The world seems to have accepted the fact that replica goods are part of our lives. If a couple of years ago, customers couldn’t assume that luxury replica items, be it bags, watches, or shoes, could provide quality and trust, nowadays this stereotype has already vanished. People seem to understand that a replica good is different from a counterfeit good. While the first is meant to provide high-quality items for a more affordable price compared to the genuine good, the latter is meant to offer cheap items with the purpose of quantity, in disfavor of quality. Hence, each time we intend to place an order for a replica item, we go through the same nightmare question: is it going to be as qualitative as shown in the online store? Is it indeed a replica item and not a counterfeit one?
As most of us don’t afford to buy a luxury item for the original price, we are ok paying some cash for a good replica item, whenever it is qualitative and durable. But, unfortunately, disrespectful counterfeit dealers take advantage of our naivety. As a result, we can wake up handling a low-quality counterfeit watch or pair of shoes, remaining with a bitter taste from the experience.
Given these circumstances, I would like to go deeper into the matter and bring to light some facts, aspects, and criteria that will help any one of us to make a difference. Hopefully, you will be able to make a difference and will know how to avoid buying a low-quality luxury counterfeit handbag. Why handbags? Simply because these are the most sought-after replica goods for ladies, as the replica watches are for men. Statistics show that luxury replica handbags’ sales increase exponentially. Hence, the risks also increase accordingly.
Once again, replicas are not the same as counterfeit
As a matter of fact, both of them are copies, it’s true. However, there is a huge difference in the purpose and concept of the replica handbags in contrast to the counterfeit ones. When speaking about counterfeit replica handbags, you don’t have to expect quality. All you can expect is cheap materials and clumsy manufacturing.
On the other hand, the replica industry of luxury handbags comes with a “credo” behind it. The credo is to honor the exceptional and creative work of design houses and therefore, to reproduce exactly the handbags. The reproduction is identical to the deepest details. This is why many replica luxury handbags are so hard to differentiate from the original ones.
Many netizens blame the replica industry for confusing the population. But, looking from another perspective, why can’t people have great handbags, even if they are not original? Does it mean that if you don’t have money, you don’t deserve a great-looking handbag? So, the conflict is pretty tough in the internet realm. However, the statistics show a constant demand for replica goods, including handbags, which means that despite all negative feedback, it continues to grow. So, in such a context, the only puzzle to be solved is How to Avoid a Bad Counterfeit Handbag, given the high amount of online sources?
The risks you run
As a matter of fact, a person, or more specifically a woman with no deep knowledge about the replica/counterfeit matter, can be easily confused by the counterfeit dealers. It is not excluded that walking through the streets of Bali, she can come across boutiques selling Hermes bags for some 600$. With some selling skills and a couple of selling techniques, the dealer can convince her about the authenticity of the handbag by showcasing the candy-colored leather and the sturdy structure. If the woman lacks specific knowledge, she will trust the dealer. If she, instead, does a little research, she will discover that there are many more aspects to consider while analyzing the bag, in order to detect whether it is a cheap counterfeit or a high-quality replica.
What I’m trying to say here is that education matters a lot, once we decide to embrace the idea of buying a replica handbag. It requires a little effort to analyze the original model (at least, through the official website). Only after understanding the particularities of the original handbag, will the woman be able to understand the extent of dissimilarities of the counterfeit handbag.
Hence, intending to buy from a street boutique across the corner is not the best idea. Regardless of how hard the seller tries to convince you about the high quality of the “original handbag”, you should respect yourself and find indeed trustworthy sources.
Counterfeit on Instagram
Currently, many counterfeit dealers use social media to increase their sales. It’s probably one of the easiest ways for them to avoid responsibility. They do not have any website, customers can’t require a return or refund since they simply…vanish, once the order is placed and shipped. So, the social media route is somewhat a risky source for buying a designer luxury handbag.
If you pay attention to profiles offering designer handbags, observe that they don’t use the name of the brand in their description or hashtags they use. They only place photos of the handbags suggesting the brand it comes from. For instance, the profile is full of handbags featuring the Louis Vuitton logo, and you automatically understand that the profile has to deal with designer handbags. Avoiding mentioning the brand in the description or the hashtag is a sign of counterfeit. Instagram can easily detect dubious profiles if these are noticed in the Instagram system. So, such profiles maintain themselves invisible by avoiding speaking out loud about the brands they sell as counterfeit.
How to understand the difference between a qualitative replica and a counterfeit handbag?
Price aspect
Although it is not the most essential criterion of difference, the price aspect can’t be avoided. High-quality replica handbags reproduce exactly the original model to the deepest details. Therefore, it required special machinery, professional staff, and high-end skills to reproduce the replica goods. Not to mention that a high-quality replica handbag should be made of the best materials to provide the same durability as the original luxury handbag. On the whole, these components can’t be brought together via cheap means. High-quality materials are expensive, qualified and competent staff are expensive, machinery and additional techniques to provide identical imitation are expensive. And when you come across a luxury handbag costing about $25, do you still think it is of high quality?
The point is that a high-standard luxury replica handbag can cost you $200, $300, $400, and even $600. And you pay for the identical model and material in terms of quality. The only difference is that you don’t get it from the original boutique. So, stop believing that a luxury handbag of about $25 is a replica one. It’s a pure counterfeit.
The other side of the coin shows us another possible scenario: certain counterfeit dealers sell their low-quality handbags for $500-$600 (approximately). So, how could you avoid falling into this trap? The following aspects will help you a lot.
Research aspect
It all should start from the analysis of the original product. Given that you don’t have the possibility to visit the genuine boutique, grab a coffee and do your online research. If it’s about a Gucci handbag, read all you can about the original item: material, color, fonts, and dimensions. Look at all the possible pictures of the original model: from all angles, under all types of light. Pay attention to the sticking, zip, pattern, patina, etc…You have to know everything about the original model before looking for the replica version. Once you become familiar with all aspects “from head to toe” you can take a closer look at the replica version (or counterfeit). The comparison process should be like a test: you go through all descriptive features of the original handbag comparing them with the descriptive features of the replica and counterfeit version. You will be surprised how many divergences you will observe in the counterfeit version:
-the style and shape will look different, much larger, or much smaller;
-the color will be some 3-4 fonts apart;
-the finish will be significantly less shiny, or on the contrary, you will notice a matte finish instead of a shiny one;
-severe and inaccurate divergences in patterns and patinas;
-another font, dimension, and form for the zip, lock, or hardware;
-severe misplacing (or absence) of the branding elements, along with critical changes in logo and stamps.
Hence, if you discover at least some of these divergences, don’t even think about paying $400-$600 for the counterfeit luxury handbag. In contrast, a high-quality replica handbag will always be identical to the original. If the aforementioned elements are missing, then you have to deal with a trustworthy replica luxury item.
Inspect the website
Although not the ultimate criterion, the website is a factor to be inspected carefully. Remember the social media sellers: they don’t have websites at all. And this puts under question their credibility right away. What about dealers that do have an online store? Seek for store reviews. There are plenty of independent store review platforms that help you conclude the store’s professionalism. In addition, you can get in touch with the customer support representatives and talk about the warranty and refund policies. If there are no refund policies, spend no more time on that website.
Difficulties in finding a good replica
Smell
Unfortunately, things go harder when it’s about online shopping. One of the challenges is that you can’t smell the handbags. Might sound funny and confusing but the smell is a criterion to consider. Have you ever entered a Chinese boutique full of cheap items? The plastic smell is the first thing you feel and it’s so strong that you can hardly breathe. So, a good replica handbag should never smell like plastic. It should smell like a luxury.
This is why I previously mentioned the importance of available return and refund policies. If you buy a luxury replica handbag and you are not satisfied with the smell when receiving it, you can return it with no restrictions.
Stitching
Authentic handbags usually come with tight and spaced stitches. In contrast, counterfeit handbags don’t have stitches at all. Due to the lack of professional machinery, professional skills, and time, the fabric is usually glued rather than sewn. The inaccuracies are clearly visible to the naked eye and you don’t need to be a professional to spot the difference.
The problem is that it is hard to detect the degree of accuracy in stitching when it’s about a replica handbag. In such a case, what you can do is ask for additional photos from the dealer in order to inspect closely. A professional and trustworthy online store will send the pictures to you from all angles and distances possible. In case you see the same accuracy and detail-oriented manufacturing attitude in the replica item, you can feel confident about its high quality.
Final thoughts
You have to bear in mind that all these suggestions work well when as a whole mechanism. This means that you should go through all these steps. If you consider just the price aspect, you might miss the website’s credibility. If you consider only the stitching aspects, you might miss the brand elements’ discrepancies. So, try to consider all aforementioned aspects to prevent all risks. The best we can do until we get to afford an authentic luxury handbag is to know HOW to find the best replica version. So, purchase wisely, and avoid counterfeit handbags by taking into account these time-consuming, but essential steps.