on handbags..one of the most popular and faked items on eBay.
*Keep in mind that it is not always possible to authenticate your bag with 100% accuracy. If this is the case, you can do the following:
if you have the bag and is questioning its authenticity, take it to an authorized store if possible. Keep in mind that stores do not provide authentication services. However, you can ask for an estimate to repair or clean your bag. If it is not authentic, the store will not authorize the cleaning or repair service and will let you know it is not authentic.
If you are considering bidding on an auction, ask the seller some questions like: 1) guarantee of authenticity or your money back; 2) how was the bag acquired; 3) store receipt if possible; 4) more pictures. Do check seller's detailed feedback.
For information on designer handbags (Balenciaga, Chanel, Coach, Fendi, Gucci, Hermes, Kate Spade, Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs, and Prada), please check out the following 'About ME' pages:
BALENCIAGA
luv2shop-hate2spend:
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CHANEL
burberry_princess (RETIRED from authentication):
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COACH
ihatefakecoachbags:
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REPORTING COUNTERFEIT COACH BAGS:
CLICK TO REPORT
DOONEY & BOURKE
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FENDI
fendi-bag-lady:
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GUCCI
designergalathome:
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aegiale:
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HERMES
nepherisis:
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KATE SPADE
elviscostellofan (RETIRED from authentication):
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LOUIS VUITTON
mypoupette:
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livinluxuriously
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LOUIS VUITTON - MURAKAMI LINE
babyclouds:
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mypoupette:
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MARC JACOBS
vogue1966:
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PRADA
peskipiksipesternomi:
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GENERAL COUNTERFEIT INFORMATION
shmoo8
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mioka:
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ALREADY WON A COUNTERFEIT ITEM??
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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON DOONEY & BOURKE (written by Tilcia):
A few things repeatedly seen on imitations are that the duck logo appears to be sewn on but is in fact actually glued. If you lift the side of the logo up gently you should see threads immediately verifying it is sewn on.
If you would like to have your item inspected for authenticity, D&B will do that for you. You will need to send your item via UPS or insured mail with your name, address and day time phone number along with a note requesting the authenticity inspection to:
Dooney & Bourke Inc. One Regent Street, Norwalk, CT 06855
Once D&B has received your item, you will received via regular mail in writing whether your item is real or not.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON DOONEY & BOURKE (written by Grandpa913):
If you are unsure if a Dooney All-Weather-Leather purse is authentic, use this checklist *before* buying:
1) Leather duck logo is sewn on with stitching visible inside the bag. Unless interior lining is present, interior lining will be top-trimmed in British Tan Leather lining has a shiny/vinyl appearance(waterproof)and may or may not have 1/4'x2' rawhide leather strips which secure the purse zipper panel to bi-lateral side panels. Liners are found in the Satchel/Messenger bags. Doctor Bags should be leather interior(no lining).
2) Red/white/blue Registration No is sewn under leather seam.
3) Solid brass 'Duck Fob' has separation between duck bill and duck head, duck eye has a deep engraved circle, area behind duck has a 'grainy' texture (not smooth).
4) Purse seam thread is same color/texture thread as leather duck logo.
5) All weather leather is soft and pliable (not stiff).
6) Interior leather seams are 'chorded'.
7) Dooney pocket system is brown regardless of purse color (exception is black-on-black Dooneys, they have a black pocket system, black hang fob and black trim).
8) Dooney's are trimmed in *stitched* British tan trim.
9) Pocket system has a small leather triangular 'flap' which hides the zipper.
10) All strap knobs are solid brass (not silver tone).
11) Shoulder strap solid brass grummets read 'DOONEY&BOURKE'.
12) Back of buckle strap hardware reads 'SOLID BRASS'.
13) All D&B straps are British tan leather stitched (except black above and a few older bags that have a matching leather color strip), stitching matches purse stitching and the strap end is pointed (not square).
14) Both stap D-Rings are solid brass in shape of the leather 'D' (not square or round).
15) Purse handles have raised double stitch on reverse side with a pointed end and are *always* British tan leather.
16) D&B's with protective feet are always solid brass, come in pairs (2,4,6) with older bags having leather reinforcement strips directly beneath the feet, 2 feet to one strip. Occasional Messenger D&B's may have the older 5 feet base. Two on either end with a single middle brass foot. These are referred to as 'bare-feet' base due to absence of leather strip(s).
17) D&B Wallets have 'Dooney & Bourke Made in USA' stamp *enveloped inside a square* located at base center of checkbook backwall,Square Stamp is authentic trademark(no square,not authentic)Duck leather Logo on flap is Small(not large duck). Interior cloth material has brown wave design.All wallets have british tan leather interior&trim regardless of exterior leather color(exception is black-on-black)Checkbook wallet attached Coin purse has eggshell interior with brass hardware frame and twist kiss closure.
18) Stitching: D&B leather stitch has the water motif 'wave' design(some refer to this stitch as 'zig-zag') on main frame seams. Interior D&B pocket system(pocket/pocket flap/cc slots)should have the 'straight-bump' stitch which matches the Duck Logo stitch.
19) D&B AWL Top Metal Zipper Pull: AWL rectangular metal zipper pull will read 'Dooney&Bourke'. AWL round metal zipper pull will read 'riri'. Round metal zipper pull has hole in center,found on older Rare bags. If the purse has all other basic trademarks but the zipper pull does not read 'Dooney&Bourke' or 'riri' the zipper or zipper pull has been repaired/replaced.
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COUNTERFEITS VS. 'INSPIRED' BAGS (written by elviscostellofan):
Frequently someone will ask on this board whether designer replicas, imitations, or fakes can be sold on eBay. The terminology used to describe bags of this nature is often confusing, so here is an attempt to clarify it.
1. Does your bag have a designer's name on it or something very close to a designer's name? For example, does the bag say 'Kate Spade' or 'Kade Spade' but was not made by Kate Spade? Does the bag have a designer's trademarked logo on it, such as 'GG' or 'LV' or 'CC' but was not made by Gucci, Louis Vuitton, or Coach? If so, your bag is a COUNTERFEIT. It is illegal to sell counterfeits for a variety of reasons; namely, the sale of counterfeits violates federal trademark law and can also constitute mail and wire fraud. A counterfeit cannot be listed on eBay even if you disclose that it is a counterfeit, because the item itself is illegal to sell, period. You also may not disclaim the authenticity of the item (i.e. 'I don't know much about Louis Vuitton so I don't know whether or not it's authentic.') You may read eBay's listing policies on counterfeits here:
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If you attempted to sell a counterfeit on eBay and it was removed from auction either by eBay or by the designer's VERO representative, eBay's policies explain why. If you are wondering why your listing was removed but others were not, it is because someone reported you or you were singled out by the company. That's life. If you attempt to do something illegal and/or against eBay listing policy, you don't have any recourse just because 'others are getting away with it.'
2. Does your bag have a similar LOOK to a designer bag, but does not contain any infringing trademark of any kind? For example, is your bag in the boxy 'Sam' shape that Kate Spade is known for but does not have any logo or marking on it? Or is your bag a similar shape and color to the Louis Vuitton multicolore bags, but was made by XOXO and has 'XOXO' logos all over it rather than LV logos? If so, your bag is 'designer inspired.' You may sell designer inspired bags on eBay and elsewhere.
eBay allows you to compare the item to one brand name in the listing, i.e. 'this bag is in the style of Kate Spade's Sam bag.' Anything more than that will be considered keyword spam. HOWEVER . . . just because eBay allows you to make this comparison, that does not mean that the owner of the trademark will necessarily allow you to use their name in your listings, so be careful. Chanel, for example, is notorious for pulling listings that say 'Chanel-like.' The bottom line is, they have the right to control how their trademark is used in commerce, so keep that in mind when listing designer replicas.
eBay's keyword spamming policy is here:
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'Counterfeit' and 'designer inspired' are the terms that *I* personally use to describe these items. You may see a listing that says 'designer inspired' but is actually a trademark infringing counterfeit, or you may see something called a 'replica' that is just designer inspired, or whatever. Pay attention to the pictures of the item and make sure that the item does not have any logos of any kind on it, when you are looking for 'designer inspired' merchandise.
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Designer Inspired/Knock-Offs (written by om*goddess):
Designer inspired/knock-offs are NOT illegal. They try to mimic a certain style, but they do not attempt to pass themselves off as the real thing. These bags will not have the company logos of the bag they are trying to imitate. You can sell/buy them, however many sellers of designer inspired goods are guilty of Key Word Spamming if nothing else.
Fakes/counterfeits on the other hand, ARE illegal. They have logos (where the real bags have logos) and markings that are exclusive to the real brand. Not only are these bags copyright infringement, but they are untaxed productions that support crimes such as child slavery, drug-trafficking, and terrorism. Counterfeits are a huge problem on Ebay because the majority of buyers do not realize they are buying a fake, and thus have been 'tricked' into spending hundreds (sometimes thousands) of dollars on a counterfeit item.
