eBay is a place where you can purchase items from the Giorgio Armani lines of clothing at bargain prices (and no one has to know). Over the past 9 years, I have found some wonderful bargains on Armani clothing on eBay. I try to give every seller the benefit of the doubt but there are some sellers out there that knowingly try to defraud buyers. I have three guides out there dedicated to helping determine if you bidding on real or counterfeit Armani men's clothing. I have received numerous requests for a guide on Armani accessories. Well, this guide will concentrate on Armani belts.

There are a lot of Armani fakes listed on a daily basis and I wanted to create guides to help fellow eBayers from getting duped. Here is a breakdown the various lines for Giorgio Armani:
A/X Armani Exchange
Armani Jeans
Mani (Sportswear line)
Mani (Suits, dress shirts)
Emporio Armani
Giorgio Armani Neve (very rare)
Giorgio Armani Golf (very rare)
Armani Collezioni
Giorgio Armani (Black Label)
Giorgio Armani Classico (Blue Label)
Armani Privé

It is sad to say this, but most of the mens Armani belts listed on eBay are fake. I recently looked at the belts on eBay and a large percentage were fakes from the U.K. and Thailand. Through my research, I have found that many people are "label and logo conscious" and desperately want clothing with large logos and famous couture labels. They fail to realize that most high-end/couture designers seldom use large obnoxious logos. With that said, the Asian markets are flooded with counterfeit clothing and accessories with large logos. The logos usually do not look anything like the designer's actual logo. Fake Armani clothing and accessories are flooding eBay to the point that I personally will not buy any Armani belts without it being from a reputable seller that I have previous done business with.

Armani belts come from the A/X Armani Exchange, Emporio Armani and Giorgio Armani lines. You will see Armani Jeans belts in the Emporio Armani and Giorgio Armani boutiques also. The belts from the A/X Armani Exchange range from $45-$65. The belts from Emporio Armani range from $100-$200 and the belts from Giorgio Armani line range from $175-$500. The fakes listed on eBay try to copy all four lines. The fake Armani belts have ridicously large Armani and eagle logos on the buckles. Real Armani belts are usually conservative in style and discreetly place "Giorgio Armani, Made in Italy" in block letters in the center on the reverse side of the leather. The words "Genuine Leather", the style number (usually six numbers) and the Italian size are to the right of the Armani name. The American size is stamped to the left of the Armani name. This is the first season (fall 2006) where large logos are on the buckles. Go to the Giorgio Armani website to see what the real Armani buckles with the large logos look like. You will see they look nothing like the garbage that is hawked from Asia and the U.K. on eBay.

Some of the genuine Armani belts have the stamp "Giorgio Armani" in script and "Made in Italy" in smaller block letters below on the tip of the non-buckle end (see photo below). The Emporio Armani belts have the same markings but with the eagle logos.

A/X Armani Exchange belts are easily copied. Personally, I would rather go to the A/X Armani Exchange store to purchase a belt. They frequently have sales and markdowns and you can purchase a belt for $20.

             Real Armani Belt

Below Are Typical Fake "Armani" belts listed on eBay:

I hope this guide helps you to make informed buying decisions on eBay. I get so angry when I see a seller of fake Armani merchandise and when I see an inexperienced buyer actually bid on it. Some people are so into labels that they just want "an Armani" piece badly and don't care that they are buying a fake and others are duped unknowingly. However, the quality and craftsmanship of these counterfeit are obvious and you'll be upset once you receive that "awesome brand new Armani belt for $20". Apparantely some of the major sellers of Armani counterfeit clothing read my guide, because I get hate messages from them sometimes. They claim I am hurting their business. Actually, they are hurting the business of legitimate sellers of authentic Armani clothing. I do have a list of eBay sellers who regularly sell authentic Armani merchandise and never sell that other junk. I have six other guides posted with photos of Armani clothing lines and the common counterfeits listed on eBay. (http://search.reviews.ebay.com/members/armani_king_W0QQuqtZg).

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions. If you have specific questions on a current auction, send me the link and I'll take a look. Sometimes eBay blocks me from responding because we do not have a direct transaction in progress. If I do not respond to you within 24 hours, email me at TWells1906 at yahoo.com.

FAQ

Question 1: But armani_king, the seller has a 100% rating, how could they be selling fake Armani suits, jeans and shirts?

Answer: Who cares that their feedback is 100% I can assure you that the people who have left positive feedback for that seller have no idea what real Armani clothing looks like and they are happy just to have received their "first" Armani item.

Question 2: But armani_king, the seller says their item is 100% authentic!

Answer: So what! Unless you know what an Armani label looks like, you can be fooled. Most of the sellers of fake Armani actually know their merchandise is bootleg and poor quality.

Question 3: Are there sellers in certain countries or regions that sell counterfeit Armani items?

Answer: Yes, it seems that the most notorious countries are China, Thailand, Australia, Canada and the UK. Many fakes are distributed through TradeKey.com from China. There are some lines of Armani that are made outside of Italy in some Asian countries. However, most bootleg items come from these areas. The most common fakes are the suits, A/X Armani Exchange shirts and jeans, Emporio Armani polo-styled shirts and dress shirts and Armani Collezioni/Giorgio Armani ties and belts. I have received some emails from people saying they felt insulted because they felt I am targeting their country. I assure you I am not racist, in fact, I am a minority here in the United States.

Question 4: How do you know so much about Armani?

Answer: I worked in the men's designer department of an upscale department store while I was in college in the late 80s. I was the Armani expert for our department. I have worn it since and a large portion of my wardrobe is Armani. 

Question 5: I noticed a seller selling Armani A/X shirts and jeans with real wild designs, are they fake?

Answer: Yes, more than likely there are bad, hideous fakes. Armani is for the most part conservative is his designs. Even the A/X line is not an extremely fashion forward line in spite of it being aimed at younger buyers.

Question 6: Do you know a lot about the Armani colognes?

Answer: No, I used to wear it lot. But now I wear whatever cologne my wife tells me smells good to her. I'm a typical guy when it comes to cologne, I let her pick it out.

Question 7: Do you know a lot about Armani watches?

Answer: Not really. I own one that I bought in an Emporio Armani boutique on sale years ago. I'm not into jewelry and I rarely wear that Armani watch. Personally, I don't trust the ones auctioned on eBay.

Question 8: Can I send you a link of auction that I am unsure if the item is authentic?

Answer: Yes, the best way is to email me at TWells1906 at yahoo.com

Question 9: Are there Armani items that you flat out would never buy on eBay?

Answer: Yes, I avoid the jeans due to the saturation of fakes being sold and the fit of the jeans varying on the different styles. Personally I don't trust the jeans being sold on eBay except for a small number of trusted sellers I have bought from in the past and those sellers rarely list Armani jeans. I avoid pretty much all of the Armani and A/X Armani Exchange t-shirts listed, most of them are obnoxious fakes with the crazy logos that look nothing like the real t-shirts. I avoid the wallets because they are pretty much all garbage with obnoxious eagle logos on fake leather. I never bid on Armani socks because I believe the main manufacturer of Armani Calze went out of business years ago and the socks you see on eBay are fakes. The Armani boxer briefs listed for the most part are fakes from that Chinese distributor TradeKey.com. I'm not sold on the Armani leather briefcases listed here either.

Question 10: Do you have a list of Armani sellers on eBay that I can trust?

Answer: Yes, I have compiled this list from sellers I have personally purchased authentic Armani items from and from auctions of sellers that I see that frequently selling authentic Armani items. I would happy to forward it to you.

Question 11: Do you have a list of sellers who sell the counterfeit Armani items so I can avoid being duped?

Answer: Yes, and the list grows daily. I routinely scan the auctions and note the sellers who offer the fake Armani. Some of them have 100% feedback, but that means nothing. I also get emails from some of you who read my guides alerting me of sellers of fake Armani merchandise. I will be happy to forward the list to you to help you avoid being ripped off.

Question 12: I think I already bought a fake Armani item, what do I do?

Answer: All you can do is report them to eBay and to PayPal. Here's where I think eBay does a poor job of policing their own site. I usually recommend going to a store who sells Armani to possibility obtain a statement that the item bought from eBay is counterfeit.

Question 13: Do you know about women's Armani?

Answer: I have some basic knowledge of it. I do purchase some for my wife. I think there is more men's counterfeit Armani on eBay than women's. Most of the counterfeit women's Armani items are A/X shirts and jeans.