Who wouldn’t want to sport a bag from the latest collection of Louis Vuitton? This never-ending love for the designer goods has given birth to many flea markets that sell everything from the first copy to the garish replica handbags. It has also led to a string of clever, tricky online fraudsters who prey on this love for the designer bags. So, if you love splurging on designer goods, here are some tips that will help you figure out the fake ones.

Check out the material:

Not all designer bags are made of pure leather. The Louis Vuitton bags have a coat of leather trim. If the rim is truly made of leather, it won’t be oily, slippery, or sticky. The hardware can be heavy but should not be hollow. Check out the imprint of the designer’s name. A slight change in spelling or the font should be enough to set the warning bells in your mind ringing.

Look out for the logos as well. The real bags will have the logos printed crisply in contrast to the fake ones that will have blurry or slightly wrong. Don’t forget to check the inner lining of the bag for the logo. The real ones will have a logo there as well. The fakes ones might have one there, but it will be misspelled or blurry.

The location and the amount of bags sold:

The designers have their stores and verified outlets to sell their products. If the shop is not on their list, they are surely selling the fake ones. One cannot expect to get a five hundred dollar bag from a flea market vendor, so the location is a tell-tale sign. Look at the number of bags sold. Usually, the company sells three bags of the same design. Keep your eyes open.

Pay attention to the detail:

The luxury handbags demand the top penny because they take up a lot of human hours. Their intricate details are due to the labor of tons of craftsmen and women working day and night. So look for the stitching. If the stitch is fraying even a bit, it means replica handbags.

Another such instance is the zipper. It is hardware to keep the bags closed. However, the zippers used in the designer bags are of top-notch quality. The brand names on the zippers are written crisply and evenly. So, if you find the letters jagged or uneven, it a fake one.

Check out the smell:

Does it smell leather or plastic? The real ones will smell like heavy leather, and the fake ones will smell of plastic. Also, the real ones will feel smooth in the hand in contrast to the fake ones that will feel bumpy. There limit to the cleverness in designing the fake ones too.

The authentic bags will contain the real location where the bag was manufactured.