The 'Authentication' Thread

[miss.tania]

I want to get a pair of Christian Dior "Your Dior" sunglasses. So far, the cheapest I've seen it is on Ebay for $159 USD, but I'm skeptical about its authenticity.

The seller who I'm contemplating on purchasing the sunglasses from has 1352 feedbacks with no negatives or neutrals. I'm not sure if this information is relevant, but he's been registered since June 2002, is a Power Seller, and has an Ebay store dedicated to designer sunglasses, from Dior to Marc Jacobs to Roberto Cavalli.

The only thing I'm skeptical of is the fact that he has a large quantity of a single item, and this sets of a warning signal for me. It just seems kind of bizarre that he'd have such a seemingly umlimited inventory of authentic designer sunglasses...or is it?

If you want to check it out yourself ( actually, I'd LOVE it if you could check it out lol ), here's the link :

http://cgi.ebay.com/CHRISTIAN-DIOR-YOUR-GRAY-NEW-SUNGLASSES-100-AUTH-2005_W0QQitemZ6821093816QQcategoryZ45250QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I think that the seller took the photos himself instead of using stock photos, because in his auction for the Dior Overshine sunglasses (http://cgi.ebay.com/CHRISTIAN-DIOR-...temZ6819542427QQcategoryZ45250QQcmdZViewItem), you can actually see his reflection on the sunglass lense, due to the glare of the flash or whatnot.

 

[vintage_princess]

The thing about ebay..is that I dont trust the authenticity of designer items especially when they have those professional looking photos on the white background. For some reason it really screams out "fake!" to me. Its like they are trying so hard to make it look real..

 

[ukfashionista]

Marc by Marc Jacobs military jacket

Anyone know where I can get this (not eBay)? Any ideas? From Spring 2004. Maybe someone has seen it in a store. I need to get it for a Christmas gift. Thanks!

 

[gsquared]

I found this on ebay...i'm suspicious about the price..and threre's no box...
Can anyone tell if this is a fake? The feedback of the seller is not bad and the other items she sells seem to be all authentic designers.

Besides Sunglasses and maybe some dresses? sold at Holt Renfrew in Toronto, I don't think Dior items sold anywhere in Toronto...so ebay is my only way right now

http://cgi.ebay.ca/GENUINE-CHRISTIAN-DIOR-NECKLACE-NO-RESERVE_W0QQitemZ5058877645QQcategoryZ50659QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I haven't seen Dior jewellery so I have no idea how to spot a real or fake. Any help is appreciated

 

[RRK]

Can someone help me decide whether this watch is a fake?http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5062506464&rd=1&sspagename=STRK:MEWA:IT&rd=1

 

[FashionGrrrrl]

Manolos on ebay

I've been craving these Manolos ever since I came across them...the thing is, they are not available in any stores (the style is from some previous year/season) and the seller seems to have them in almost every size (along with the black Manolo mary janes). I contacted the seller to ask what store they came from, the seller just said that they weren't available in any stores and that she had just gotten a new shipment in. Can anybody tell me if these are real or not? The seller's feedback is about 99.8% positive so I am inclined to believe her, but it's a lot of money (they are selling above retail with a nice profit, so it's not like the price is too suspicious).

 

[FashionGrrrrl]

Source for the pictures of the Manolos in the post above:

http://cgi.ebay.com/NGG-MANOLO-BLAHNIK-SILVER-SATC-STOLEN-SHOES-37-7_W0QQitemZ7730916911QQcategoryZ63889QQtcZphotoQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

[Boots & Perfume]

Anyone know where I can get this (not eBay)? Any ideas? From Spring 2004. Maybe someone has seen it in a store. I need to get it for a Christmas gift. Thanks!

I'm not sure, but i'm dying for one as well (in a different colour- maybe black or navy)

Why don't you try ebay? There are always loads of cute Marc Jacobs clothes on there. I got a pair of Marc by Marc Jacobs shoes the other week for half the retail price, and they are perfect.

Let me know if you have any luck!

 

[Mulberry]

A little helpneeded about authentic apparel

Hello to everyone . I have just joined this forum and i feel really excited for every single thread i have read!

The reason i'm posting this thread is because i feel this is the right place, where i could get the most accurate and honest replies.

My question now..
Many times i have found myself just 1 click away from purchasing a top designers (mainly italian) apparel item, from ebay or on-line stores. But in every single case i had cancelled my orders. The same happened for both ebay and various on-line stores.
The main reason was that i couldn't be sure or even confident that all these products were authentic.

Could you suggest me anyway that i could distinguise fake from authentic apparel? Except positive feedback from ebay is there any other way? what happens with on-line stores?
Thank you for your help

 

[rach2jlc]

Welcome to TFS!

Wow, that is quite a question. One could probably (almost certainly) write a whole book about it. But, here are a few guidelines that I use when I buy online:

1) Tags: Familiarize yourself with the authentic tags of designers that you like. Learn what they say, what they look like, where they are located. RARELY will a fake have correct tags. Also, when they do, often a fake will have misspelled words or things out of place. So, if you know what to look for on a tag, you are that much more prepared.

2)

 

[rach2jlc]

Oops, for some reason only half my reply got posted. Here's the rest:

2) Feedback: YES, feedback is really important. 1000 positives for a seller on designer goods is usually a good sign. BUT, not always, so be careful. For example, you should make sure that those 1000 feedbacks are for designer goods. IF the seller usually sells car parts and suddenly has a pair of Dior shoes, you should be careful. Avoid sellers whose location for an item DOESN'T match up with their username location. Also beware of sellers with PRIVATE feedback. What do they have to hide?

3) Price: If it is too good to be true, it usually is. Take Louis Vuitton, for example. They don't have sales, ever, so if somebody advertises a brand new bag, never used, for 40% of retail... it is either fake or stolen. There is no way that anybody could sell such a bag authentically (for the most part).

 

[rach2jlc]

4) Return policy: Do they have one? Will they stand by the product and its authenticity? Email them and ask. If they say, "yes, if it is found to be inauthentic, I will refund" then that is a good sign. On the other hand, if they say "All sales final... no matter what" you MUST ask yourself what they have to hide.

5) Location in general: I hate to say it, and this may incur the wrath of some other members, but you MUST be careful of items from some locations more than others. Some countries are much more lax on fake goods, so you should be aware. Of course China is very famous for its lack of control over fake goods, but Turkey is another. There are several sites on the web advertising "100% authentic" goods, coming out of Turkey, that are "100% fake."

That is all I can think of, for the moment.

Good luck! When you know what to look for, internet buying is a wonderful thing.

Regards,
John

 

[AlexN]

And please put this thread to good use!

 

[Mulberry]

I cannot beleive you guys would spend such large amounts on clothes over ebay, from some random person?

It's just crazy!

- no idea if it's real?
- might not fit
- might not be how you expected
- might never receive the item in question

madness i say.

I will definetely agree with you. And i will try to explain you why...
# months ago i've been in Milan,Italy.. I can't say i'm a brand name genius knowing my right size for each designer. But.. Even in the same store i could find pants which were fit just right to me with 2 sizes difference between them!!
e.g. i bought from Versace a pant of the size of 50 but in the same store i found a 52 one being tight to me
So every time i had to wear EVERYTHING before.
So now imagine what could happen in an ebay purchase!!

 

[AlexN]

You just have to know what you're buying. If you do, it's really no big deal at all.

 

[Mulberry]

About tags i don't know if it;s possible to distinguish some good replicas just from that, especially when you see just a picture.

I will agree with you about location but i'm not sure about price. For example what happens with the outlet stores?. They have good prices (even the official designers factory outlets) because they sell ovestock or last season staff. So how you could be sure that a good price is because it's just the outlet price but not because it's fake?

As about feedback it's a bit tricky in my opinion...

But your fourth suggestion it really counts a lot.. About return policy.. I can't believe that someone will even dare to offer a return policy, selling an fake product when he says that it's authentic..

I believe this last is a great motive to make you finish an on-line order...I don't know if you agree..

 

[AlexN]

A pricing example...real Dior by Galliano tees are a couple/few hundred dollars. From an outlet, they'd still be over $100. On eBay, they're posted with Buy It Now prices of $20. Very obvious discrepency there. No sane person would sell a real one at Buy It Now for $20.

Also, if you see a certain seller's "designer bags" being bid at incredibly low prices (under $50), then see some bags here and there going for hundreds of dollars, it's because the true bag-lovers have found the authentic auctions and are paying for them, whereas the logo-wh*re crowd is spending as little as possible on these fake bags so they can show off.

However...I saw some fake Dior Homme tees on eBay recently with opening bids and Buy It Now at OVER retail price. And to the untrained eye, they were convincing. Thankfully, no one bought them.

So it depends on the brand, type of product, and really boils back down to knowing the product. If you're not an expert, ask an expert. Use the thread I posted above if you have specific questions, and experts here can provide opinions.

 

[rach2jlc]

Again, all the things that I listed were just general guidelines or things at which to look in placing an order. I've placed tons of online orders for designer goods and only twice have ever received anything inauthentic. And, both times, I see in hindsight I was breaking my own rules (in both cases the prices were too good to be true, the feedback was sketchy, and I suffered for that).

As far as tags, of course it is not 100% sure to weed out fakes. But, it is a good tool to have. Let's take Prada, for example. In an picture, it is sometimes hard to tell a real Prada tshirt from a fake one, especially if it is plain cotton. But, if you see a tag that just says "made in Italy" and then washing instructions in one language, it probably is a fake. On the other hand, if it has the longer Prada tag with instructions in multiple languages or (for older tees) a fabric tag... you nevertheless must then look at OTHER elements to see if it is authentic.

Another possible tool (that I forgot to mention earlier but was reminded thanks to Alex's post) is in the BRAND itself being sold. Is it the hottest brand of the season? If so, BE VERY CAREFUL and look at the price of this item. As Alex mentioned, if somebody has a Galliano tee, which is a hot item, at $20... it HAS to be a fake.

On the other hand, brands like Dries van Noten, Issey Miyake, Ann D, etc. (smaller labels) aren't really famous or popular enough to warrant fakes by the general population. That isn't to say that fakes don't exist, but nevertheless they are just less well known.

ON the other hand, D&G, Prada (esp. Prada Sport), Galliano, Dior and Dior homme, Versace, and LV are swarming with fakes. So, be extra careful when buying these.

IN short, there is no 100% sure way to weed them out. You are always taking a chance whenever you buy outside of a boutique... but that's just the chance one takes to get a great deal.

Good luck hunting!
John

 

[monotreme]

does this website sell authentic clothing?

www.adasa.com

 

[ByMiMi]

^ yes