authenticating 101

Authenticating Coach:

Many people resort to ebay when purchasing a Coach bag. Reasons range from wanting to save money, to not having a store or an outlet near you, or that your favorite style has been sold out. Well, ebay is quite risky, seeing as it is a haven for fakes. I’m not going to list a big thing about how fakes are bad and why you shouldn’t buy them, because regardless of your opinions on fakes, nobody wants to spend $400 on a bag and have it turn out to be fake. Because with that kind of money, you could buy a real one. And it’s a lot.

Anyways, I’ve decided to share my knowledge of authenticating just for you! I’m surprised at the number of people who are in the dark about fakes. So here we go.

Step One:
If you are authenticating a bag that has already been purchased, you need to first ask where they purchased the bag. Unless they say “ebay” you’ll know right off the bat if it’s real or fake.
Authentic Coach is only sold at:
Coach Stores
Coach outlets
Military base exchanges (AAFES)
Department Stores (Macys, Lord and Taylor, and Nordstrom for example)
TJ Maxx and Marshalls sell Coach, however the creed on an outlet bag will have a small specific embossment stamped on it somewhere. If this person says they bought their bag at one of those places, it IS authentic.

Fake:
Any third-party website
Purse Parties- These articles explains the basics behind a purse party quite well: http://www.nbc4i.com/news/10378828/detail.html


If you got it from a purse party or a third-party website, it’s 100% fake. No doubt about it.

Step Two: Design:
Another way to spot phony coach is to look at the bag, obviously. At first it may seem difficult and a lot to take in, but after a while you can spot a fake from a mile away.


1. Coach leather is of superior quality. If the bag looks saggy like in this picture, it's fake:


2. If the bag looks like a style Coach has never produced, it's OBVIOUSLY fake:



3. The above bag is also a good example of fakes whose "C's" don't line up. It's pretty obvious by the picture.

4. Ever heard the term Goach? It's knockoff Coach, but a bit sneakier. They turn the C's into little G's.







Some more tips from a really good ebay about me page that you all should read.


-Just because a seller boasts that an item comes with a Coach box, tissue, bag, registration/care card, does NOT mean their item is authentic!
-Coach does not use PVC to trim their Signature bags - They use LEATHER!
-1994-Present: Serial numbers are NOT unique to each Coach piece
-Serial numbers can be and ARE counterfeited
-ANY and EVERY Coach Signature item should have perfectly centered C's and ALL C's on SEAMS should line up! NO authentic Coach item has crooked, off-center C's, period!!
-The average solid leather or signature Coach bag costs between $150-$400 depending on the size and style of the bag. Smaller accessories like wristlets and key fobs will obviously be less, and the Coach Limited Edition items are often more than the average price. Someone selling large volumes of these bags (at prices that seem like a steal) probably ARE a steal!

from ihatefakecoach's ebay about me page

Really, if it looks like crappy quality, it's fake. (Odd-looking colors due to poor-quality dyes, bursting seams, sagging, etc.)There's a reason that these bags are expensive, you know. Trust your instincts when going on ebay, and please for the love of whatever deity you worship, don't get one at a "purse party".




Authenticating Marc Jacobs:

We all know Marc Jacobs is pretty excellent, but not all of us have the ability to cruise his store, so we rely on good ol ebay! This handy guide will help yah determine whether that mj thing you want to bid on is real or fake!

The first rule of business is to trust your instincts. If the price is too good to be true, sorry, but it probably is. Not to offend anyone, but if the seller is from China then chances are it’s a fake. Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure many sellers from China sell authentic items, but just be careful. Also, there is no Marc Jacobs line specifically created for any Asian country! Sellers who claim that a particular item has a "different tag" because it was specifically created for such and such country are selling fakes, man. Lots of mj items are manufactured in Asian countries, but there are no lines created especially for them.

Always check other items the seller has sold. If they are selling many of the same dresses, that’s usually a sign that they are not auth. I don’t know how many people buy designer items in bulk…
Also, check the feedback. If there are multi people claiming the item wasn’t authentic, then look elsewhere. Also look at the mutual withdrawal numbers (at the bottom of the feedback numbers). Withdrawals are sometimes used to remove untrue comments, but can also be used by dishonest sellers to help their feedback. If a seller has an unusual amount of withdrawals, this is another sign that the item may not be authentic.

Look for items that have the tags attached. While there are pre-owned items, that could very well be authentic, the risk is much higher for bootlegs when there are no tags. If there isn’t a picture of the tag, ask the seller to show you one.

Marc Jacobs tags will be sewn in on clothing items. The clothing tag will be attached at the top back of the neck. The tag will be sewn at both ends and will have the size and fabric content tag in the center just below the Marc Jacobs tag. On Marc by Marc Jacobs the word Marc will be brighter than the word Jacobs. And on Marc Jacobs, “Marc” is in white letters and “Jacobs” is in grey.



Now for shoes!


(fake up top, real on the bottom)

When looking for Marc Jacobs shoes, pay attention to the insole. The first thing that should ring an alarm is whether or not three letters are missing from the stamped name on the insole. Make sure "ARC" isn’t missing from "MARC JACOBS".
Also, make sure that MARC JACOBS is stamped in the correct font and that it is lined up exactly in the center of the insole. You may want to look at the same mj shoes that you know are authentic and compare the two. (try eluxury.com)
So please bid carefully and do your research. There are lotsa deals on ebay, but there are also extremely sneaky people that like to rip you off.

Thanks to prox1mity and studio_blu (of ebay) of whom I got most of the information.


So that's a great way to get you started with telling fake from real.
Coach is courtesy of Tight
Marc Jacobs is courtesy of Gateau