Coach Handbags – Spot the Fake
Posted May 16, 2008 by
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If you are shopping for a Coach Designer Handbag at discount outlets or online auctions, you need to keep your wits about you. There is a huge market in Coach knockoffs, and avoiding designer imposter handbags could be difficult.The Coach brand has slowly become a big favourite because they are relatively cheap compared to other leading handbag brands like Chanel, Prada and Gucci. You might suppose nobody would bother to make fake Coach bags, as the profit is lower than with those brands. But if there is a chance to make fast cash someone will try to cash in on the latest must-have products.
You will not find new Coach handbags being sold anywhere other than a licensed Coach boutique or a leading department store, so if they are being sold on auction sites like eBay, they are second hand bags or unwanted gifts – although I always think the latter sounds suspicious!
I will start with the obvious things to look for if you find a Coach handbag for sale at a great price. First, look at the seller’s feedback. This is an excellent way of finding out what they have bought and sold recently, and how happy the customers were when they received the goods. You will also see whether they sold six other “unwanted gifts” in recent weeks! If the seller has no track record and is now selling a valuable Coach bag I would steer clear, this could be an identity set up just to make some easy money and disappear…
Once you thinks the seller could be reputable, have a look at the pattern on the outside fabric. The C logo should start at the middle of the bag and go outwards. The centre seam should pass straight through the middle of the C. On the side seams, the “C” pattern will be cut will be cut off if the bag is a fake. Also, on authentic bags the tip of the C should touch the tip of an opposite C. Another sign that a Coach bag is fake is that the logo is incorrect. Some distributors change the logo to include GG instead of CC a tell tale sign that the bag is fake. Pay close attention to the fabric, it can tell you a lot about the quality and authenticity of a bag. Also, take a look at the stitching of the bag. Coach does not deliver authentic coach bags with poor stitching. Stitching that is off line or overlapping. Both are examples of very poor stitching. Have you seen the style of bag that you are thinking of buying before? Distributors of fake material try to release brand new styles that have never been released by Coach in any way shape or form. This is why it is good to take a stroll around the high prices stores and take inventory of what Coach is releasing and compare your findings to what sellers are trying to push to you. Take a look at the inner lining. Does the inner lining have the signature logo of Coach? If so, is the CC touching as the outside. Once again, how about the stitching? Is it sloppy? Look for a serial number inside the bag. The serial number is stamped on the inside on a square patch of leather sewn into the lining. Don’t be surprised if a small Coach bag does not have a serial number – that is correct for an authentic item. But larger Coach handbags will carry serial number, known as a Creed patch, on teh inside emblem tag. Look closely at this, it can be a giveaway of the bag is a fake.
REAL COACH BAG: NoBD6L-223
(letters & numbers are flush, no spaces)
FAKE COACH HANDBAG: No BD6L – 223
(if there are ANY spaces, ANYWHERE in the creed- it is NOT real)
Let’s look at the outside again. Now let look at the hardware. Coach only uses the best hardware for their purses, case in point, the zipper. Coach only used that highest manufacturer of zippers. The brand stamps their mark on all of their zippers with “YKK”. If you don’t see the “YKK” you know you have a fake Coach handbag. How about the made by tag? Coach does have bags made in China. But Coach does not have handbags made in Korea. If you get a bag that says make in Korea take it back or return it – it is not an authentic Coach purse. I hope this article has put all the tools that you need to make a educated decision about purchasing an authentic Coach purse.
Kenneth Elliott is the owner of several great fashion and computer rental websites including: Coach Outlet Store and Designer Fashion Outlet. Coach Outlet Store specializes in Coach Purses and all kinds of handbags.
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