That gorgeous Louis Vuitton bag may look like an original, but is it the real deal? Designer products are hot and trendy and usually costs a fortune to buy so make sure you get your money's worth. Replicas of Louis Vuitton bags are sprouting everywhere and you might end up buying one if you're not careful. Learn how to identify the authentic from the fake to keep you from spending a ton of cash on an imitation. An original Louis Vuitton product is very special and a copy just isn't going to cut it. Find out how to spot a fake when you see it with these simple steps:
How To Spot a Fake Louis Vuitton
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What People Say
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How To / Instruction
Difficulty: Normal
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1Louis Vuitton bags are made from top quality material so if the price is cheap, it is most likely fake.
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2Monograms are placed carefully and detailed so watch out for the ones with logos that are crooked.
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3Louis Vuitton products are not sold in the streets or open markets so avoid purchasing from those places.
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4Pay close attention to the stitching. If the bag does not have the standard 5 stitches on the handles, then it is most likely a fake.
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5Check the tags. Louis Vuitton bags do NOT have price tags attached to them.
Tips and Warnings
Most imitations have less quality and feels rough and stiff. Real Louis Vuitton bags are smooth and soft to touch. They are made from top quality leather, crocodile, lamb and camel skin.
Be careful of buying Louis Vuitton bags and purses online, they may not be the real deal. Look up the bag on the official website if you are unsure. If the item is not on the website, then it simply means the product is a fake.
Take note of any inconsistencies in the monogram as well as the stitching. The logos are the same on every Louis Vuitton purse, any variation or inconsistency is a sign of poor quality. You won't find any loose threads on authentic bags as well for they are stitched very carefully and precisely.
Posted 2011-03-24
You can spot one by the fact you're in chinatown or hanging with your girlfriends in denny's. I personally don't care if it's real or fake. The best advice I've heard though "We aren't rich so we can't buy cheap stuff." -Evgueni.
Posted 2011-04-02
This is are good tips to find the fakes bags, and save your money.
Posted 2011-04-03
great! love to know these little bits.
Posted 2011-04-03
I didn't realize people don't know that cheap is never hot couture!
Posted 2011-04-03
Basically, it is easy to know if LV is fake or not. But this article is also helpful.
Posted 2011-04-03
Sometimes its hard to tell on sites such as eBay. They give so little pictures. Thanks for the info.
Posted 2011-04-06
This is really good information! There is a store in my local mall that sells bags they claim are real but CLEARLY after reading these tips, they are knock offs.
Posted 2011-04-06
I am so glad I found this information! I am taking another cruise in Oct and I will be purchasing handbags so now I won't be fooled by fakes!!
Posted 2011-04-06
I love picking up handbags at Flea markets and this is definitely a useful bit of info to help make sure I'm getting what I paid for.
Posted 2011-04-07
tips 4 and 5 were the best, the rest seem like common sense. In my mind, if it looks like the real thing and it is cheap, who cares? Still I would hate to pay a fortune and have it not be real!
Posted 2011-04-07
not that i care about louis v at all - but i'd rather have a fake one. cheaper, and it makes me feel better for not being a superficial sell out who buys bags instead of like, food, for my kids.
Posted 2011-04-07
I mainly pay attention to couch bags and all the fakes but this can be a new game, real or fake (its a game I play every store with real and fake purses :P)
Posted 2011-04-07
I agree with Shahrazad!! The cheaper the better... I can not see why anyone would want to spend that kind of money on a purse!! If I ever decide to though (maybe I'll win the lotto..lol).. .then at least I know what to look for! Thanks!!
Posted 2011-04-07
I am not name brand driven but if I were I would definatley want to do it as cheap as possible ;-)
Posted 2011-04-07
I could care less about all of these monogrammed handbags. Actually most of the people in my area are carrying fake coach bags so the chances that anyone is carrying an authentic LV is ridiculous. I actually prefer Kenneth Cole and anything that I carry will not have any initials on it. I carry items that I like, I do not carry handbags in an attempt to impress people I do not care about.
Posted 2011-04-07
yup now a days you don't know what you are getting so is better to buy from a shopping mall if you want the real thing and you can afford it. In the other hand if you don't really care and just want to get a great deal buy from a flea market they got lots of great replicas for one third of the cost.
Posted 2011-04-07
I don't have an issue with fakes if you know they're fakes. I have a problem when you are led to believe that a bag is real and it's not! I won't spend on a real designer bag, but a knock-off for fun? Sure.
Posted 2011-04-07
Lola is right, this is really great for ebay shoppers, such as myself. I can use this info at the mall too, sometimes people will return fake purses without the untrained cashiers even noticing.
Posted 2011-04-07
In my opinion,a good replica of a bag is the same thing as the original.They look the same and they do their job,to look good and to be handful.
Posted 2011-04-07
Oh wow.. let us all know how to spot a fake. EVERYONE wants a bag with a bunch of L's and V's on it. Kills me what people spend money on. I agree with Shahrazad!
Posted 2011-04-08
i'm definetly going to use this! No more fake eBayers for me :)
Posted 2011-04-08
I don’t want to sound arrogant,but I’m telling you the truth.I know a place in my city which sells Luis Vuitton bags for a very small price,and I always wondered if they are real or fake.Now with the help of this topic I can really spot the difference.Thumbs up!
Posted 2011-04-08
I personally prefer to buy cheaper bags... I just can't see spending that kind of money on a handbag
Posted 2011-04-08
Well as much as I would like one of these, I have to say I would rather have a fake, that they sell in the discount stores, as I can't at this time afford to buy a real one.
Posted 2011-04-08
i would much rather have a fake one. then i wouldnt be worries about it getting destroyed considering i have 2 small kids, and a dog...everything i own gets chewed up, and having one of those purses in my house would be just like adding another baby, cause i would have to protect it :o)
Posted 2011-04-08
Having a fake is not that bad; however the info is sue ful for for my frineds who do care. Thanks!!
Posted 2011-04-10
The author should add a comment about the material - if any of the icons on the fabric are stitched over, its not real.
Posted 2011-04-10
Yeah- I am not sure why anyone would want to spend hundreds of dollars on something so trivial.
Posted 2011-04-10
Alicia, I think your account is hacked.
Posted 2011-04-10
Nice tips, but it's a lot to go through. If you're not willing to pay real price maybe you don't need it. (Like anyone does) but the best thing to do is to make sure if you do go fake, make it a REALISTIC fake.
Posted 2011-04-10
If it looks real and does not cost a lot that is fine with me... If you are happy with something that isn't that real deal. Oh well.
Posted 2011-04-11
found this to be interesting...i'm a huge purse person and making sure i have the real thing is important to me if i'm going to spend a lot on a purse.
Posted 2011-04-11
It's an awesome way of differing one from another, I had heard about the stitches but not the other stuff. Also, when it's leather it should be all one piece.
Posted 2011-04-11
I don't really know why people buy fake bags. Better buy another brand's cheaper bag than have a badly made copy.
Posted 2011-04-11
Usually, whenever I see a bag like this I just assume that it is a knock-off. Now, I know how to check for sure!
Posted 2011-04-11
I don't know. Everyone is saying they'd rather have the fakes, but the fakes are funding terrorist countries (as I've seen on TV) and they're not even close to the quality of the real ones. I bought a fake Coach purse, and it completely fell apart within a week of using it. I'd rather save my money, and get a good, reliable purse that will last me a long time instead of having to buy a bunch of cheaper ones that just add up to the price of a good one.
Posted 2011-04-11
I always wondered how to spot a fake vs a real LV product. Some knock offs are pretty convincing! Great article.
Posted 2011-04-11
Honestly Louis Vuitton is really easy to imitate when it comes to the appearance but then when you look at the quality that is the only thing that the fake once lose it.
Posted 2011-04-12
Authentic Louis Vuitton Handbags cost a small fortune because they are made with only the finest materials and they are produced with extensive attention to detail.
Posted 2011-04-12
If you notice a few flaws in your bag, such as loose threads, material that doesn’t lay right, or a zipper that doesn’t work properly then you many have purchased a replica Louis Vuitton handbag.
Posted 2011-04-12
Authentic Louis Vuitton handbags should be flawless in construction and quality.
Posted 2011-04-12
Real Louis Vuitton handbags are made from one big piece of material which wraps around the bag.
Posted 2011-04-12
the LV logo will be upside down on one side of the bag and right side up on the other to follow this pattern. The LV pattern should match up correctly even at the seam breaks. If the pattern does not match up at the seams, is crooked or does not have one side of the bag in upside down LV logos, then it is probably a replica Louis Vuitton handbag.
Posted 2011-04-12
eal Louis Vuitton bags come with a high quality material dust bag. It should only have the LV logo or ‘Louis Vuitton’ printed on the front in dark brown letters.
Posted 2011-04-12
Real Louis Vuitton bags are made of natural cowhide leather that turns a richer shade over time and with use.
Posted 2011-04-12
The stitching on the real Louis Vuitton bag is golden. Fake Louis Vuitton handbags have brown stitching. The real LV will have no missing stitches, no gaps in the stitching and no loose threads.
Posted 2011-04-12
Real Louis Vuitton handbags have an expensive colored fabric lining such as canvas, cross grain leather, microfibre suede, or micro monogram textile.
Posted 2011-04-12
i dont really think whether you have the cheap brand or not as long as it looks cool but if youve ever seen devil wears prada...who knows
Posted 2011-04-12
Its hard to tell if someone else has a fake bag but if they are wearing payless shoes with their $1000 bag, it's a dead giveaway
Posted 2011-04-12
I once bought a fake (expensive) Louis V and it fell apart in a few days. Now thanks to this article, i think i wont make the mistake twice
Posted 2011-04-12
Most of the bags look the same to me, no point bothering if they are real or fake..
Posted 2011-04-13
Good to know!
Posted 2011-04-13
I can't fathom why someone would pay so much money for a handbag.
Posted 2011-04-13
You cannot understand why they are spending those money, me neither! But who cares about louis vuitton when there are more than one good looking and cheaper purses
Posted 2011-04-13
if they do not have a price tag attached then how wiill i know how much it will cost? or is it if I have to ask I can't afford it
Posted 2011-04-13
Real, fake who really cares unjless you have thousands to burn on somehting as dumb as a hand bag.
Posted 2011-04-19
Some imitations are hard to distinguish...Especially, if it is made from China....hehe.
Posted 2011-08-10
If you feel the urge to purchase an item from a website such as an on-line auction, do your research. Do not be fooled, they are getting more skilled at cheating people out of their money. You must be careful when purchasing from any websites that are not approved by Louis Vuitton. When shopping on-line and you see a bag with a cheap looking tag, then it is an obvious fake. They do not tag their bags with a strand of string with a circular piece of plastic marked in brown LV, nor do they tag their items with a cut out portion of the logo. Most dust bags just have the standard “LV” or “Louis Vuitton” logo. Also the dust bags are not made out of cheap material and most do not have rounded edges. Depending on the collection, Louis Vuitton uses a variety of textiles to line their bags: canvas lining in red or honey, fine micro monogram textile, cross-grain leather, tone on tone polyester, or microfiber suede. Con-artists pay little to no attention on the interior. Most commonly they would line the interior with plastic or cheap tan or brown suede. You should be careful on buying because lot's and lot's of fake branded bags are circulating nowadays.
Posted 2011-08-29
Imitations are usually made in third world countries at the expense and suffering of exploited people. Fakes are tacky. Instead buy something less expensive and made locally. Help out the local economy.