YOU CAN BUY SAFELY ON EBAY!

Just avoid these TOP TEN SCAMS and use your common sense!

I get 25-40 emails per day from people who have been sold fake handbags and who now need help to get their hard earned money back.

In most cases, these situations could have been avoided.  As a regular poster on the ebay boards concerning handbag purchases, I see lots of sad situations where gals have seen their money go down the drain in search of the perfect handbag deal on ebay.  How can YOU avoid their mistakes?

I am going to tell you how to avoid the TOP TEN SCAMS on ebay regarding designer handbags.

1.  THE "If is seems too good to be true" scam......This is otherwise known as the "Unwanted Gift" scam.  The seller describes the bag as a gift from her "wealthy aunt" who would NEVER buy a fake.  Or, an inheritance, or a purchase from an "estate sale" where people would never buy fakes.  THE TRUTH:  People from all walks of like buy fakes for lots of reasons.  People SELDOM receive high end handbags as gifts and sell them at a loss.  You will NOT buy NEW designer handbags on ebay at a loss.  Vuitton NEVER goes on sale.  CHANEL, GUCCI, PRADA etc. DO go on sale, but coveted, hard to find, out of stock in season bags DO NOT!  If it seems "too good to be true" it is.

2.  The "Factory Seconds" Scam.  Most high end designers DESTROY "Factory Seconds".  Any seller who tells you her Louis Vuitton stock is from "factory seconds" is a liar.  Likewise, most other high end bag designers DESTROY all bags which do not meet their standards.  Employee discounts are also very rare and low and designers strictly forbid their employees selling handbags on ebay purchased on an employee discount plan.

3.  "I am an authorized supplier" or "I purchased my NEW stock from authorized sources".  GUCCI, DIOR, CHANEL and other high end bag manufacturers do NOT SELL THEIR BAGS WHOLESALE to sources outside of very high end, established stores(Saks, Dillards, etc).  VUITTON only sells direct--even the Vuitton counters in your local SAKS is staffed with VUITTON salespeople).  There are no "authorized suppliers" selling on ebay.  There ARE some sellers on ebay who purchase bags in bult "on sale" at Dillards, Saks, Coach Factory stores, etc.  Ask questions and evaluate the answers you get.  Use your "noggin'"!  But, know that unless the "authorized source" is really a retail store, the seller is not telling you what you need to hear to make this purchase.

4.  Second Chance Offers:  If you receive a SECOND CHANCE OFFER via your EBAY PAGE, then you may have a legitimate offer.  SECOND CHANCE OFFERS made via email are usually SCAMS!  A popular scam goes like this.  You bid on a designer handbag and are outbid.  After the auction, you receive a "second chance offer" via email offering you the bag.  You need to check your "MY EBAY" console.  If this offer DID NOT COME from your console but via the "MESSAGE FROM EBAY" console or your email, then DISREGARD THE OFFER.  It is not only against ebay rules to accept this offer, but you lose any protections you have from ebay and the deal is most likely a scam.  People have sent money to these crooks never to see the money OR any merchandise and this is very commonplace.  DO NOT RESPOND to these offers but report them to ebay. 

5.  The ONE DAY AUCTION Scam.  Ebay utilizes a system whereby auctions which another user believes to be fraudulent can be reported to ebay and then forwarded to the copyright owner(such as Vuitton, Chanel, etc).  The copyright owner/designer may then respond and have the auction REMOVED from ebay if the auction is deemed to be of  a fake bag.  However, because this system takes time, the scammers are constantly using ONE DAY AUCTIONS to circumvent detection.  Although not all ONE DAY AUCTIONS are scams, many are and you should avoid them in most cases.

6.  MONEY ORDER ONLY OR WESTERN UNION TRANSFER.  Paypal offers you the best protection if you purchase a fake handbag.  For this reason, many scammers require a money order or western union transfer.  NEVER BUY A DESIGNER HANDBAG this way unless you are absolutely certain of your seller.  

In the event of a dispute, your credit card issurer can be your best ally.  I am writing  a GUIDE on this topic. Watch for it. Until then, use your credit card for all internet purchases.  It is your best safety net!

7.  Stock Photos instead of actual photos:  This is one of the oldies!  A seller uses stock photos pulled from a retail site such as eluxury of GUCCI instead of posting actual photos of the item. This is usually because the item is fake or the seller never has the item.  Either way, you lose!  Please note, many reputable sellers do post stock photos IN ADDITION TO actual photos and there is nothing wrong with this.  Always ask for actual photos of the item you are bidding on.

8.  PHOTO SWITCHING:  The seller has photos of an actual authentic bag, but sends you a fake bag instead of the one pictured.  A common scam usually detected by checking my CHECKPOINTS noted below. 

9.  The "Vintage Bag" scam.  Seller states that the bag is "vintage"and therefore can not be a fake.  FACT:  As long as there have been coveted high end bags there have been fakes.  As early as the 1800s, Louis Vuitton experimented with canvas designs to thwart fakery.  All manner of vintage bags have been copied. Although many authentic vintage bags do NOT carry serial numbers, there are ways to detect a fake from an authentic bag.  You must study and know what you are looking for.  Vintage bags WERE faked and there is an abundant supply of these on ebay being sold as "authentic".

10.  THE MOST COMMON SCAM:  Fake authenticity cards, fake receipts, fake bags, dust bags and boxes.  These items are even easier and less expensive to copy than the fake bags themselves.  Know and study.  Again, know how your authentic bag should be packaged.  Often fake bags come with tags, cards and packaging never seen on authentic bags. 

In short, please follow these guidelines when considering a designer bag on ebay:

1.  KNOW YOUR SELLER.  An honest seller of quality high end handbags should know her stuff.  Check past auctions and feedback.  I never bid on less than 98% feedback.  Never.

2.  Look for past auctions and feedback for selling fakes.  If a seller has bought or sold fakes in the past, chances are that she will again.

3.  If it seems too good to be true....Do I even need to say this?  MILLIONS of people view each ebay auction.  It is highly unlikely that YOU will be the one to get a $1000 handbag for only $100.  Nope.  Never gonna happen.

4.  USE YOUR CREDIT CARD.  Call your credit card company today and ask them how they handle situations where you have purchased a fake handbag.  Some banks require a third party opinon.  Others simply take YOUR word for it.  Look for cooperation with your bank and then, earmark THAT card for your designer handbag purchases.

5.  KNOW AND STUDY:  KNOW what you are buying.  Study what the bag looks like, how it is packaged.  Even placement of monogram, datecodes, stitching and the like can be helpful.  I have personally spent over 20 years documenting both authentic and fake handbags.  My library contains thousands of photos, examples and actual bags.  Authentication is a lengthy process but you can usually get a gut feeling from a bag if you know and study your targeted bag.  Again, if it seems "off" it probably is. 

6.  Compile a listing of sellers you see selling authentic bags.  Watch their auctions.  Avoid new sellers and sellers with low feedback. 

7.  Visit the Community Boards for additional information and help.  It's free!  The Shoes, Purses and Accessories Board offers free and helpful advice with buying specific bags.  Before posting about a particular bag, make sure your have studied the seller and the auction to make sure they are not falling under categories 1-10 above of my TOP TEN SCAMS,  Much of what you need to know you already know!

It is very possible to buy high end designer bags on line or on ebay without problems.  I have purchased hundreds of handbags and everything from cars to high end yachts on ebay without a hitch.  You can, too.  Have confidence in yourself, do not RUSH into a buy and use the information you have just acquired.  

If you have found this guide helpful, please vote!  I am working hard to make ebay a safer place to buy.  The more educated buyers become the harder it becomes for these scam artists to make a living on ebay!  Let's vote them off by voting this guide to the front so more people can become saavy shoppers!

Thanks and see my other GUIDES for more information on successful bag hunting!