Many of you, including me, are increasingly shopping in second hands, online auctions or flea markets. As we know,
they are governed by their own laws. One day we will only waste time buying nothing, and the next we will hit the opportunity of a lifetime. I very often look for vintage items from the best designers in various places, hoping to find a real gem. I hate fakes.
I think it’s just theft, lack of idea for yourself and the desire to get rich on someone else’s harm. And I don’t recommend them either. So before buying, I try to check the product a million times in photos or ‘live’ before I finally decide to buy it. I have quite a bit of experience in this topic, so I decided to share it with you. I hope that thanks to this you will avoid shopping failures. Well, why overpay for counterfeits, which, although they look the same at first glance, will never match the quality of the original.replica designer bags
The first thing I looked at was a Chanel handbag,
which is one of the most frequently counterfeited items. And it’s not about any specific model, but more about the brand itself. Chanel handbags have very similar details and finishes, regardless of the model. So I decided to discuss them all in detail, because in 99% of bags they will look the same.
On e-bay, maybe only 5% of auctions contain truly authentic Chanel handbags. There are almost none on Allegro. And while we’re at this site, let me tell you a story. I recently saw an auction where a Chanel Flap Bag was being sold. At first glance, everything was ok. Leather type, tags, serial number appearance, quilting, chain, center, closure, paper packaging, box, and even a card. Always in such a case, when it seems to me that this is it, the first thing I do is check the serial number from the card on the Internet. Such a simple thing. It costs nothing and says it all.
It turned out that there are several of these ‘original’ chanels under this number. And that means only one thing: it’s a very well made fake, but it wasn’t even close to the original. I added this auction to my watchlist to see how much the bag will be sold for (there was an auction, which also raises many doubts). And you know what? Someone bought this well-made counterfeit for over 5,000. zloty. If it were me, I’d cry. With 5,000 to spend on a handbag, we go to a boutique, e.g. YSL or Chloe, and buy it in an authorized store with a receipt and all this stuff.
Such an amount for a counterfeit is abstract to me,
because well-counterfeit Chanel handbags can be obtained for about PLN 500 and no one will notice the difference at first glance until they take it in their hands. There is also a chance that even if he takes it in his hands, he will not notice it either, provided that he never held the original in them.
CHANEL BAG: FAKE VS REAL
1.Price
The first thing you need to pay attention to when buying, and many people forget about it, is the price. It may be trivial, but so true. Unfortunately, the Fake Chanel bag brand is probably associated with every person on the globe. There is no way that someone does not know what they are selling and we will get the original for PLN 100. These things just don’t happen. There is also no possibility that someone spends over 15,000 on a handbag. and then sells it for $2,000.
Think logically, would you do that? Well, sure not. The fact is that Chanel handbags are getting more expensive every year, and therefore the value of these older models never decreases, and even increases. Depending on the model and year in which the handbag was produced,
the prices range from 2 thousand. (really small models, often clutch bags) up to 25,000. zloty. However, even in this price range there are a lot of scammers who try to sell a counterfeit at the price of the original, especially on e-bay auctions.
2.serial no
The easiest way to check the authenticity of a handbag, when we are not sure of its origin, is the serial number. This is a number assigned to a specific model and is different for EACH handbag. It varies depending on the period in which the bag was made,
but it will never be repeated. Just as we will not find two people with the same fingerprints, we will not find two bags with the same serial number. This makes things much easier among most auctions, because there are so-called fake serial numbers, i.e. numbers that only look real at first glance. This is a trick that scammers use to fool a potential customer who is not in the habit of checking the number, but only that he is there at all.
With Chanel handbags, depending on the year of production, the appearance and length of the serial number may differ. In the table below, you can see how it has changed over the years. So if you see a different number than it is now, don’t be upset. Perhaps you can match it to another year. It’s always worth checking out.
And here is the SERIAL NUMBERS TABLE. The table contains the initial digit from which the number begins, the number of digits, description and photo, all assigned to a specific production date. Great stuff and very helpful.
Remember that since around the mid-1980s, handbags have also been sold with an authenticity card, which bears the same serial number as the inside of the handbag.
3.Authenticity card
The “card system” was introduced at the same time as sewn-in serial number tags. Therefore, there is no possibility for a hologram to appear next to the number, proving its authenticity. The number always goes hand in hand with a card that is made of plastic and resembles a credit card in appearance,
size and weight. A similar solution is used by the PRADA fashion house. The serial number and the number on the card are ALWAYS the same.
There are no exceptions to this topic. The card is packaged in a small ivory envelope, along with an information sheet about the bag and how to care for it. It is often the case with cards (especially with old handbag models) that the owners may have simply lost it. So, if a purse is sold without a card,
it does not necessarily mean that it is not genuine. Then you need to carefully check the product point by point to be one hundred percent sure. Rather, with newly produced models (I think after 2015), buyers keep all the details, even the receipt, in case the bag is put up for sale.
4.quilting
Once we determine that the price and serial number of the handbag we want to buy is fine, it is worth paying attention to a few more details. In Chanel bags, the quilting is ALWAYS precise and even. It doesn’t matter if it’s diagonal or straight. The stitching will always complement each other. There is no possibility that something is wrong, such as quilting on the flap of the bag that does not match the body. The back pocket is a separate element and is also sewn so that it complements the quilting on the entire bag,
and thus the quilting is precise also between the bag and the pocket.
5.Stitches
In the original Chanel handbag, the number of seams is very high, which makes the quilting flatter. Counterfeit bags are characterized by more convex quilting due to much less use of seams. It is also worth paying attention to the clasp with the logo,
especially in Flap Bags, which should be attached to the leather at appropriate intervals. In counterfeits, the leather next to the clasp often “pulls” and has a cushion effect, while in the genuine bag, the leather around the gold clasp is flat.
6.Logo
The Chanel logo is the most recognizable logo in the world, but not everyone knows what it should look like. At first glance, two intertwined Cs are no philosophy, but do you pay attention to how they are intertwined? Here’s the thing: C on the right is always on top, and C on the left is always on top. There’s no other way. The width of the letters also matters. It should correspond to the width of the gap between the letters.
7.Clasp
In the original Chanel bag, the gold logo on the clasp is much flatter. All counterfeits usually have a nicely rounded and less handy clasp, while in the original it is more symmetrical and flat, which makes it easier to close and open the bag. In addition, in older models (up to 2012) in the original version, there is a tiny stamp on the metal clasp on the left side (looking at the bag from the front).
The double C clasp is most commonly used on Flap Bags. It was designed by Karl Lagerfeld. It is worth remembering that the Flap Bag model is a handbag entirely designed by the fashion emperor. Chanel herself designed the rectangular clasp, without the distinctive logo,
which is used on the 2.55 model, which was entirely designed by Coco and is sold unchanged to this day. The double C clasp is called the mademoiselle clasp, after Chanel, who never married.
8.fittings
They vary by year and style, but on these most classic bags, the clasp and inside of it should be engraved with CHANEL PARIS. For the inside of the twist lock, the rectangular plate should have flat finish screws. CHANEL should always be on the left and PARIS on the right. Written parallel to each other, never opposite.
9.Screws in metal elements
It is very easy to track down the cheater also by the screws. Chanel never uses screws with a so-called finish. Philips (fig. 1). In the bags of this brand, we will only find screws as in photos 2 and 3. However, you should not rely only on this, because higher quality counterfeits stick to these rules and use the same screws. So it’s worth checking all the elements before buying a vintage, and not relying on just a few of them.
10.Castles
Over the years, the Chanel brand has employed several different manufacturers to produce the locks. However, there is nothing to break down. Each brand has its respective period of cooperation with Chanel, so you can easily see if the period and manufacturer match. All brands used the highest quality raw materials for the production of zippers, which is why zippers in original Chanel bags will always be of high quality, despite the passage of time. Chanel has been collaborating with manufacturers such as Lampo and YKK for the longest time. Sometimes in original bags you can also find DMC brand zippers.
Lamp zippers are synonymous with vintage Chanel handbag models. They can often be found in handbags from the late 70’s and early 80’s. Lampo is an Italian company that has been producing lock accessories since 1887. It also happens that the inscription Lampo is engraved on the main slider. As a curiosity,
I will add that the zippers of this brand can also be found in older models of Gucci, LV bags
or YSL.
11.chain
Coco Chanel grew up in an orphanage where the caretakers who guarded the facility wore chains around their waists with keys attached to them. This image stuck in Garbielle’s mind a lot. She decided that she would add similar chains to her bags instead of the usual leather belt. Only in the 80s, when Karl Lagerfeld took over the Chanel brand, he decided to slightly modify the chain and added a thin strip of leather, intertwined between the eyelets. Karl was a true genius not only as a designer, but also as a marketer.
To this day, the Flap Bag handbag is the best-selling handbag model in the history of the brand. Usually no one pays attention to the chain, however, you can also recognize some inaccuracies on it, if any. Well, in the original bag, the chain connection is well hidden and not visible. So, if you can clearly see the linking of the chain at first glance, the bag is 99% counterfeit. The same goes for the thin leather strap between the eyelets. In bags manufactured before 2008, the stitching of the leather is not visible at all, while in later models it is noticeable, but only on one side.
12.Embossed CHANEL lettering inside the bag or on the inside of the flap.
It is worth remembering that if all the fittings of the bag are silver, the inscription inside will also be silver. If golden, the inscription will be golden. It is not possible for these elements to be mixed in color.
13.Dimensions
Chanel handbags have strictly defined dimensions. It is worth getting acquainted with them before buying. Just go to the official website of the brand,
find the model you are interested in and find out exactly what size it was produced in.
