So we had an interesting thing happen a couple of weeks ago.  We received a Pucci print handbag from a customer, who we were selling a lot of items for.  This is a long time customer who has always given us top quality designer merchandise to sell.  This time though, we had some concerns!

If you are familiar with Pucci, you know that the designer is famous for putting his signature on everything he designs.  Whether clothing or accessories, you can always find a signature somewhere on the item.  This bag was different.  Though it had all the markings of a Pucci bag on the interior and the design of a Pucci bag on the exterior, there were no signatures on the bag.  The bag also came with a dust bag and the Pucci name on the bag was damaged and faded.

We requested our client to provide us with more information and voiced our concerns.  She informed us that she had purchased that bag last year at a discount large retailer in this area.  Upon further research, we found that this retailer had been involved in several law suits with large couture companies for carrying high end copies of designer items. 

Now, if you ask us, it is very possible this retailer had no idea that they were purchasing lots of designer copies.  Most designer stores today will not even allow their long time employees to authenticate an item anymore, as the newer copies coming on the market are very difficult to spot.  With this knowledge we informed our client and sent her some links to look at.

She went to the store that she purchased the item from and they called the buyer direct while she was present.  The head of the department got on the phone with our client and informed her that it is definately an authentic item, though it is possible that the purse was made using the last of a roll of material, which may explain the lack of signatures.  She explained to our client that this is why they are often able to buy couture items at such deep discounts.  These are flaws that the normal shopper would probably never be able to pick out.

In any event, we did not post the item as is our right to refusal in all our client contracts.  You decide for yourself!!!