It’s that time of the year when the temperature drops and everyone wants a nice leather jacket. Wouldn’t it be nice to come here on eBay and get a real good deal on an Armani leather jacket? Well, there are a lot of sellers who are knowingly selling fake Armani leather jackets. These jackets do not come close to the quality and craftsmanship of real Armani leather.

Armani has leather jackets from the following lines:

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

Avoid the "RGA/Reportage" suede and leather jackets and other clothing, they are not real Armani and are of poor quality. Armani does not have such a line of clothing! You would be better off buying a leather jacket from a flea market/swap meet or from Wal-Mart. The sellers of "RGA/Armani Reportage" often list "genuine Armani" which should translate to "genuine imitation."

 The “A Collezioni” leather jackets ARE NOT Armani Collezioni leather jackets. It is a separate brand and it NOT related to Armani. The sellers of these jackets are hoping you will not notice the difference.

There are some sellers in the UK, Asia and a seller in Canada who list some very real looking Emporio Armani leather biker jackets with embroidered "EA" in a circle for Emporio Armani on the top of the left sleeve and the eagle logo embroidered on the bottom on the left side. Usually the seller has several of these at a time and they come in several colors including white. If these jackets were authentic, the seller would not be able to sell them for $225 each. They would be selling them at a huge loss since they would probably cost them about $750 each directly from Armani (at least that's what a major store like Neiman Marcus would have to pay wholesale). No one could stay in business like that if they were real. They are probably the best fakes out there, but just remember they are fakes, I don't care how much the seller tries to convince you otherwise. Here's a photo of one:

 Fake!

Below are photos of the common fake Armani jackets listed on eBay. If you see these labels on a listing, you need to be on your way! Don’t waste your money on these items:

A Collezioni is NOT Armani Collezioni                          Reportage (RGA) is not real Armani!

    This is a real good fake Armani                                            Don't fall for this!

    Collezioni label. It needs to be a 

    smooth square.    

 These photos below are REAL Armani leather jackets:

See the difference between this one                       A Real Armani Black Label Suede Sport Coat

and the fake above?      

A real A/X Armani Exchange label from                  A real Armani Collezioni leather jacket

a leather jacket (There's a red line on it

to prevent a return/refund to the store).

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 leather for $75". Apparently 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 other Armani 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 girlfriend 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 lady. 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.