Owning a Coach bag is like owning a fine piece of jewerly - it is the perfect touch to any outfit. Coach bags can also be compared to fine wines - they get better with age.
 
Spotting a fake can sometimes be difficult, especially from looking a picture, however, contrary to popular belief, it is possible to buy and get a good deal on authentic Coach merchandise on eBay - if you know what to look for.
 
In my opinion, Coach equals quality and fakes do not have the high quality standards that authentic Coach products have. I know that there are a lot of guides out there on spotting fakes, however, this is my own interpretation and input from experience.

Here are a few key tips to keep in mind the next time you are searching for a good deal on that must-have Coach bag:
 
 
     * Leather and Fabric: Authentic Coach products have supple leather, depending upon the type of leather, some can be very soft and almost buttery to the touch. Signature jacquard fabric is soft and almost creamy to the touch. Counterfeit bags have low quality leather that is somewhat hard to the touch and signature fabric is rough and tough to the touch. Often fake signature fabric will display connecting O's instead of connecting C's.

     * Hardware: Some Coach products have the name Coach engraved on pieces of hardware (buckles, buttons, snaps, etc). On authentic bags the engraving will typically be small and will always be in the same style and size font and will typically be indented on the hardware. Counterfeit bags will sometimes have engraving on hardware as well. However, counterfeit bags with engraving will have big block and chunky letters that are typically off centered and not indented - very obvious once you see it! Style and sizing of font are key!
 

     * Creed patches: Authentic Coach bags come with a leather creed patch. Some authentic Coach bags, such as pouches, do not come with this leather creed patch - this is normal. Further, some authentic Coach bags, such as some pouches and demi's, only have the Coach creed patch and no serial number - this is also normal. Counterfeit bags have idential leather creed patched that read word or word as authentic patched. NEVER ASSUME THAT BECAUSE A BAG HAS A COACH CREED PATCH AND SERIAL NUMBER THAT IT IS AUTHENTIC - CREEDS ARE EASILY REPLICATED! There is one big difference to look out for. Often the style numbers will not be the same as authentic bags (the style no. is the set of numbers after the dash (-). Also, the first series of numbers (before the dash) intended to identify the country in which the bag was made and the year it was made, will be bizarre. For example: the number H0769-11427 is an authentic bag number. H stands for the country in which the bag was made (Hungary), and 07 is the year of construction. The set of numbers after the dash, in this case 11427 is always the style number. Counterfeits will have a bizarre series of numbers efore the dash - normally no discernable year can be made out.
 

**BUYERS CAN ALWAYS CALL COACH AND GIVE THEM THE BAG'S SERIAL NUMBER TO HAVE THEM AUTHENTICATE IT! Counterfeit bags do not have authentic serial numbers and thus will not be in Coach's system.
 

**Note that Coach did not begin placing serial numbers in bags until the '70s, therefore older 'vintage' bags will not contain serial numbers. Also, it was not until 1994 that Coach implemented a standardized numbering system for their database.

     * Factory Store Items: Factory store items are authentic. Coach factory stores sell overstocks, past season stock and items manufactured specially for them at discounted prices. All items sold in Coach factory stores are perfect - they are not 'seconds'; Coach does not, nor have they ever, sold 'seconds.' Items purchased from a factory store can easily be identified by the 'bullseye' on the Coach creed patch - it is a circle within a circle stamped into the creed patch.

 
     * Dust bags: Authentic Coach bags typically come with either: A) a brown cloth dust bag with red stitching (when purchased from a full-price store) or B) a white cloth dust bag with red stitching (when purchased from a factory store). Note that newer Coach bags are now coming with a brown silky-like dust bag with white stitching (I've seen these with the Bleecker line). Also note that when items are purchased from a factory store, they do not always come with dust bags. I almost never get dust bags from a factory store - even when I ask for them!

Some additional red flags to consider:

     * Be cautious of individuals selling Coach items where the auction duration is only 1 day. Individuals selling counterfeit items want to get rid of them in a hurry - the longer it sits on eBay, the more likley it will be recognized as a fake. However, this is not always the case.
 

     * Be cautious of sellers not accepting PayPal - if you buy for an item outside of PayPal your purchase is not covered under PayPal's buyer's protection program.
 

     * Be cautious if the seller is from Asia - most counterfeits come out of Asia.
 

     * Always checkout a seller's reputation - look at their feedback. If they have some negative feedback, investigate to find out why!
 

     * Pay attention to photographs. Poor photos with a lack of up-close details are red flags. Be cautious of seller's only showing stock photos of the item - you should be seeing pictures of the actual item you will be receiving. Demand to see actual photos!

Finally:

     * Do not take any one of these individual points as an indicator that an item is counterfeit. There could be underlying reasons. For example: PayPal assesses fees when you get paid through them, depending upon the price of the item, their fees can be costly - a seller merely may want to save on fees. Poor quality photographs are not necessariloy an indicator of a counterfeit item. This may just mean that the seller was using a low end camera with poor resolution or did not have proper lighting.
 
 
Remember this key phrase: "The whole is bigger than the sum of its parts." Learn to look at all of the details and form one complete picture of the item. If in doubt, ask the seller questions. 
 
 

This guide was meant to help you make an informed buying decision and to help you take steps to get what you pay for - it is not meant to be taken as gospel!