My two loves: my Louis Vuitton bag and my fiancé.
at the Finger Lakes wineries in New York.
I was afraid of falling into the “girl with the big Louis bag” cliché, but how can you resist an item made by one of the oldest fashion houses in the world? (LV first started in the 1850s.)
After a lot of researching, I decided to bid on a Louis Vuitton bag on eBay, and I couldn’t be anymore happier. I knew three things before I began my search: I wanted the Popincourt Haut bag, I didn’t want a fake, and I didn’t want to spend $985!Because only a small fraction of LV bags out there are authentic, these are some helpful tips I learned while I was on my search:
- Browse the official Louis Vuitton website and find the bag you’re looking for first. You don’t want to go on eBay and search for “Louis Vuitton bag,” because hundreds of items will show up in the search results, and a majority of them will be bags never even made by LV. When you know which LV bag you want, note its exterior color, interior lining color, measurements, and any unique details about the bag, then search specifically for that model on eBay.
- Note the monograph placement, stitching, and where the product was made (see the “Made in…” patch).
- Research your seller, check the seller’s feedback, and read the item description thoroughly—several times! If the seller offers to send along original tags, receipts, etc., that’s good, but keep in mind these can be duplicated, and there are tons of fake tags and dust bags out there. If the seller says, “All says are final” or doesn’t offer a refund, you can translate that into “This is a fake, and you’ll never see your money again.” Be sure that the seller guarantees authenticity or money back.
- If the seller has not provided his or her own photos of the bag (photos that have not been “borrowed” from LV’s website), this is not a good sign. Always make sure that you can see photos of the front, back, base, lining, and “Made in…” patch of the actual item before you bid on it.
- LV bags never go on sale. Ever. Not at department stores, not at boutiques, no where! So be weary of a seller who is selling a NWT (new with tag) bag below retail value. It if seems too good to be true, it is too good to be true.
For more tips and photographs of fake vs. real LV bags, check out fashionphile’s helpful eBay guide. You might get lucky and find an authentic, used bag that someone grew tired of. I scored mine at $330, less than half of the bag’s retail value ($985). It was still a lot of money for me, but a designer bag like this is timeless, and I plan on using it for a long, long time.
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