I would think they are all fake, on ebay; LV would not authorize selling the real ones there.

That's what I'm thinking... But I've watched some of these purses go for a couple of hundred versus what seems to be the fakes ones only going for forty dollars. I'm so confused... I just thought that I could get one on there for a reasonable price. Hmm...

Ebay has a program called Vero that monitors intellectual property infringement. It removes listings that are fakes. I doubt that they control all or much of it, though. Only what is reported, I imagine. I think there probably are real LV bags but how would one really know? I suppose one can check feedback before purchasing.

Here is a link that might be useful: Ebay Vero

Thanks for the link BarnMom. I actually had a purse that I was bidding on cancelled without reason. I'm thinking that it ended up being a fake purse. I was glad that e-bay had caught that and stopped the whole transaction before the auction ended. Hmm...

Yes, the fakes are only pulled if someone reports the auction. No way ebay could keep up with it all.

My mom had a Dooney and Bourke purse that she wanted me to sell on ebay. It was beautiful. I did a little research first and discovered it was a fake! At first she didn't believe me, this bag was so nice. But fake it was. (she got it at a garage sale.)

Almost all Vuitton handbags and other expensive designer bags on EBay are fakes. Vuitton does not discount their bags or sell through many retailers. The Murakami bags start at about $500 for the small ones. eLuxury.com is the only web site licensed to sell the real thing - but their selection is limited.

The vero plan on EBay is a joke. You can get great stuff on EBay, but be aware that there is a lot of fake merchandise there.

LOL! I just bought a fake LV on ebay and I LOVE it! Yes, I know it is fake and it was advertised that way - as a "designer type" bag. However, I have a friend who has several LV bags (real ones) and even she said it is hard to tell mine is a fake without looking at the inside.

Yea, if it is really important to you that it is absolutely legit, then I think you will have to shell out the bucks. Then you can show off the lining and seams to everyone who will look at them. If you want a bag with a great look that will fool most people (especially from the outside) then get several fakes and enjoy carrying them!

Alexa

Alexa,

I noticed that some of them have a suede lining and others the raspberry alcantra. So which lining is in your fake? Which lining is in the real one? What were the differences between your friend's bag and yours? I noticed some of the pouchettes have bows and some don't. So confusing...

I just want to make sure that I'm not getting ripped off by paying a high amount for a fake. The one I'm looking at is being passed off as an "authentic" bag.

There is such a proliferation of fake LV's nowadays, and I admit they look beautiful, that everytime I see someone carrying one, I always assume it's fake....

Nike, what are they charging for this "authentic" bag? Can you post the link here? Is it advertised as new or used?

This is one example that I see on e-bay. What do you all think? A couple of sales ago I see that one of these purses sold out for over a hundred dollars. Hmm...

Here is a link that might be useful: E-bay Louis Vuitton Murakami pouchette bag

Go to eluxury.com and see the multicolor monogram collection, the Pouchette new is $500. In my opinion, the bag in your link is a fake. The colors are slightly different. If you want the bag for the look and don't care if it's authentic, go ahead and get the cheapest one advertised on ebay. If you care about it being authentic, then don't buy it. It's not authentic. You can do a search on Google for "vuitton replica" and see all the sites that sell these fakes. They are everywhere.

Nike -

My bag is the brown with tan/gold monogram (and it is squarish, not the pouchette), so the interior is the tan "fake" leather. I don't know which lining the real LV pouchette has but I can ask my friend the next time I talk to her.

I would tend to agree that the vast majority of bags on ebay are knock-offs, but as I mentioned earlier... there are a lot of great knock-offs out there!

Good luck with your decision.

Alexa

The seller of that auction has private feedback. NEVER buy from someone with private feedback, they are hiding it for a reason.

Thank you everyone for your advice. I guess I need to buy from a reputable store to get the real thing. It's just that these purses are so expensive and I wanted to get myself something nice for my Birthday. Sigh...

I didn't know one could hide the feedback! So many things to learn. My ebay experiences have been hit and miss. I feel like many purchases are basically a crap shoot. Fortunately, most of my purchases have been fairly inexpensive.

That particular seller would raise a red flag with me anyway because of the %. I try to only buy from sellers with 97% positive and above. I figure most of the time they get it right and you can't please all the people all the time no matter what.

There are LV and Kate Spade and YSL and about any other thing you can imagine available at flea markets all over the place for about $30 to $40.....they look great....of course they are not "real"....but who cares? For $30 you don't have to carry a bag for years....just send it to Goodwill when you tire of it.
They are the "cubic zirconium" of purses!
Linda C

Remember "purse parties"? A friend of mine hosted a couple of these before the crack down. The purses were fake designer bags but most people would be hard pressed to tell. The quality was superb. I never bought one and was unable to attend either party but I saw several handbags that other people purchased.

Just as a fun aside, our next door neighbors are the largest car dealers in the US, private plane, the whole nine yards- and she carries the fake white LV. I think that is so cool. When I bought my LV I told myself I had to carry it seven years for it to make financial sense- and I am sooo sick of that purse!! She who can afford anything carries the cheaper version.

Just as when I see a huge honkin' 4 carat diamond....I assume it's CZ.
Does it matter? are you wearing something to say "Look what I can afford" or because you like the look?
I carry a nifty pink printed LV wannabe sometimes....get lots of compliments, other times I carry a Le Sac ( the real thing ! LOL!).....and still others a Adrienne Vitidini black leather....also the real thing...
But who cares? I have several Coach bags in my closet that don't have pockets where I need them.
I like real jewelry ( because it never wears out, unlike a LV purse) and sterling, china and real oriental rugs.
Purses are utilitarian to me....better than a plastic grocery bag....because I won't carry nor wear plastic.
Linda C

Hi BarnMom,
why would there be a need to 'crack down' on purse parties? Never been to one, but isn't it like a tupperware party, candle party, pampered chef party etc...?

Yes, except that this is considered copyright infringement.

Purse-party phenomenon
Merchants and manufacturers aren't the only ones risking fines and jail time. Many otherwise law-abiding people have begun selling counterfeits out of car trunks or at home purse parties (think Tupperware, but with knockoff handbags). While it is unlikely a person would get arrested for purchasing an individual fake bag or watch, legal vulnerability increases if a person is found selling -- or even with the intent to sell -- counterfeit products. At that point, a person is considered a distributor, and is subject to state and federal criminal penalties, including fines and prison terms.

Kolsun works with federal and state law enforcement agencies.

"Together, we approach mall kiosks, flea markets and street vendors to ensure they are selling legitimate product," Kolsun says. "We also work with eBay's Vero program, which closes down auction sites that are selling illegal product."

Asked if people are going to jail for selling knockoff bags, Kolsun says, "Absolutely. Every week."

The international, multibillion dollar counterfeit industry has a negative impact on our economy, Kolsun says, "Counterfeiters are not paying taxes or trademark fees. It should be disturbing to people that when they buy a fake bag, they're supporting a foreign underground economy and criminals with an all-cash lifestyle."

Here is a link that might be useful: Illegal Handbag Parties

The knockoff market is disturbing.

Equally disturbing is LV charging $2,000 for a freakin' purse! SHEESH! They deserve to be knocked off.

OMG - I didn't realize that some may be trying to pass off as the real thing. I have seen them at mall kiosks too, but those just kinda look like the real thing and without the name/trademark, and of course the materials they use is just rotten. I better think twice if I ever get invited to one of those parties.
weed30, I know watcha mean, there's an LV store in Scottsdale that I eye everytime I'm at that mall, and can't fathom paying that much. There's also a Tiffany & Co. which is a whole nother story. SHEESH is right!!!

The LV brand seems to hold a certain fascination with it's design; probably the outrageous prices are a motivator for counterfeiters to copy them, as opposed to copying a less expensive brand.

Personally, it's turned me off the lv designs since they have been so bastardized with the counterfeits; the white background with the easter-egg color logos does not appeal to me, authentic or faux, yet thousands of people are attracted to it.

Oh, the keychains at Tiffany are, uh, very affordable - LOL!

I'm with you Mitch. Every third gal is walking around with a fake LV. My mom likes expensive "brands" so I got her an LV (real - choke, cough) for Mother's Day. She's in seventh heaven. I personally refuse to buy anything with initials/labels on them. What am I - a billboard?

I have felt the same way about LV bags since the 80s when they were all the rage and EVERYONE had one. Baa-a-a-ah! ;-)

I think they make nice bags which seem to hold up to wear but I tend to be more individualistic and pragmatic.

Speaking of purses, I carry only vintage bags. I pick them up at garage sales, estate sales and thrift stores for 50 cents to 10 bucks. I can't tell you how many compliments I get on them :) My latest favorite is a bright orange "leather" bag I got at my neighbor's sale for a dollar. Very current!

You guys are all making me laugh. Thank you for your advice. :) There are just so many bags out there that it makes it very dangerous for one to try and figure out which are fake and which are authentic. Thanks for everyone's pointers. We all have to be very careful out there. And thank you for all of those links. I've been checking them all out too. Amazing that there are so many fake companies out there producing these LV bags. I didn't know that they could put LV on their products without them being real. Wow...

The way I feel about fake designer bags is....if it's $30 or $40 and you like it, why not?
If you want real for sure....go to a department store and get the real thing.
Linda C

I bought a fake LV back pack (the white with the colored letters) this Summer & paid $80 (for a fake!), but the real ones go for hundreds. Well I hated it & gave it to my sister.

I had a fake brn LV that need an extra hole added to the strap & a fake light blue burberry both from Chinatown where they are much less expensive, in the $30 range & the shoe maker who I'm sure gets plenty of real ones thought they were real, so knock-offs are pretty good these days. They even come in the nice felt bag for storage but of course the fakes don't come with a registration card to send back to the company.

Michie

A few years back there was a thread like this and some posted an article about the New York State Attorney general cracking down on these sales. They were also several article that linked the selling of counterfeit items and illegal cigarettes to terrorism and the sex slave trade. When I get a minute, I will do a search on these and see if I can find the articles.

I personally own three LV purses. I like the design and the style and the fact that they last for years. I purchased them whenever I got a bonus that I did not expect. To each his own. I am not an artist but have friends that are and they really hate counterfeiting. I am pissed at work when someone takes credit for my work, so I can only imagine how the artists who design the purses for LV feel. Even they can't sell their stuff out of the trunk of their car. Not everyone can afford LV, so if you can't afford it, don't buy it. There are other options out there. I carried Coach for many years and have a vintage coach purse my mom left me. I also have a vintage Chanel which is not my style. But it is fabric and I swear it still smells like her.

Good luck!

I am a lucky gal! My boyfriend felt sorry for me having all these issues online that he actually went into a Louis Vuitton store and bought me the exact Murakami purse that I was looking for! What a nice Christmas gift and surprise!

Honestly... I was actually pretty shocked at how simple the purse actually is. For the five to six hundred dollars he paid, it's such a simple little clutch bag with no little pockets or anything on the inside. It's that cranberry soft material lined on the inside though. I actually thought it'd be like my Gucci purse with leather on the inside.

It's a cute purse though. I'm so happy! Eeee!

Nike, you are a lucky one !! There's nothing like the real thing.....

You can find a lot of fake LV. I am a buyer and seller on eBay and Yes you would get a lot of dishonest people everywhere, but eBay has this buyer protection plan, that if you buy something that is advertise fake then you would get your money back. If you can pay less for the real one than it is worth it. Also look at the feedback, the feedback on a person profile cannot be dishonest; these are real people that brought the products. You always need to pay for it with papal and add the buyer protection fees on it. I got my money back from dishonest people and this was other web sites not eBay. If it is not as advertised then you would get your money back. The best suggestions before you buy, get a copy of the picture on eBay and ask the seller for additional close up pictures inside and out. Go to your local LV store, most in department store malls, because LV are guarantee for life then most sales persons in the store can tell the difference.

eBay's buyer protection plan is seriously flawed.
the most you can be refunded is $175.00!

The only way to be completely protected is to buy with your credit card. Either using PayPal or a seller's merchant account.

PayPal's Buyer Protection Policy only covers SOME auctions. The logo must be there for the $1000 coverage to be possible.

Otherwise you are not covered if the seller empties their PayPal account.

USE YOUR CREDIT CARD on eBay!

Someone earlier mentioned to only buy from sellers who are 97% or higher. This is a mistake. In school, 97% is great. On eBay it is generally dismal. For expensive handbags you want 99.6% or higher.

Most designer purses on eBay are fakes. If they are listed as authentic, this is a problem. If listed as designer inspired it is not.

They must be reported for them to be pulled. eBay cannot police thousands of auctions. The VeRO rights holders do report some and so do concerned eBayers but there are still hundreds running at any time.

the eBay Discussion Board for shoes and accessories is a great place to learn how to buy designer handbags on eBay safely.

Here is a link that might be useful: Shoes and Accessories Board