Buying Purses on eBay? Read This First!

eBay is filled with terrific bargains and is a great way to find designer merchandise for less than you’d normally pay in a department or retail store. But shopping through an auction site has its own share of problems – most of which fall into the realm of counterfeit goods and potential scams.

Is Your New Purse Counterfeit?

While illegal, there are many sellers on eBay more than willing to push merchandise that is not legitimate. These sellers see the beauty of the auction site for selling things that appear to be something they are not, and counterfeit merchandise is increasingly common, despite eBay’s strong policing efforts. When you spend hundreds on a designer handbag, even if it is over an auction site, you should have the peace of mind that the product you’re purchasing is legitimate.

Finding Counterfeit Handbags on eBay

While shopping and bidding on eBay, you will almost certainly run into items that are likely counterfeits. To avoid these, you’ll need to be diligent about reading the listing carefully and using common sense.

Is the listing too good to be true? If the Coach purse you’re interested in seems to be priced at half the price of comparable items, there is likely a reason – especially if it is brand new. Look at “Buy It Now” prices to get a better idea of the true pricing of an item. Some sellers price things at a low starting bid to inspire competition, but counterfeit bags are likely sold cheaply all around.

Look for authenticity in photographs and wording. A confident seller will list the attributes of the item in question. Words such as “authentic”, “new” and “genuine” will be clearly evident. If a similar item is missing these words or uses more general phrasing such as “appears authentic” or “genuine-like”, steer clear. The confident seller will also realize that designer handbags are an often counterfeited item and work hard to win your trust by taking close pictures of tags, labels and emblems on the bag to help verify authenticity.

Does the seller have access to this product? If lovely Italian designer purses are being sold through eBay yet shipping is from a country in Asia, approach the deal with skepticism. Likewise, it would be hard to find American designers being sold at a discount from Europe and vice versa, although it is possible. Look for the details in the shipping information to aid you in validating the item and seller.

Check the seller’s history for inconsistencies. Reviews of the seller should be positive. Any suspicious reviews, especially those involving questions of counterfeiting, should be a warning sign to stay far away. You can take this a step farther and buy only from members of eBay's Verified Rights Online (VeRO) program. There are many safe and reliable sellers who are not in the VeRO program, but shopping within VeRO will give you the backing of eBay that your seller is reliable and honest.