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Here at Studio_Blu, we've come to realize that finding reputable sellers and authentic items can be a very daunting challenge for the average eBay shopper. There are many wonderful sellers on eBay, but unfortunately there are also many dishonest ones too. We spent some time looking through designer listings and were shocked at some of the things we found. The following are some observations, tips and general advice when purchasing designer items. We hope that this will help ensure you a safe and happy shopping experience on eBay.
This is a continuation of our guide "How to Buy Authentic Designer Items on Ebay, Part I"
Most Commonly Faked Designers: Clothing
This is a short list of the most commonly bootlegged clothing designers on eBay. Unfortunately, eBay is flooded with these and extra thought/research should be applied when purchasing these brands/designers. There are other designer fakes, but the following are the most common and have the most listings, that we have seen:
Diane Von Furstenberg, Marni, Chloe, BCBG, Juicy Couture, Marc Jacobs, Roberto Cavalli, Chanel, Dior, Armani, Fendi, Gucci, Philip Lim, Dolce & Gabbana, Prada and almost all designer jeans.
DOLCE & GABBANA/D&G:
Because of the new flood of fake Dolce & Gabbana and D&G dresses, I have included photos in this section to help insure that you purchase authentic Dolce items. There seems to be alot of misinformation and deception regarding Dolce & Gabbana.
First, Dolce and Gabbana and D&G are two separate lines from the same designers. Dolce and Gabbana is the mainline and D&G is the second tier line. There are also other lowend lines (Mare, which is basically swimwear/beach covers and & which is the lowest line, very low quality junk).
Dolce and Gabbana labels will be black on white or white on black. They will NOT have a hologram. Only D&G have holograms. Dolce and Gabbana will never be sized S, M and L. Only D&G will have that sizing and even then, very rarely. Most D&G will have EUR sizing and all Dolce & Gabbana will have EUR sizing.
There seems to be a new Hong Kong wave of fake D&G dresses. The black lace, long sleeve (without tags) seems to be a new bootleg favorite. This dress was appearing pretty consistently week after week listed as either preowned (to account for no tags) or simply listed from Hong Kong. Very few D&G dresses run S, M and L and this dress isn't one of them. The authentic version of this dress has EUR sizing 38,40, etc., not SML.They are fakes along with the usual no tags, BCBG, Philp Lim, Chloe and Diane Von Furstenberg dresses that are routinely listed from Asia.
I have received many questions regarding Dolce & Gabbana dresses and their labels. After looking at some listings pointed out by other Ebayers, I thought I should include a few photos taken from bootleg listings to show what to look out for.
Here is an example of what to look out for. A Dolce & Gabbana label has been combined with a D&G label hologram. A Dolce & Gabbana will NEVER have a hologram. This label doesn't exist. This is a perfect example of bootleg labels being sewn into a dress.
This one is wrong on so many levels I don't even know where to begin. The label is fake, the paper tag is fake and the sizing is wrong.
First the label says Dolce & Gabbana, but the paper tag says D&G. The label would say D&G on a D&G dress and D&G paper tags have D&G written above Dolce & Gabbana, not next to it. The font is wrong on the label and the size is a M. Dolce & Gabbana are EUR sized 38, 40, etc.
CHLOE:
There are no authentic Chloe dresses for $89.99. For those unfamiliar with Chloe, Chloe dresses retail in the thousands and are rarely under $1,000.00 on retail sale. This is a good designer to use to get an idea of the authenticity of a sellers items. If they have low price bootleg Chloe dresses (most Asian sellers do), then the rest of their items are unlikely to be authentic. Unfortunately, most of the Chloe dresses listed on eBay are fakes.
ROBERTO CAVALLI:
Roberto Cavalli is another designer that is literally flooded with fakes. There is one seller inparticular who seems to have access to a warehouse of fakes. There are no authentic Roberto Cavalli dresses that retail anywhere near $69.99, unfortunately, on eBay there are pages and pages of them.
MARC JACOBS and DIANE VON FURSTENBERG:
Marc Jacobs and Diane Von Furstenberg are so flooded with fakes, that we have actually stopped carrying Marc by Marc Jacobs items. We will continue to sell Marc Jacobs, but not the second tier line. We are going to continue to carry Diane Von Furstenberg in very limited quantities and hopefully buyers will become more savvy regarding authenticity and scammers will eventually be removed through reporting.
Feel free to check out Diane Von Furstenberg and Marc Jacobs Guides for some tips to buying authentic items.
http://reviews.ebay.com/Marc-Jacobs-How-To-Buy-Authentic-Clothing-on-eBay_W0QQugidZ10000000000034239
Please report all bootleg items to eBay. There is a "report this item" link at the bottom of every listing.
Sizing: Clothing
Sizing of designer items vary greatly and in most instances are cut much smaller than US sizing. Always look at the measurements. A size 10 in a European designer can be a small as a US 4. Also, cut and sizing can vary from line to line of the same designer. It is always important to check measurements, especially if you are not familiar with your size in relation to a specific designer.
Shoes:
Here is actually some good news. There are very few bootleg designer shoes on eBay. It is very cost intensive and difficult to manufacture bootleg shoes. Styles change too rapidly and shoes can't be produced as inexpensively as clothing. Unfortunately there are some exceptions: Roberto Cavalli, Prada and Chanel. There seems to be an abundance of fake Chanel shoes and accessories (especially Chanel flats). I assume this is because there are classic Chanel styles that are consistent for many years.
I have never personally seen a fake pair of Manolos, Choos, etc on eBay. That is not to say that they don't exist, but if they do, their numbers are negligible. I would assume that the most common form of bootlegging with these particular shoes would be to remove labels and replace them with a designer label, not to actually create look alike shoes. The only suspect shoes that I have seen are from designers who do not have labels on the inside of the shoe, but have the name printed instead. There are some bootlegs in this area. Non-designer shoes are printed with a designer name. These are usually from Hong Kong.
There are designer knockoffs, but they are usually easily spotted and most sellers clearly state they are "designer look", but read the listing/title carefully. There are sellers who include designer hand creme, soap, perfume samples, etc. to get around keyword spamming violations. Example: a pair of no-name shoes along with a Marc Jacobs hand creme sample listed as "Marc Jacobs Creme Leather Sandals". It makes it appear that the color of the shoes are creme, when in fact it is a creme sample and no-name leather sandals. Also, it will make these shoes appear in any searches using the designer's name.
Sizing: Shoes
Most European shoes are cut smaller than US sizing. It is usually best to go up a half size from your usual US size. If you are not familiar with your size in a particular designer, it is best to ask the seller, about the fit of that designer. Some designers can be as much as a full size smaller. Also, keep in mind, the more narrow the shoe the smaller the sizing. Feel free to check our Designer Shoe Guide for some sizing tips.
http://reviews.ebay.com/Designer-Shoe-Sizing-and-Conversion-Tips_W0QQugidZ10000000001246942
Handbags:
This catagory is literally flooded with fakes (also accessories) in every designer from Chanel, LV to Coach. Whichever designer you are looking to purchase, know that the most commonly faked are the signature items. The material is easy to fake, and because of the pattern, easier to hide flaws. I would suggest that you put a lot of research into any bag you are looking to purchase and really study the feedback of the seller. This catagory is flooded with bootlegs from sellers in every country, including the US. This is a catagory where location may help you spot the obvious fakes, but be wary of all, not just Asian countries.
Be aware that most retailers will not authenticate items that were not purchased directly from them. If you purchase a LV bag on eBay, LV will not authenticate it. Make sure to do your research prior to any purchase.
Always use a credit card to purchase a handbag on eBay, unfortunately this catagory is just too rife with fakes to take any chances. I cannot stress enough to never purchase a designer handbag on eBay using either a money order, Western Union or cash (these are the usually the only payment options of scammers). You will have no recourse or proof of payment if the bag turns out not to be authentic
Jeans:
This is another catagory that is flooded with fakes from every country and in virtually every designer/brand. Always research the sellers location and feedback before purchase.
We hope this information will prove helpful in your shopping experience. At Studio_Blu we sell only authentic items and would be happy to answer any questions.
Please visit our eBay store Studio_Blu for designer items: http://stores.ebay.com/studio-blu
Also visit our second store Studio_Blu2 for mid-range clothing and shoes: http://stores.ebay.com/studio-blu2
Happy and safe shopping.
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