There are few things worse than buying a fake Louis Vuitton handbag. It doesn’t matter if you’ve been saving for years or it’s just another one in your collection. You deserve to get the brand-name bag you paid for. In a sea of counterfeits, it can be hard to find real Louis Vuitton handbags. The popularity and good reputation of the brand make it a popular target for fraud. You don’t have to dedicate your life to studying handbags in order to weed out the fakes. With a few of our helpful tips, you’ll become an expert at filtering out fake handbags from the real ones.
Authenticating Louis Vuitton Purses: Real vs Fake
Many fake luxury handbags aren’t as easy to spot as you’d think. Counterfeiters have put in a lot of time and effort to make them look as similar as possible. Sherry’s Handbags looks at many key features before purchasing any used Louis Vuitton handbag. You won’t be able to do all the tests we do while you’re in a store. There are some characteristics you can look for yourself.
1. Material Quality
Louis Vuitton handbags are expensive for many reasons. The main one is because they use high-quality materials that make them extremely durable. If your new or used handbag is folding in on itself because the material’s too weak to support it, odds are it’s fake. Louis Vuitton handbags have a reputation for using durable and quality materials. They last for years with minimal wear.
A list of the most common materials Louis Vuitton uses:
- Leather
- Boa
- Lambskin
- Crocodile
- Camel skin
Fake luxury purses won’t use these materials. They will use either pleather or vinyl which makes them feel different. Real leather won’t smell like strong chemicals. It may take a little while, but if you smell enough leather your nose will be able to tell the difference. The handle material is vachetta leather. Oxidation will cause them to darken over time. If you’ve had your handbag for many years and the handles never changed color, you own a fake. In addition to oxidizing over time, the trim along the handles should be a dark shade of red. The trim of a real handbag will be a burgundy red, but the fake ones are usually too bright.
2. The Lettering
If the full Louis Vuitton name is spelled out, the “O” will be circles not ovals on genuine handbags. Louis Vuitton is normally spelled out with capital letters. On the rare occasion, it’s not, it has a distinct font. The position of the “L” and the “O” is tricky for counterfeiters to duplicate.
3. The Dust Cover and Box
Over the years, the coverings for Louis Vuitton handbags have changed. Most counterfeiters won’t do too much research about accurate packaging. They will make easy-to-spot mistakes. Sherry’s Handbags verification experts know the history of dust covers. This allows them to easily spot a fake. Before 2004, dust covers were flannel drawstring bags with the Louis Vuitton logo on them. They came in either beige or blue. In 2004, the dust cover changed. During that time, they used flannel or linen materials. The logo was still there, but there was also a tag that told the customer where the bag was made. Since 2016, all boxes are orange and have blue text. The dust covers are a cream color, but also have the same blue text.
4. The Stitching
The quality of the workmanship makes all the difference between real and fake luxury handbags. If you have time to count, the number of stitches on each handle will be identical. No matter how good a fake looks, it can never match that level of precision. A quick note of caution, while the number of stitches should match, all the stitches should not perfectly align or be uniform in length. This is a sign that whoever made it used a machine, which could mean it’s fake.
5. Date Codes in the Lining
Inside your Louis Vuitton purse, there should be a leather tag with an embossed note. This note marks when and where the bag was made. You can find this important indicator hidden somewhere in the lining. The people who make fake purses will rarely go through the trouble of putting this note in the lining. With a combination of numbers and letters, Louis Vuitton uses the date code that details where and when your handbag was made. If you can check the date code and confirm that it’s real and matches the stamp, your handbag is likely real.
6. The Accessories
Everyone loves free accessories. It’s rare for luxury brands to throw in extra ones, but the Neverfull is the exception. It has an additional shoulder strap option, but it doesn’t come as part of the standard handbag. Think of it this way. A genuine Louis Vuitton handbag doesn’t need extra accessories to convince you to buy it. The quality and durability of the product do that for you. A person selling a fake wants to distract you with something shiny and extra. This is so you won’t question the handbag too much.
7. The Hardware
Luxury handbags use the best material. The hardware material on Louis Vuitton handbags is brass. There are two options available: shiny or matte. Sherry’s Handbags looks closely at the shiny brass hardware of used bags. It should reflect the same way as a mirror. Fake purses will come with their hardware covered in plastic wrapping. This is to prevent the cheap material from tarnishing. Quality brass won’t tarnish so it won’t come wrapped.
8. The Monogram
The placement of the monogram is very important. This iconic design is seamless. Louis Vuitton uses one continuous piece of leather for the entire bag. Fake handbags may have the monogram cut off or crooked. Compare the questionable bag with the one you know to be genuine. If the monograms aren’t identical, it’s a fake.
9. Authenticity Certificates
At a glance, a handbag with a certificate proving its authenticity appears to be a good sign. That’s why many fake handbags have them. In a Louis Vuitton, there may be a card with the name of the bag and a barcode, but never an authenticity certificate.
10. The Stamping
At Sherry’s Handbags, we look at the stamping carefully, there’s a lot of tiny details here that forgers get wrong. The leather label inside your bag should have the phrase “Louis Vuitton Paris” stamped. There is also the made-in location. Matching this location with the date code is a sure sign of authenticity. This stamp uses a unique font that isn’t easy to replicate. The bass of the “L” will be shorter than normal and the “O” will be a circle. The “T”s are closer together than other fonts.
11. Commonly Counterfeited Handbags
Because of their popularity, some handbags have more illegal duplicates available on the market.
- Louis Vuitton Speedy
- Louis Vuitton Neverfull
- Louis Vuitton Alma
- Louis Vuitton Noe
- Louis Vuitton Keepall
- Louis Vuitton City Steamer
These are some of the most popular patterns and handbags sold by Louis Vuitton. When buying one of these used, Sherry’s Handbags does a thorough examination.
Which Online Retailers Can You Trust?
Very few. The more popular a brand is, the more people will try to replicate it. We know that trusting online stores is hard. In 2019, a large retailer, known for selling luxury items, was caught selling counterfeit merchandise. They had fake purses and handbags from the most famous designers.
Sherry’s Handbags employs experts to verify each bag’s legitimacy before it is passed onto our satisfied customers. Our authentication process involves tedious examination and can take days. Not every shopper has the luxury of experts verifying every purchase they make. There are a few precautions everyone can take before buying or selling a Louis Vuitton.
Why You Should Trust Sherry’s Handbags
With adequate knowledge of the industry, you won’t need to trust us. You’ll be able to verify our products yourself. Skepticism is a good thing in the world of fashion. Do your research and know the difference between a real deal and a fake. Don’t worry if your eye for spotting fakes isn’t where you’d like it to be. We conduct extensive research of our own before buying or selling any handbag. Some of the best experts are working with us to authenticate your bags. If you are interested in selling a handbag that you believe to be a real Louis Vuitton, fill out our free instant quote form. We pay more than our competition and you’ll receive compensation faster.
Be Cautious
Louis Vuitton is one of the most popular handbag brands in existence. This high demand makes buyers like you an easy target for fraud. Knowing the signs of a counterfeit will help you find a genuine Louis Vuitton handbag.
If it’s too good to be true, it probably is. Finding a luxury handbag for a low price is most likely a bad sign, not a good one.Look through our selection of used designer handbags. All of them have been confirmed by our experts to be valid. No need to trust us. Use this list of tips and verify them for yourself!