Safe to buy a high end bag from ebay? - YouLookFab Forum

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Safe to buy a high end bag from ebay?

Auburn

Veteran

Just soliciting some thoughts about the wisdom of buying a designer bag on ebay. I've been lusting after the Chloe Marcie bag (in black) for some time and the only thing preventing me from pulling the trigger is the price point. I found one on ebay which claims to be new with tags (and authenticity cards) for about 30% off the retail price. Plus, no sales tax. This would make it more palatable, financially, but I don't want to be falling for a scam. I've purchased on ebay before, certainly, but never a designer item. Anyone have thoughts in this area?

Here's a pic of the bag (in blue): http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/31.....sultback=0

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17 replies

Latest reply was from Lena

chewyspaghetti

Veteran

Check the seller's history, their return policy, their feedback. I've had good luck on ebay, but I've never spent much.

MsMary

Veteran

Oh my lord, that is one gorgeous bag!!

I've had good luck with Coaches and Dooneys, but I've never bought anything as high end as what you're looking at. As Chewy says, checking the feedback is the most important thing. eBay offers buyer protection these days so it's not the gamble it once was.

Steffie

I buy designer items on ebay. Check their feedback-- read through the comments. If the seller is selling fakes, someone will have noticed and will comment to that. If they have 200+ transactions for designer items and a clean record, I'd say go for it.

Auburn

Veteran

The seller, hgbags, has 100% positive feedback and over 2000 transactions. Bag is "guaranteed" authentic, whatever that means. Also a "top rated seller" so I feel as good about the seller as possible, I think.

Another thing giving me pause is size of the bag. It comes in a small, medium and large. My hope is to get to a bricks and mortar store this week to try the sizes before purchasing. Thanks for the encouragement ladies!

Scarlet

Veteran

Gorgeous bag. I think I have seen this in the stores this fall. I don't know which size it was, but it caught my eye for sure.

biscuitsmom

Veteran

Ive purchased many items on ebay (too many!) including one of my Brahmin bags and have had no problem...just be sure and check feedback and *also* please go thru PayPal so your purchase is protected...

Louise

Veteran

I'd be wary. I have seen loads of Chloe Paddington bags on ebay uk which all say genuine but when I googled how to spot a fake and got some pointers they all looked fake ;-( even when people had great feedback. Perhaps try the purse forum they have unofficial authenticators http://forum.purseblog.com/authenticate-this/ x

RoseandJoan

Veteran

I was just going to echo Louise, if you are swooping by the store check out things like the studs and zips which will probably be stamped with the designer logo, the feel, weight and colour. Arm yourself with knowledge to try and spot if the ebay item is genuine.

(Warning this is an assumption) The difficulty is many of the people who have purchased designer products from ebay may not have also seen the genuine article for comparison, which could lead to inaccurate feedback.

Auburn

Veteran

Great points, Louise and RoseandJoan. I can't imagine someone plunking down four figures for a bag and not knowing what to expect an authentic one to look like but I shouldn't make such assumptions! Scouting out the stores is definitely on my to do list!

catgirl

Veteran

I know there is a forum on e-bay dedicated to figuring out if a Coach bag is real... there is probably a similar one on every brand. With Coach you can look up the bag's serial number right on the Coach site to see if it matches the bag offered. I've only bought one bag on e-bay, and I would be careful!

RoseandJoan

Veteran

Auburn, I just wanted to add that I can completely understand your infatuation with this bag.

annagybe

(website)

Veteran

I wouldn't buy a designer bag off of ebay.

Maya

Veteran

I have been at the receiving end of a fake Kate Spade bag and fake premium jeans from ebay. This was many years ago so I don't know if ebay has gotten more diligent about that sort of stuff, but I have become more educated a about spotting fakes so while I still look for higher end items, I use a LOT of diligence. The woman who sold me the bag was genuinely unaware that it was a fake and refunded the money immediately, but the jeans? Despite filing a dispute, I never saw my money again.

And for what it's worth, the sellers who I have found peddling fakes, including the one I bought from, were all power sellers with spotless feedback. If a seller has 10 negative feedback reviews out of thousands, they still register as 100%, and those negative reviews are usually the most telling (though good luck finding them). Most of the people who are buying from them are bargain hunters who have never seen the real deal to know how it compares, and aren't always good at spotting quality.

shana

Veteran

Gorgeous bag, I can understand your obsession! Personally, I wouldn't. I've heard the same thing as Maya - being a powerseller is no guarantee of authenticity. You could try asking/posting on the Purse Forum - http://forum.purseblog.com/
They have a category dedicated to authentication.

Auburn

Veteran

I'm so glad I posted this! I think I will just save my pennies (ok, make that benjamins) and wait to purchase until I can do so from a "real" store and have no niggling doubts about its authenticity!

Thanks ladies!!

shana

Veteran

oops, I didn't read all the replies - I see that Louise already pointed you in the direction of the purse forum. duh.

I think when you're talking that kind of money, 30% is not enough to mitigate the risk of a fake!

Lena

Another vote for the purseforum. Those ladies seem to know *everything*.

Personally I would be very weary for all the reasons already stated.

Gorgeous marvelous bag though!