eBay.com

Louis Vuitton - Should I buy at auction?

First of all, check out the bags directly with Louis Vuitton. You will be able to view their latest range. The Louis Vuitton range includes the Murakami, Cherry Blossom, Eye Love You and Monogram designs, the new vintage denim range and styles including the Speedy, Papillon, Pochette, Theda, Crescent and Alma.
 
There are literally 'hundreds' of designer handbags available for sale on online auction sites, but the majority of these are probably fakes or replicas. Many are of a high quality , eg leather inside and out and complete with a dustbag. These handbags regularly sell for £100-£400 ($150 - $600 US dollars) and more. Buyers seem to be largely content with them, either because they don't realise that the product is a replica; or because they are paying several hundred pounds less than the genuine article would cost, they don't care.
 
It is not logical to believe that many of the bags offered for sale are genuine, and here are a few reasons why:

• This season's collections are always available - not old stock.
• There is always a waiting list for the latest LV ranges - there is no way people will be selling the genuine article brand new for less than what they paid.
• The bags offered in many cases are brand new with tags attached - not second hand bags that have become redundant
• The top designer houses do not sell off 'job lots' of unsold items to lucky wholesalers. Would you buy a bag from a top designer and then sell it for a quarter of the price you paid for it?

How do I know if it's authentic or a replica?

This cannot be ascertained unequivocally from a picture on a web site. However, if it looks cheap it is undoubtedly a replica. One would expect an authentic bag to be sold with an original purchase receipt from a known LV retailer, together with a branded dustbag and the original packaging. If a bag seems to good to be true then it probably is.

Why don't sellers just say whether or not the bag is authentic?

If a seller implies a bag may not be authentic (eg: "no guarantee of authenticity with this item"), many auction sites will end the auction early as the seller is admitting to being guilty of infringing their copyright policies.

The notes above are our opinion only, © ShoppingTrolley.Net, and may be incorrect. They do not reflect the views of any other companies.