IMPORTANT UPDATES: 

March 2008:  There appears to be REPLICAS which have the scalloped edge trim now.  It is becoming near impossible to know whether or not you will be receiving a fake bag so it is VERY important to look at how many of these bags a seller is selling and has sold.  If the number is more than THREE (3) the odds are VERY high the bags are all fake.  If they have sold more than 9 you can rest assured you will receive a fake.

There has been a rumor circulating that these bags are supposed to have ENGRAVED hardware (i.e., the metal rings/grommets).  The authentic bags DO NOT have engraved grommets!  This was incorrect information posted at "The Bag Snob" website.  Someone received a fake (bad fake, it even had GOLD grommets) and she sent a picture of it to an AH retail store and the clerk said it was fake (which it was) but the clerk also said that all AH bags had engraved hardware.  While MOST AH bags have engraved hardware, the I'm Not A Plastic Bags DO NOT.  But there are MANY things to look for so PLEASE read ALL of my guides.

Hopefully, you have already read my other guides on how to spot a fake (replica) Anya Hindmarch "I'm NOT A Plastic Bag".  This guide is to show you some more information on how and where these replicas are being purchased and for how much.

I would like to point out once again (in case you haven't read my other guides) that over 90% of designer handbags (or popular bags such as this one) on Ebay are FAKE.  They are also being called "100% Authentic".   In the land of handbags, this means absolutely NOTHING.

About TRADEKEY:

Most all fakes come with tags, receipts, serial numbers, dustbags  - you name it.  You can go to a website called Tradekey . com where you can find an overwhelming amount of counterfeit merchandise coming out of China.  There are literally THOUSANDS of brand named products being counterfeited and sold at this website.

The people you will find selling items are called SUPPLIERS.  Most will tell you they have authentic items "from an OEM factory" (this is the biggest red flag you will find, the words OEM factory) and others will at least admit their items are replicas ("mirror image quality" is another word for knock off or replica).  If a seller tells you they are getting their bags from a supplier or an OEM factory, you can be certain you will receive a fake.

You can go to tradekey . com and see literally hundreds of suppliers selling the Anya Hindmarch bags for anywhere from $6 - $30 and there is usually a minimum quantitity that has to be purchased to get the low prices.  A supposedly scarce bag is readily available by the thousands all over the internet.  And they are all of course, fake.  You can also find supposed "retailers" selling these bags at these sites for $15 - $50.  Go to fashioncentury . com and ladyreplica . com  to see how many counterfeit items are being sold...and this is just two of hundreds of websites selling fake designer items including the Anya Hindmarch bags.  People all over the world can easily go to Tradekey, buy counterfeit merchandise and turn around and sell it.   This is why the situation on Ebay is so bad with counterfeits.  They are readily available for purchase.  You no longer have to be in the mafia or buy them out of some guys trunk on Canal Street in New York to get them.   Here is some information copied and pasted  from these supplier sites:

Shanghai, China. We are mainly supply designer clothing & & accessories .With the support of the garments factories and distributors, we supply a wide range of men and women’s fashions including apparel, bags, shoes, and accessories for each of the labels we carry. All our stock is from the current up-to-date season collection, along with some out of season clearance lines available. Our customers are among online auction sellers, website retailers, distributors, local retails shops, Flea-market seller and many more. From Manufacturing to export, our company can provide large, medium, small companies with the required logistic and product services. Our priority is to provide the best quality products and outstanding customer services in order to continue a good business relationship with our valued customers.

"Guangzhou YES international trade Co.,Ltd., established in 2002 as a tranditonal international trade company and started its online business in 2003, managed by a professional team, supported by more than 500 factories and serve the clients all over the xxxxx major business items includes all the designer garments, shoes, handbags, jeans, watches, accessories and xxxxx all the products can be shown on the site, we will email the latest products information to our clients daily.All the products we supply are the authentic ones with the certificates,the tags,the cards or other authority paperworks, we guarantee all of them are high grade quality and competitive price products!"

Every single NAME BRAND item for sale at these sites are counterfeit   Not SOME of them, not most of them but ALL of them.  What happens is that many sellers on Ebay locate these types of sites and they purchase goods specifically to sell on Ebay.  Some sellers actually fall for the authenticity claims from these dirtbags and then they pass along the "100% guarantee" right to you.  And of course, nothing is authentic.  It is all cheap, fake and highly illegal in this country.

Go to sky-fashion . net, replicagirls . com, sunnyreplicas . com, ladyreplica . com and fashioncentury . com if you want to get dizzy from all the brands that are counterfeited.  EVERY SINGLE brand you see at this site is COUNTERFEIT!  But at least they ADMIT they have replicas unlike some of the other scoundrels!

Have you noticed how many of the listings on Ebay sound EXACTLY the same?  Its not just because they are copying the wording of other sellers, they are provided with a description from the supplier, specifically for Ebay sales or other online sales. They are provided with s&h amounts to charge and even copies of receipts.  Beware of any standard sounding listing like you've heard a million times.   Here are some typical lines that are used for replica sales (copied and pasted directly from the counterfeit sites):

"Limited edition and no more will be made!Limited and Sold out Everywhere
This bag is brand new with TAG THE MOST SOUGHT AFTER BAG OF 2007" 

"This is definitely the most wanted bag of the year and is carried by world famous celebrities!

"100% authentic still with Sainsburys label
NO MORE EVER TO BE MADE LIMITED EDITION (yet they have so many for sale?)
GRAB YOUR CHANCE NOW"

"I was in queue early this morning and only got one!" (yet they have 100s for sale)

If you go to Tradekey and look at all the listings for these bags, you will find this over and over.  You will also find some of the same pictures that are being used on Ebay.  Here are a couple from the counterfeit websites:

Here is yet another listing description for an "I'm NOT A Plastic bag" at Tradekey (and they have a MINIMUM of FIFTY (50) for purchase...yet they are telling us that they are scarce....hmmmmm)...

"This is an authentic, brand new, Anya Hindmarch "I'm Not A Plastic Bag" Canvas Tote. Purchased in New York and guaranteed genuine and in mint condition. Make a FASHION STATEMENT as well as a PERSONAL STATEMENT by showing that you care about our environment. Support the "we are what we do" movement.

The US version is a cream canvas bag with blue lettering and trimming and bears the Anya Hindmarch logo. The dimensions are 13 in. high by 12.5 in. wide by 7.5 in. deep. It has sturdy rope handles and a canvas covered insert in the bottom for stability."

This seller is saying the bags were purchased in New York, yet he is located in Hong Kong. Hello?  Yes, this makes sense.  Someone in New York would get their family, friends, co-workers, ANYONE to go stand in line for hours to get 3 bags each (the maximum) then ship them to HONG KONG for someone to turn around and sell in the US.  Oh, yes, this sounds VERY logical.  This seller has hundreds of these for sale...and we all know there was a limited amount for sale.  And this seller is just one of hundreds (maybe thousands) selling these bags all over the internet.  The estimated number of these fake bags being sold worldwide is in the millions yet we can read at the Anya Hindmarch site that the number in production was in the THOUSANDS for the authentic bags.  Even if everyone who ever purchased one decided to sell theirs (like that is going to happen) there wouldn't be enough to supply just the TRADEKEY site with them, let alone the hundreds of other sites on the internet selling them.  And again, most people are calling their bags "100% Authentic".  Just as they do their Prada, Gucci, Kooba, Coach, etc. bags. 

PEOPLE ON EBAY ARE BUYING THESE BAGS FROM THESE COUNTERFEIT SITES AND CALLING THEM AUTHENTIC.  AN AUTHENTIC BAG IS EXTREMELY RARE ON EBAY.  I CAN'T SAY THIS ENOUGH!  VISIT THESE SITES AND YOU SEE WHERE THEY ARE GETTING THEM!

I HAVE ALSO SEEN MORE THAN ONE SELLER WITH POINTERS OR INFORMATION ON HOW TO SPOT THE FAKES IN THEIR LISTINGS WHO ARE ACTUALLY SELLING FAKES SO BE CAREFUL!!!  ASK QUESTIONS!!!! 

The laws in China are much different than they are over here.  They do not have the laws against counterfeiting like we are SUPPOSED to have in this country.  But you can tell by the millions of dollars of counterfeit goods that are sold on Ebay alone that the US (and Ebay) isn't really patrolling this like they should.  Why?  Well, Ebay obviously doesn't want to address it because they are making millions of dollars off of counterfeit goods.  And the government doesn't want to complain because they are making millions in tax revenue from Ebay alone.  And not enough people are complaining as so many people are willing to buy, use and carry counterfeit goods.  Why?  Because they don't REALLY understand it.  Many people think "if it looks the same, why do I care?"  Well, it doesn't REALLY look the same (not to people who know the difference) and it doesn't last anywhere near as long...and deep down inside you know YOURS is not real.  Deep down inside, you feel like a fraud.  Deep down inside, you know you are doing something that isn't right and you are trying to deceive others.  And deep down inside, you feel like a big failure for not being able to own the real thing. 

Even if you're not aware of it, every time you look at your fake bag or fake designer shirt, you will be reminded that you do not have the real thing but some others do.  This is not good for anyone's well being.  Not to mention how it affects the US economy and the children who sometimes are making these things for very little pay (if any) and who are being physically and mentally abused for not making them fast enough.

So, if you have no conscience and don't mind being a fraud to your friends, family and co-workers with your counterfeit items, think about the innocent children who are making them and the gangsters who are killing each other over these things.

But guess who has finally had enough?  The companies who originally produced these items - the copyright owners.  The VeRo program on Ebay which is supposed to help reduce the number of counterfeit items being sold is obviously not doing the job.  So, companies like Tiffany & Co. are buying these supposedly "authentic" items by the hundreds and they are not only suing Ebay but are going after the sellers. 

Here is some info from the New York Times on this issue:

"Of course, fakes are sold everywhere, but the anonymity and reach of the Internet makes it perfect for selling knockoffs. And eBay, the biggest online marketplace, is the center of a new universe of counterfeit with virtually no policing.

EBay, based in San Jose, Calif., argues that it has no obligation to investigate counterfeiting claims unless the complaint comes from a "rights owner," a party holding a trademark or copyright. A mere buyer who believes an item is a fake has almost no recourse. "

"We never take possession of the goods sold through eBay, and we don't have any expertise," said Hani Durzy, an eBay spokesman. "We're not clothing experts. We're not car experts, and we're not jewelry experts. We're experts at building a marketplace and bringing buyers and sellers together."

"EBay makes a lot of money from a lot of small unhappy transactions," said Ina Steiner, the editor and publisher of AuctionBytes an online newsletter. "If you've lost a few thousand dollars, you might go the extra mile to recover it. But if you've lost $50 or $20 you may never be able to prove your case, and in the meantime eBay has gotten the listing fee and the closing fee on that transaction."

The Tiffany lawsuit, in addition to accusing eBay of facilitating counterfeiting, also contends that it "charges hundreds of thousands of dollars in fees" for counterfeit sales.

In 2004, Tiffany secretly purchased about 200 items from eBay in its investigation of how the company was dealing with the thousands of pieces of counterfeit Tiffany jewelry. The jeweler found that three out of four pieces were fakes.

"The frustrating part is that eBay just stands back and lets these people make thousands and thousands of dollars" while taking a fee for each transaction, Ms. Rogers said. (The company's profits rose 36 percent in the last quarter from the year before, to $279.2 million.)

After the spectacular case in 2000 when a fake Richard Diebenkorn painting was nearly sold for $135,000 on eBay, the company put in place a handful of safeguards, like the PayPal buyer protection plan, an improved system for spotting eBay policy violations, and improved detection of fraud in general. But when it comes to counterfeit goods, the problem has gotten worse.

* * * * *

COMMONLY COUNTERFEITED BRANDS:

(more brands to be added later, this guide is under construction)

Here is a quick sampling of some counterfeited brands: 

Chanel, Kooba, Burberry, Hermes, Nike, Tommy Bahama, Cartier, Pirelli, Coach, Dooney & Bourke, Tiffany & Co., Prada, Miu Miu, Thomas Wylde, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Balenciaga, Jimmy Choo, Chloe, Fendi, Hermes, Christian Dior, Kooba, Marc Jacobs, Goyard, YSL (Yves Saint Laurent), Givenchy, Celine, ) Dolce & Gabbana, Seven for all Mankind, True Religion, Rock and Republic, Juicy Couture, Abercrombie & Fitch, Adidas, Ralph Lauren, Polo, Timberland,  Juicy Couture, Versace, Armani, Oakley Sunglasses, Lacoste, Antik jeans, Rolex, Rado, Omega, Longines, Movado, Ping, Titleist, Calloway, Cleveland Golf, TaylorMade.......

COMMONLY COUNTEFEITED ITEMS:

Handbags, sunglasses, clothing, jeans, shoes, jewelry, housewares, tires, auto parts, machinery, tools, antiques, artwork, medication, computer related items, golf clubs & supplies and many more, just to give you an idea of the magnitude of this issue.

ATTENTION EBAY BUYERS:  If you found this information helpful, please take a moment to register your vote below. Many times the SELLERS of COUNTERFEIT items take the time to register their vote (which is always a no) so I would like to really have an idea of how many honest Ebay users who do not deal in illegal goods find this information helpful.  I try to periodically update the information in these guides also. Thanks so much for reading my guide and registering your vote!  And remember, GET REAL and BUY AUTHENTIC!

Thanks for taking the time to read my guide and for doing all you can to combat illegal counterfeiting in this country!

Christi