Case Study Two

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Case Study 1

Case study 2

Case study 3

Case study 4

  Our case studies are designed to offer insight on how to apply our power points while shopping online, especially eBay. We will show you our process, how we spot the red flags, and subsequently render a verdict on an item's authenticity. We want to point out that our way is not the best method, or the most conclusive method to spot fake handbags online. But it is an effective method. We recommend that you treat our case studies as guidelines, not laws, and develop a system that works best for you, as your speed and skill increases.
More case studies will be added on a weekly or bi-weekly basis.

POWER POINTS:
Power point 1. Use detailed keywords when searching.

Power point 2. Meticulously scrutinize the seller’s feedback.

Power point 3: Scrutinize the handbag pictures for tells.

Power point 4: Check out the seller’s return policy.

Power point 5: When in doubt, get a second opinion:



Note: A detailed description of these five points can be found in our tutorial online buying tips

Disclaimer: Part of the sellers ID has been blocked, as these items are not currently on the market, and the seller may or may not be currently in good standing with eBay. It is not our purpose to attack the sellers personally, it is however our purpose to inform you the buyer on how to protect yourself. The assault on counterfeit merchandise must be done from the top down and the ground up. We will leave the top down strategy to law enforcement, but the ground up strategy can be done by us, the consumers and legitimate sellers, with a surplus of good information.

Case Study 2:

1. Power point one.

Keywords: Louis Vuitton Geldborse Amelia Mahina Monogram wallet



Power point one assessment:
The keywords used are very specific and detailed. They show that the seller knows the product. (However, the detail of these keywords tie into a tell picked up later in the study.) But based on the keywords alone, they should raise no red flags.


2. Power point two.

Feedback:
Seller's feedback score: 2
Seller's feedback percentage: 100%





Power point two assessment:
This sellers has a low feedback score, however the percentage is 100%. But upon inspection of the feedback comments, none were related to designer merchandise. Therefore caution should be taken when you see a feedback score this low, especially when the feedback left has no relation to the product in question. If the seller is selling a Louis Vuitton, and all their feedback pertains to baseball cards, then exercize caution.


3. Power point three:

Item's pictures: Seller offered five item pictures.
Image 1:





Image 2:





Image 3:





Image 4:





Image 5:





Power point three assessment:

Image number one is the first tell we found. The first image is clearly a stock photo, most likely taken from an authorized website (possibly where they also copied the specific keywords). This is made clear when looking at the unprofessional photo in image two (more on the stock photo trick here. And it gets worse than that. On further inspection of image one, compared to image two and three, we find that these three images are representing two completely different wallets. Look closely at the monogram pattern around the center gold piece. On image number one, the monogram pattern on the lower half of the wallet is not covered by the center locking mechanism. But in image two and three, the locking mechanism is clearly covering part of the monogram pattern. This is more than enough conclusive evidence for this being a fake Louis wallet.
There are many other tells in these photos as well, wrong hardware, leather accent shapes etc.
Image number four goes on to display a poor, slightly crooked stamped impression, and image number five shows the wallet's back with more irregular monogram patterns.

4. Power point four:

Return policy: This seller does not offer a return policy. This does not justify a red flag itself, because many sellers do not offer returns on used merchandise, but they do however, grant a money back guarantee if the item is not authentic. A buyer must read the fine print of the seller's return policy to find out all these details before buying.




Power point four assessment:
This seller does not offer a return policy. Not an automatic red flag, but when we checked for further return policy details in the listing, we found no money back guarantee even if the bag is found to be not authentic. This further detail (or lack thereof) is grounds for a red flag (below is the seller's actual description, more clues are available within this description).

Seller description: (Seller description will be discussed in this section, to conform to our tutorial).


The seller writes:
Model "Amelia" in Ivory with golden brass pieces, Natural calf leather. Geldbörse hat eine Seriennummer/ Wallet has a serial number. I have original Receipt from Louis Vuitton store. Ich habe originale Rechnung vom Louis Vuitton Boutique.

Notes on seller description:
• Seller writes, "Wallet has a serial number." As if to imply Louis Vuitton makes products without one? But then the seller offers no picture of the serial number.
• Seller writes, "I have original Receipt from Louis Vuitton store." Again, no picture of this detail. (Not that it matters at this point.)


5. Power point five: Get a second opinion.

Assessment: No second opinion is needed as the evidence against this bag via the listing images was conclusive enough to confirm it a fake.

The damage:
This wallet ended up selling for $360.69 +$45 for shipping.
This case is an example of $405.69 that could have been saved with some a few simple tips.

Summary:
Power point 1:

Power point 2:

Power point 3:

Power point 4:

Power point 5: --

Louis Vuitton Speedy Bags



Louis Vuitton Speedy 25
Louis Vuitton Speedy 30
Louis Vuitton Speedy 35
Louis Vuitton Speedy 40

Case Study 1

Case study 2

Case study 3

Case study 4