OnlyModa has used a team of specialist to put together this guide that will help you make the most out of your shopping experience for an authentic Judith Leiber bag on eBay. Visit ONLYMODA STORE for the best selection of designer items at bargain prices.

Judith Leiber bags are one of the most beautiful creations. Each one is a piece of art. About 13 thousand Swarovski crystals are used to create each and just the beading process alone takes up to a week. Making a fake novelty bag (animals, flowers, etc) or a pattern one is pretty hard without it being too obvious, however it is possible to imitate the more simple once. Your biggest fear in Judith Leiber category should be not having the bag shipped to you at all after making a payment, rather than buying a fake. Nevertheless,

here are some signs of an authentic Leiber bag:

1.     Judith Leiber bags do not have embossed serial numbers. A seller cannot claim that a bag is authentic because it has a serial number.

2.     You should try to compare pictures of the item up for auction to the pictures of what you know to be an authentic item- magazine articles, company or major retailer's website.

3.     Main stone size for Judith Leiber bags is 5-12. Just to give you an idea of this means, 9 is about two millimeters and 12 is not more than  of an inch. Large stones are rarely used and only a couple in a bag (to decorate a center of a flower, for example). Most of the imitations we have seen are made of size 12 and up. Here is a close-up of a multi-colored bag maid mainly of size 7 stones.

4.     Crystal Judith Leiber bags are always lined with leather, never with fabric or suede. The leather is usually metallic silver or gold (same color with the frame and chain)

HOW TO RECOGNIZE AN HONEST SELLER

There are many red flags that help recognize a dishonest seller, however there are also many dishonest sellers that have learned how to look like a legitimate one.

1.  First of all, see what other items this seller offers. Somebody who has always only been a buyer or sold very inexpensive things or completely different type of product (computer nick knacks, for example) and suddenly has 10 Manolo Blahnik shoes is definitely suspicious. To research this, you can either look at seller’s feedback or go to “Advanced Search”, then “Search by seller” and make sure to check “include complete items”. You can research their bidding history the same way.

2.  Also, make sure that the seller actually has the item in their hands. Pictures used in their auction may have been stolen from another seller, magazine or website. If you see that the pictures are professional and could be from a major retailer’s website or an article, ask to see the pictures of the actual item. If the item for sale is pictured, ask to send you a picture of a detail that is not featured- close up of a buckle, sole of the shoes, etc.

3.  If it looks too good to be true price wise, most likely it is! Research how much legitimate sellers ask for a similar item. You can do that by gong to “Advanced search”, then put it your search words and mark “Competed listings only”. If you see that it regularly sells for more- be alert. Why would anybody be willing to sell something cheaper, when they can easily get the same amount with everybody else?
     It is, of course, reasonable to find small fluctuation in price within sellers. There can be a good explanation- last item in stock, minor scratches, etc.
   
4.  Look at the return policy. Contradictory to what it may seem, sellers with full refund, no questions asked policy are a huge red flag! They do this to avoid negative feedback. They would take anything back, do not charge any restocking fees, so their feedback is flawless, while they may be selling nothing but fakes. Historically, legitimate sellers most of the time have a final sale policy, however state that they guarantee authenticity.

5.  If the seller takes paypal, make sure that she states that she only ships to confirmed addresses. It is OK if they make exception for buyers with a large number of feedbacks, repeat customers or very inexpensive items. PayPal will randomly take funds away from sellers if the address is unconfirmed, and all sellers know that. So why would they risk loosing hundreds of dollars, unless they are planning on taking off with the money (and no goods shipped to you), before PayPal gets to them.

6. Be cautious of brand new sellers selling expensive goods. You can recognize a new seller by a little yellow sign of a person next to their use ID.