As a seller, I pride myself on listing all of my items as honestly as I can. It makes for great buyer-seller relations and keeps people interested in what I have to offer. I've found it to be a wonderful experience so far.

As a buyer, however, it's not always quite as pleasant. There are tons of sellers out there, with their inventory of fake Coach bags, just waiting to take your hard-earned money.

These replica companies know what they're doing. They have it down... from the serial numbers to the bag styles. And most buyers can't tell the difference, especially when these bags are being sold over eBay through photos rather than in person.

There are two pinpoint ways to tell whether a bag is authentic Coach or not.

1.) First, real Coach bags NEVER come with plastic wrapping around the bag or the straps, period. If the bag in the auction you're looking has plastic anywhere around it... it's straight from the replica market. Do not bid.

2.) Secondly, authentic Coach bags DO NOT have black retail tags with white letters, nor do they have long white tags. Authentic Coach products ALWAYS come with a cream-colored tag with the word "Coach" in medium sized brown letters. This tag is a fold over tag, (like the way a greeting card folds), not a flat one. The price is visible on the lower right-hand corner of the inside of the tag.

Also, keep in mind that serial numbers and serial number creeds sewed onto the inside mean NOTHING. A lot of sellers try to use this to push the item's supposed authenticity. Replica companies make their own replica serial creeds, in the exact form as Coach, with real Coach numbers and then sew them onto the inside of their bags.

People buy these bags from wholesalers for less than a forth of what they usually sell for, and many times the quality is worth even less.

If you are not sure whether the product is real or not, ask the seller a direct question. 

ASK:  "Is this bag an authentic Coach bag, and if so do you guarantee its authenticity with a money back refund if the bag is found to be a replica?"

If the seller does not awnser, then it's probably a fake. If the seller does answer and says it is infact real and they do back it with a money back refund, save/print that page for your records. You never know.

Also, be sure to read the seller's feedback comments. This says a lot about the way they do business. If you see more than three negatives claiming they're selling fakes, avoid them. Buyers don't leave these types of feedbacks for no reason.

If still in doubt, my advice is to visit the Coach website, especially if the bag in question is a newer bag that might be on the site. Compare and contrast. Go back and forth between the photos from the Coach site and the seller's page. Look at things like the retail tag, look at buckles and snaps, designs.

Here are a few examples of replica bags...

( This replica bag's company has the retial tag thing down; that's how Coach tags look. But the plastic on the straps gives it away. FAKE! )

( See the plastic covering the zipper pull? Coach doesn't do that. Sometimes you'll see tissue paper, like on the long pull, on new Coach bags. But never plastic. And the tag you see hanging there, almost all Coach bags have leather tags. Almost all replica bags have metal ones. Nice try, but not good enough.)

( Look at the tag in this photo. Fake has never been SO obvious. Coach doesn't do such bold letters, nor do they have flat retail tags.)

Here's a REAL Coach bag in the above photo. Notice the retail tag, notice the leather tag hanging there at the top. No plastic anywhere.

You don't have to be a victim of fraud... if it looks even the teeniest bit suspicious, don't bid. Coach bags cycle around on eBay every single day; the bag you want will come back around. Be patient, be cautious, be a question-asker and pay attention to detail. 

I paid $80 a few years back for a replica... I studied up on Coach and want nothing more than to help others avoid this. I hope I've accomplished that by writing this.

If this guide has been helpful please click "YES" below. The more helpful others find a guide to be, the more likely someone else will be to take the time to read it.

HAPPY AUTHENTIC SHOPPING