Guide To Spotting LV Fakes on eBay

"If there's a will there a way”

The will: Cheap Louis Vuitton. The way: Cheap fakes

Now on EBay I can say that almost 45%-60% of the Louis Vuitton items on eBay are FAKE, and that's not good. I mean seriously, why would you buy a 25 cent ring as an engagement ring it’s just not SMART.

Everyday I see on EBay people buying or bidding on fakes like crazy and yet sometimes they have no Idea that what they're buying for $200+ dollars is actually worth $15 on the street markets in Asia. Don’t feel too sorry for these people they probably know what they’re getting are fake. Did you know that whenever you buy a fake the price of a real bag will go up due to the loss of revenues and which make the bag even more unaffordable for you if you decide to purchase a real one after you ugly fake one fell apart.

Now here are some tips and facts I have gathered over my years of studying Authentic Louis Vuitton that you can not only use on eBay but also everyday situations.

However Louis Vuitton isn't defenseless they are now responding with many security measures and ways to counter-act counterfeiters. Long, yet informative read should prepare you foot the basics of buying your first LV bag on EBay. EBay has hundred of warehouse or wholesale sellers list and you've all seen, so I just want to say this now that they never does any discounts Lower than 3% for a regular customer.

All of these facts were acquired through years of reading and observing LOUIS VUITON and I have spent hours upon hours writing every single word you will have read by the end, and hopefully by then you can make an informed choice about what to buy bag on EBay and how not to get SCAMMED! Or even when on the street see how many people have fake Louis Vuitton and see how they flaunt it like it was real, it’s very FUNNY!!!

Sadly many people will read this as a way to make their fakes better and to them I say that when they eventually get caught I hope they remember this when their rotting in Jail for doing these horrible acts of plagiarism, and counterfeiting.

Obvious Signs of fakes to look for.

1. CUT OFFS…. Louis Vuitton bags should not be cut off for any reason and not be any sort of crooked will be an obvious sign of fakes. Although there are some bags that were produced back then had cut offs like the mini sac hl which is now changed. Since the makers of the fake bags don’t care if the bag is shrewdly made they will put whatever on it just to have it be done. Now new couture bags like the Eye love bags which cut off LVs since they don't cut off the Eyes, and new Monogram velour’s will also be cut off. Since not every bag is perfect some may be cutoff since there is nothing LV can do about it like the sides of the speedy will be cut of at the very Top. The most cut off things are wallets since the symmetry is not even the back of the wallets will be slightly or obviously cut-off. These following bags have cutoffs that may seem fake because of them, the Speedy 3o on the side, the whole eye love collection, the cherry blossom papillons, and other various bags.

2. MONOGRAM…The Monogram should look very lively and the print should have diagonal streaks in the print, but they are very subtle and can only be seen close-up. However fakes also have such effects, but fake of the brown back ground cherry blossom don't, which is how you can tell. The monogram is a water and scratch resistant nylon canvas but that doesn't mean you can take it swimming and run it down a mountain these bags are tough on these things but not immune to it all. The streaks should be parallel to the L of the LV.

3. TAGS…Tags such as those of a cut out of the monogram is an obvious and yet hard to spot since they hang beside the bag and blend in. Also any care cards (the little pieces of paper with a small hole) should never be attached to the bag with a plastic string. And Never should there be white paper be wrapped around the brass hardware. Louis Vuitton does not hang a circle with an LV in it is a type of LV fake made someplace in Asia. The strap should be the least tan and see Vuitton.com on how new leather should look, the strap, if Long should never be wrapped up in a cheap saran wrap like plastic. The strap should not be bent or wiggly in the picture that means that the strap has been wrapped up in the fake plastic. Louis Vuitton has never ever had a white tissue wrapper, unless it was a small pouch for the Ambre totes may have a tissue wrapping if only that it’s brand new. However a BRAND new Louis Vuitton has Plastic tubing wrap and paper but not tissue paper, but the reason that they have the paper for real LV is for the metal part of the beginning of the strap.

4. WALLETS… Porte tresors in particular had 3 LVs running across the front back then and now it has only 2 LVs across. So if you run across a wallet of any kind and have 3 LVs and looks as if it's new, RUN! The wallet should have a black heat stamp that has o be impressed in the interior and not just black stamp. The Interior should never be in fabric, The Wallet is full of leather and any fabric with monogram will get you in trouble, and should have a date code in black heat impression. The interior has a deep tanned color and if the multicolor has natural cowhide. The Damier has black cowhide, and Epi has the same color outside inside, same with Vernis, and, mat/glace.

Seller Watching

1. POWERSELLER…The seller sometimes brag about their status about the power seller stuff… but take some time and take a look at their feedback, they may not have been a power seller selling LV but other stuff so it might signal the stuff as fake. Also there are power sellers who got there selling fakes, check what else they are selling and see if the prices are unreasonably low for new bags.

2. PRIVATE SELLERS & FALSE STORIES…Ever seen those private sellers? I have, and I have always avoided these people it always seems they have something to hide and I just don't want to know what it is. However if it seems like a trusting person you could take the risk but be very cautious… And they may have some sort of story that it was a gift and now they're selling it. Or that they bought if for their boyfriend or girlfriend and they did not like it. Or that a RICH Aunt or friend bought it for them or that it's an unwanted gif, all these things may be used to trick the seller into actually thinking that the person has nothing to do with the item therefore they are selling it cheap.

3. PHOTOS… Watch to see if the picture has a name and see if the name matches the seller. I've seen people stupidly take photos with others names on it and present it as their own with the people names right on the middle of the bag… These photos are sometimes not in uniform size and check the background; chances are that the pictures are collected from other sellers that fail to watermark their pictures. The pictures are not the same size and now sometime have the name of the authentic seller pixilated and not seen. Then there are people who just steal pictures from Eluxury who sometimes have more detailed pictures and also pictures of a person holding the bag. Then there are pictures stolen from Vuitton.com of which some don't notice. Photos or photo is in a very dark room and the images are very blurry. Get this, if the seller has enough money to buy a $600 purse and is using a cheapo camera to take it then that obviously doesn't calculate. And never buy a bag that is not presented nicely, sometimes you see it as a battered and cornered bag don't ever buy it even if it's vintage.

4. Dust bags… the dust bag should be larger the bag and the LV should be quite small and Black never dark purple. And the New dust bag should say LOUIS VUITTON in this font and be beige and it should not be linty. If the dust bags are always never rounded in the top edges of the flap, and never have large stitching that's seen. The olden dust bags have too much to say. The bags are always fairly oversized and should never tightly fit the bag so it has room to breathe. Now there is a type of counterfeit bag that has no corners on the edges and has precise LV markings, those are harder to find. The old fake dust bags say LV Louis Vuitton made in France Paris and a whole mess of other things in a really bad font.

5. FONT AND DETAILS… The Font of LOUIS VUITTON should be exactly like written on this page. The incorrect fonts will instantly give the bag away. When in a stamp tag should not have a trademark LV. Only vintage bags have nylon tags that go very elaborately when they were done by the French company and made in the USA. The font is a dead giveaway and when it very ugly you can tell when it doesn't look just right. LOUIS VUITTON has people who have been extremely well trained when they are making the products. Every thing of LV is hand stitched and so every stitch is perfect, a bag is never askew and also never defected. Fakes are very poorly made and stitching is done by machine since the people are very lazy and don't quite care about how poorly made the bag is. The newly prepared scammer have care booklets(most that say monogram Mat so you can tell it's a reproduced fake.) and also receipt most from a Louis Vuitton boutique or even a receipt from Eluxury! They are very devious and will do anything to get your money.

6. PATINA- Some people reading may already know what patina is but for others patina is the process every bag must go through. For me I absolutely HATE patina, makes the bag look older than it actually is the process kicks in about 1-2 years depending on use. Some people love the golden honey color it gets, so they would put it in the sun for several hours at a time everyday. Then when you see vintage LV has really tan and darkened patina, and even then the bag is still in usable condition just not very pretty. Some bags you don't have to worry about patina, like Damier, most Mini monogram, and EPI since the natural leather trim is Louis Vuitton's signature accent it's hard to find one that's been dyed. I personally like the EPI since on EBay it's more affordable and it's looks new most of the time due to lack of patina. And most fakes aren’t even made of natural leather like LOUIS VUITTON they instead use low quality plastic that somehow is meant to represent the p-atina that LV is famous for.

7. THE SLOGANS AND BLANK PROMISES- the fakers on eBay may promise that their bag is 100% Auth but what the hell is auth it's now meaningless and unless the seller promises 100% authenticity then that's when you should purchase it. They may also say things like 100% New which may look like 100% authentic but it's only to fool you. Now then there are the smarter sellers that tell you that they will take the bag back if you can prove to them that it's fake by a note in in-authenticity handwritten by an LV manager. Too bad this no longer happens since when LV did that people took the notes and tried to sell fakes as real with the notes. Now these people know that LV no longer does the notes and so you are stuck with a bag since you could not come up with the note.

8.PURSE PARTIES - Purse parties are set up by wholesalers who sell fake bags like Gucci, Coach, and especially Louis Vuitton. These purse parties are sometimes funding for Terrorist like Al queda who was responsible for Americas 9/11 attacks. They offer the crapiest bags ever made, I know a friend who in avertedly went to one and she came with a crooked Coach bag and 7 color multicolor pochette, I felt so sorry for her since she didn't realize they were fake.

9.DATECODES- Louis Vuitton has been putting date codes into their bags and accessories since the early 1980s and even some before that. The code should be 2 letters (from A-Z) and 4 numbers (from 0-9) First the date code or serial number is always stamped never just printed, it has to be on a leather tag, lining of a bag, on a D shaped ring (D-ring), on a strap, or on a patch of natural cowhide. The first 2 letters are from A-Z then it gets trickier, then the 2 numbers come after that, the first of the two is a 1or 0 a ,then the second is going to be an 8-9-0, and the last 2 numbers are from 0-9. The code is very hard to find and hidden from view. Some fake bags have date codes attached to the interior patch. Also some bags like the Epi Noes have A2 as the first 2 letters these are more likely to be the limited edition bi-color Noes. Then for Multicolor has a 3 or a 4 at the end of the date code inscription. Then for all cherry Blossoms are made within 2003 and so are in scripted in the end a 3. Be careful, just because it has a valid Date code doesn't mean it's real. Example: AR0024, SL0064, TH1054, or SD0931 all valid Louis Vuitton Date code.

10. SPECIAL ORDERS AND FACTORIES- Louis Vuitton has a special service that they can make specially for you an item like a baby bag made of Suhali leather or a Mini sac of EPI although these services may take a while since they must submit the request all the way in Paris and then back for approval, and also this service is not cheap and don't expect retail, this for example: Mini Sac HL EPI will cost you upwards of $1800. Also a special order will be 30% more expensive if the bag was actually offered as a permanent item. The other services they provide is that they can also send the bag that you have purchase back to Paris or wherever it's made and stamp your name or initial on the bag. Currently the at Louis Vuitton they Fix and repair your damaged bag or even replace the vachetta leather but remember all this will not be free of charge. Now, Louis Vuitton has 4 factories they have one in France, one in Spain, one in America, and one in Italy. Special Bag is from special places Like: The Theda GM is made in France, Some Multicolor Pochettes are made in USA, the Bi-color Vernis Souple is made in Italy, and the Ambre cabas Neo is made in Spain. Repairs will also cost a hefty sum, a repair for a Monogram billfold will be anywhere from $50-$100 depending on wear.

PROS AND CONS OF LOUIS VUITTON

AUTHENTIC LOUISVUITTON: PRO

1) Great workmanship and dedication towards a single Product. 2) Feel extra powerful and great boost of self esteem. 3) Knowing that your bag is much more valued than the lady sitting next to you (unless she has one too) 4) Knowing the other person's fake doesn't compare to yours. 5) Seeing how everyone seems a bit envious towards you. 6) Feeling of walking out of the Store or opening your package with the bags for the first time. 7) Knowing that it will last for a complete lifetime. Seeing that you might have the same bag as a celebrity.

AUTHENTIC LOUIS VUITTON: CON

1) Cost, spending more than you is used to, on a handbag. 2) How people might think it's fake. 3) Why would you spend a $600 bag when the next person got hers for $80? 4) Being thought of as snobby and pretentious 5) When you can buy a fake one for much less 6) People may think that you’re a snob or that you shouldn’t spend so much on a handbag.

Fake Louis Vuitton: Pro

1) No one will know its fake…..right? 2) Much more cheaper than a real one. 3) Almost…maybe…. sometimes looks the same

Fake Louis Vuitton: Con

1) Cheap and careless work 2) Supports terrorism and gangs 3) Nasty Looks from the people who know that it's fake 4) Falls apart in a matter of days 5) Cheapens your wardrobe and makes you lose your values 6) Makes a bad first impression for the ones who know 7) A fake bag cost at least $100 with that kind of money you can buy, or save to get another Handbag with more worth than a Fake LV Makes the actual retail value of the bag more, so when or if you decide to buy a real one the money lost to fakes you bought has higher the price making it less affordable to you. 9) Sometimes these bags are made within a sweatshop where children are forced into labor. 10) Everyone else knows it's a fake so don't bother showing it off. 11) Ruins the LV experience for the people who have real ones 12) if Asian encourages the stereotype that Asian people carry fakes without the least bit of resentment, which ruins it for Asian people like me who care about authenticity.

The Fake spotting Game

Here’s how this game is played, whenever you see Louis Vuitton bags and have a moment to spare… play this game. First identify the bag if you know the name, then look and determine what kind of range this is, the check for cut offs and obvious fakes and any tags or paper that may be attached to the bag. Then look at the leather make sure you know how it’s supposed to look like and see if it’s actual leather. OK so this might not be as fun but if you looooooove Louis Vuitton as Much as I do you’ll find it a super fun game at the mall.

Louis Vuitton Monogram canvases:The monogram is the most recognizable of all lines and created by George Vuitton (SON) himself in 1896 on one of his travels to Japan. Sadly this is the most counterfeited line of all. The monogram canvas is made of nylon and not leather, this nylon is a scratch, and waterproof resistant, and intentionally for travel purposes. The interior has changed over the 150 years, from brown sari lining, to Raspberry alcantra lining, to the beige alcantra lining, and ivory colored nylon leather. The canvas is based on crossed grained leather and stamped on a nylon canvas. The best bag I can recommend for you is the new MINI Noe ($515) or the Sonatine ($545) and while the most popular bags are the Alma and the Speedy they are the most to be made fake. The Monogram canvas is always trimmed with natural cowhide and is now interpreted into Vernis, glace, mini monogram, satin, velour, Trompe L'Oliel, Laser, mat, Ambre and the most influential, multicolor, Cherry Blossom, Murakami Characters Damier, Damier Sauvage, Damier Geant, Vernis mat, Nylon Shine/ Tweed, Eye Love, EPI, EPI plage, Suhali, Utah, Nomade, Taigia, Vernis Souple, Patchwork, Mesh, also the Hardest to come by are Natural Cowhide bags( usually Alma and Bucket), and Louis Vuitton Cup merchandise, Also for special clients are Graffiti Bags.

VERNIS:The Vernis is a leather canvas instead of nylon and has a nail polished shine. The word vernis in French means nail polish, this is very easy to tell since the shine of the bag while not wear off easily and the fakes don't have the shine. Although now that the new ways have slipped up, and new Vernis shine is available in fakes. The colors of vernis comes in Fuchsia, Beige, Lavender, red, marshmallow, and peppermint. The interior is made of dyed cowhide usually the same color as the exterior; Like Fuchsia Vernis should have leather Fuchsia Lining, and golden metallic hardware. Recommended Bag: Houston, ($1,210) the classic Vernis tote. Or the Biscanye bay PM newer Vernis bag ($840) Most popular: Bedford(Papillon) or Reade PM ($610)

Glace and Mat:Glace, mat and Vernis are easily confused since they are made in the same form of Impression. Except Glace and Mat don't have the Vernis shine and is in Black, amber/gold, and maroon. The interior has a black sari canvas lining while the mat has a textile lining, they both have palladium (Silver) hardware. Recommended: Mat-Shelton ($935) first mat city bag Glace- Fonzie messenger ($1280) perfect gift for college student Most popular: Stockton ($1210) Houston inspired bag

Mini Monogram:Mini Monogram is a fabric is made of jacquard canvas as in the signature Coach, Gucci, and Fendi with mini monograms stitched in. They have both natural cowhide trim and black dyed cowhide. The LVs are easily recognized since the fakes have theirs long or have a distorted look when the reals are not. The Mini Monogram canvas has a white fabric interior, and also has golden metallic studs on few of the bottoms. Available in khaki, Blue, Cherry Red, Beige, pink, and lime. The bags with natural cowhide are now discontinued as well as the pink and lime colors. Recommended: Noelie: ($610) small under the shoulder NOE Sac Kathleen : ($855) Newer cruise collection bag. Most Popular : Josephine pm ($840)

Monogram satin:Monogram satin have a select few of bags that are a mini interpretation of the Alma, Boulonge, Papillion, and Bucket. The colors available are Red, Lavender (Disc) and Black. The interior is a black viscose/ satin interior lining, and palladium hardware. Recommended: Little Boulonge ($690) Most Popular: Little boulonge

Damier Canvas:(Pronounced Dawmn-nyey)The monogram came even before the LV initial monogram in 1888, this checker board pattern bears the name LOUIS VUITTON PARIS in a square 7 spaces away from each other. The Interior is made of Red-orange alcantra lining, not to be confused with the Raspberry alcantra lining in the White multicolor and few Monogram bags. The lining is also made of dark brown leather, and orange- red canvas (Fabric), and has Golden metallic hardware. Has dark brown dyed leather trims that will not patina or watermark, making them look new all the time! YAY! Recommended: Nolita ($925) Papillon ($585) Most Popular: Damier Bucket, or Tribeca

Multicolor:Multicolor bags came into style in 2003 becoming the most influential style from the house of Vuitton. The bags contain 33 different Colors, and are available in White and Black canvas. The white multicolor has a Raspberry Alcantra lining while the Black has a Grey lining, and has golden metallic hardware. Remember that the lining should be smooth a wrinkly and ruffled lining signals bad workmanship, not a sign of LOUIS VUITTON. These bags have new and improved oval zippers that are significantly smaller than the real zippers at LV. Recommended: Multicolor Alma, ($1220) and the Speedy 30($1590) Most Popular : The Pochette($500) and the Alma($1220)

EPI:(Pronounced EPP- PI)This leather canvas was made in 1985 the EPI is made of natural leather that has been condensed together to form horizontal lines in the bag. Since its arrival LV has produced many colors to go with the themes including Black, Mandarin, Lilac, Turquoise, Old Red, New Red, Forest green, Yellow, and Vanilla, and has golden hardware. The interior is made of Alcantra, and is the same colors outside as it is inside, except for yellow when the interior is Purple, but are now discontinued. Recommend : Bucket PM ( $885) Alma ($915) And Speedy 25 ($770) or 30 ($825) Most Popular : Saint Jacques ($875) and Noe ($965) petit ($825)

Ambre:Every Ambre bag is made in Spain and is an instant classic for summer because of it’s compatibility to the beach bag. The see through polyvinyl canvas has natural cowhide and tortoise shell rings. The interior of the bag is mostly the polyvinyl since it’s see through, and the outer parts with natural cowhide has beige alcantra on the inside. The bags sadly discontinued and range from $1,200-$3,000.

Suhali:The Suhali goat leather was introduced in 2003, and opened with 5 bags brand new with design. The bags are occasionally Made in Spain and the interior has micro monogram sewn into its satin lining, has brass hardware, and the newest Suhali has a micro fiber lining. These bags are set apart from the usual flower prints and bright colors, and are a favorite for Oprah and Jessica Simpson. Recommended: Le Fabuleux ($3050)

How a Good trusting Ebay auction should look

It's very hard to find a good eBay auction, first check if they're new on eBay, and if it's a new seller be very cautious. A smooth eBay auction should have a seller with good feedback and other authentic LOUIS VUITTON for sale, unless they are an auction where you drop off your stuff to be sold. A perfect auction should have a Mypoupette recommended seller and check on her site to see if the member actually exists. Then the check price, know how much that bag retails for, even if it's new and unused, and is $20 cheaper than retail doesn't mean that's a good deal. You could go to Louis Vuitton and have the experience of actually buying something instead of looking every other time. Then there should be detailed pictures of it from different angles. Check the other auction sees if the others have different background in their pictures, or that they have obviously inauthentic bags. Then Shipping cost, incorporate that into your budget and see where they are from, most likely people from China or Canada may be selling the most fakes. See if there is a reserve that means that if the reserve is not met the seller isn't forced to sell the bag to you. The reserve is a special price that is acceptable for them to sell the item to you. Or if you would like to buy it now without going through a heavy bidding war, then buy it with their pre-approved price this price is shown and if it's a reserve it should be close to the Buy It Now. The seller should offer a money back guarantee that works not one that mentions absolutely nothing about it. And ask seller questions, and lots of it, and if they did not provide a serial # ask for it or ask for more pictures, always find a way to think that it's fake, then that's the only way you’ll see if the bag is completely flawless. The seller should have an extensive knowledge of the Bag or the brand, they should at least know what the name of the bag is, and always is a name. I would always.

What a Fake LOUIS VUITTON auction look like

A fake Louis Vuitton auction should have several characteristic that deem it as a fake auction and that you should immediately leave. First the price should be hundreds of dollars under priced, like a multicolor pochette for $78 when it retails $500. Then the will have very few or no feedback and is also a private seller. Then when checking all their other auctions they are selling even more Louis vuitton at dirt cheap prices as well and are all new and/or good condition . Then inspect the auction itself, look for any hanging tags or paper wrappings. Look at the bag and see if you can recognize the bag from Eluxury or Vuitton.com, and if there are more pictures if fake they are in a dark blurry room, and looks battered. The straps are wiggly and bent. The pictures from the other auctions might not look like the auction you’re looking at and have incriminating bags; just because they might be selling a fake from a bunch of real ones doesn’t mean they’re trustworthy. And make sure that there are no credit card sized tags that says LV or Louis Vuitton especially not yellow ones.

Mypoupette Recommended Sellers

Mypoupette offers a list of dedicated people who only sells 100% authentic Louis Vuitton. These people must fill out an application and have sold 20 authentic Louis Vuitton bags and accessories(Dust bag and care tags do not count) Then after they have met the requirements they are given the MYpoupette logo to use on their site whenever selling a Louis Vuitton. These people are verified to sell only authentic LV guaranteed!!! If however they sell a non-authentic bag they are able to give an explanation (must be plausible) and/ or get kicked out. NOW there is a seller on eBay selling fake Louis Vuitton named MYPOUPETTE who is not, related in any way to the site. The person, Angie has an eBay membership who is named Poupette not with the MY in the front, make a note of it.

Vintage LV

Louis vuitton has made many bags that has came and went during and in between seasons and that's a very natural accurance, or that the bag has been releases within another country or it's made for a special commemorations like the opening of a special store or a special national day, a bag like that could be a EPI Montsouris. And even special edition bags that aren’t available to the U.S. and even things like a mini Alma. Lots of bags were designed then and things like the triangle bag or bags that have a different LV lock. The date code is also different since the #s would come before the 2 letters. Like 0075 VI or even 903 SR.

Louis Vuitton Stores

Louis Vuitton has many stores around the whole world, 21 countries and 5 continents. Each store has a security guard and has to at least sell scarves. The store has a Manger who can authenticate your Louis Vuitton bags just at a first glance. If however, they cannot guarantee authenticity they may have the option to send the bag to the place where it was made like France or Spain and the makers of the bag can tell straight away if it's real or well made crap. They may also give you a number to call in for a Louis Vuitton catalog which informs you on the current price of the bags and the picture of how it should look.

Pure Simple Logic

Ok now if you just bought a brand new AUTHENTIC Louis Vuitton and set out to make a profit would you sell your Multicolor pochette( $500) and sell it for a starting $200 ( no reserve)would that be the sane thing to do??? OK so some people who do work at Louis Vuitton may buy something with their discount and may sell it to you for a profit, but this does not happen very frequently or that they are selling the bag for others but these reasons will not happen as much as they say or lead you to believe.

“Good” Fakes

If there are fakes then there must be good fakes, these good fake used to be very limited and still is. These fakes are very deceiving to those who can't spot them, there used to be a website where they would sell the best "replicas" eventually they went out of business. These things Look 100% like the reals and made like the reals with the same Italian canvas. Their tags, fonts and date codes are identical, and then their dust bags are made the same way. Unfortunately for those who wish to waste their money on them, are at a loss since the only place to get them is gone. But the average good fake are always offered at a price placed near what a real one would cost since a bag with that much quality cost as much as a real one.

The business about wholesale & Discounts

If you have ever been looking for Louis Vuitton on eBay you probably have seen some people say that they have a wholesale directly from a LOUIS VUITTON store, well THEY LIED. There is no such thing as that, yes there is a LOUIS VUITTON wholesale business but full of fakes!!! They sell to people who want to make a business by lying and stealing people's money. There is also no such thing as a LV outlet the LV that had not been sold in the store from the previous season at a discounted price. Then there are discount LOUIS VUITTON yes there is such a thing, there are 3 ways to get discounted LV 1) most commonly people have applied to Louis Vuitton boutiques and served as a seller, these sellers are among the only way you can get more than 3% off at LV. 2) Ebates.com offer a discount on many sites and so one of them is Eluxury.com the ONLY place on the web that is an official licensed LV seller, there ebates follow you around and when you purchase some thing you get 3% of your purchase back to your account. 3) The third way is to be related some how to a descendant to LOUIS VUITTON himself, but this is a very unlikely chance.

Prototype bags.

Louis Vuitton has gained an edge over counterfeiters by making prototype bags, these bags are the basic shape of it, yet it will be tweaked later. The Murakami collection was full of bags never released like the Eye love speedy and cherry blossom Sac Rabat and I have seen these bags on the runway by photo. And some fake Thedas have the side patches and bottom straps just like the ads and Runway pictures released by fashion magazines. These Prototype bags are kept somewhere, probably in one of the CEO's closet or in an inventory warehouse somewhere and I have got no idea where, they are since I would LOVE to buy one. They are sometimes used as a defense mechanism for Louis vuitton to fool counterfeiter so that they make bags that are not released and never will be, so that when they are released people can tell if that bag is fake and They once showed a multicolor Leonor on the Louis vuitton website and removed it as soon as the others bags were released, and in it's place is the Black Multicolor Theda GM, sadly this bag is only supposed to be shipped in a few U.S. and mainly outside the US. And the bags are special offering in the new Japanese LV boutique.

SAD Truth about Ebay

EBay used to respond to people who report the fake bag a long time ago, now they need# of reports about an item being sold on eBay before they respond. And other EBay member are not able to help because if they interfere with an EBay auction they may have their accounts suspended since some people used that to outbid other sellers to win the auction. Now eBay don't even care to remove auction since they are getting lots of business through Louis vuitton mostly fake Louis Vuitton. If you see an auction that's obviously fake, you can try to report it to EBay you may not get any sort of response since eBay don't really do much about these things anymore. And also you may even get your eBay ID suspended for intercepting a sale!!

Murakami Limited editions

In 2002 Collaboration with Takashi Murakami and Marc Jacobs to create the Multicolor, Cherry blossom, Eye love, Dalmatian, and Tweed limited edition bags that created a buzz all over the world, making Louis Vuitton even more beloved. But the downside became the oh so many fakes and "inspired" bags. Even now almost 3 years later I still see Louis vuitton styles and inspired bags in Macys for sale for 15-30 bucks. Now these special edition bags are everywhere and authentic on are being sold for 2x their retail value. These limited editions are usually twice their retail value unless they are very used and are in harsh conditions. Here’s a tip for Eye Love bags, they come in 4 bags, Eye Love You, Eye Need You, Eye Miss You, Eye Dare you, they retail about upwards $2000, and being sold for up to $14,000 on EBay. Then the Cherry Blossom is available in Retro, Papillon, pochette and Porte Tresor, Porte Monnaie, Mirror, and mini agenda, the face of the cherry Blossom should be immaculate and should look very happy not just a fake smile (at least that’s how I can tell.)

Multicolor

Louis vuitton multicolor collection is one of the most popular styles of LV, it was the only Murakami line that became part of the permanent collection when sales of 345,000,000 came. The multicolor bags have been the easiest to spot for me, but that was then, now they have all 33 colors and raspberry alcantra just like the original. Here are the differences in new and old Multicolor fakes. The new fake has a messy wrinkly alcantra lining very easy to detect. New: supposedly 33 multicolor monogram (NOT REALLY) canvas, oxidized leather trims, some what correct stitching, and brass hardware. Although they do look like it, the bag is slightly askew or the fine details of a real bag do not come through with the replicas. Old: 7 colored canvas, and most have crappy monogram, cheap tan suede. Sometimes they put the date code right on a cheap and long leather tag.

THEDA

The Louis Vuitton monogram multicolor Theda is the most copied bag of multicolor. The new canvas started the new 33 color replicas. These however are the easiest to tell, since the buckle is the dead giveaway just compare to the real one, it should be thick and curvy and have a leather roll on the top of it. It should never be shiny since the hardware is given an aged tarnished look the straps are often overlooked but if fake it will be way to long for the bag than normal. The Thedas all can stand on it's own since it's been stuffed with tissue paper. And there is no such thing as a silk Theda or multicolor Leonor. The other Thedas are made of Monogram canvas or Goat suede in a metallic silk screen or swaroski crystal. They also produce a new fake and it shows when there is a monogram tag with multicolor canvas and a plastic string attached. These people also produce other bags and have the tag in that monogram watch for it!

***Often they makers(of fakes) don't really know what they are doing and mess up, like on the serial # of Murakami they emboss the serial # in black. And the shape is off.

*** This is very important so you should know how to tell the old multicolor from real, it's actually not that hard the old have 7 colors and the authentic have 33 colors.

** *Also telling fakes from the new "33" color fakes are easy since some black multicolor doesn't have RED so it's easier to tell.

*** The date codes of all multicolor lines has either a 3 or a 4 at the end. Like SL0064 or FL0034, And cherry Blossom has 3 at the end always. So next time if there is a person who gives you the bag's serial number, Try it out.

*** The interior of the Multicolor is supposed to be Raspberry (white) NOT RED and Grey for Black

**NEWS**

IN the winter of 2005 the Multicolor Trouville(1250) will be the next in line to be multicolored and will be at an estimated price of 1250 in November. Now in Japan special edition Takashi murakami bags are released only to the Japanese, these bags that are regular monogram canvas with Murakami characters and are to commemorate the opening of the new LV Japan store. They are multicolor forms of Vavin, Trotteur, compact wallet, long Zip wallet, Round zip coin wallet, accessories pouch, and agenda. The opening of the store will offer the Theda Black Multicolor GM and PM along with the new Bellaix luggage made of strong synthetic fiber, the Ginza Namiki store in Japan and also offering a marshmallow Vernis watch. The store opened in September 3 2004. The monogram Trompe LO'liel has 4 bags and all are made in a towel like material, yellow croc trim, antiqued brass, and swaroski crystals. The bags seemed to be camouflage of another bag. The season also offers the Velour’s monogram that is made of a felt-like material with the monogram heat stamp. With antiqued brass hardware with croc trims and a very rustic look. Lastly Monogram mink is a special silk screen process that stamps the monogram into the bags they are available in 3 bags. All these new bags are sure to be HELL for you when you're in the same waiting list as J.LO, HA. Also the new spring/summer line will have new limited edition Louis Vuittons that have two vine cherries floating in front of the bag, and also silk and Denim monogram prints. The cherry will come into the format of classic monogram bags. Now the Thedas are Available for a limited time in Black multicolor in the US’s Eluxury, the only authorized sellers of LOUIS VUITTON.

Significant Addicts

Here is a list of Dedicated people who have spent their time and effort to educate others from falling into tricks those who like to play on eBay all the way to the streets. These significant people should be thanking for every minute they spent learning and researching about LOUIS VUITTON. I myself knew squat about LV and now I have enough LV knowledge to fill a warehouse.

1) Mypoupette, was established by Angie Houston to let others know how to protect them selves against fraud on ebay and is the first place where I learned about LOUIS VUITTON. Now joined with Carol they have an extensive collection of LV pictures and even an LV test to try out when you think you enough know about LOUIS VUITTON. She now has an auction website who guarantees authenticity on all it's designer products since most of the items are from RS sellers. She has the most extensive and up to date list of recommended sellers and a forum for which you can pay for question not know elsewhere. She also goes on to produce a book that teaches about LV and is sold in a computer text form and in a form of a booklet, priceless if you're new to LV.

Website: www.Mypoupette.com website 2 :www.poupetteluxe.com (auction site)

2) Om*goddess is a passionate LV lover and is not afraid to reveal her secret about them. She has created an In depth guide about spotting fake Louis vuitton. She shows you basic date code tips, vernis bags and the Murakami collection. And basic care tips also featuring 10 reasons why not to buy Fakes.

Website: http://v4.livegate.net/omgoddess/

3) MrsTroppo is a LV lover from Japan who give very effective care tips on LOUIS VUITTON and gives a very good education on Patina, Fakes and date stamps. Sadly she has given up on reporting fakes on Ebay and now has ceased to update her site. Even though her site has not been updated in 2 years she has still a very good site to check out. She now has also started her own worry free Louis Vuitton auction website selling a limited yet reasonably price pre-owned LV.

website: www.hisremnant.org/vuitton/index.html website: www.Mrstroppo.com.

4) Vuitton_Princess, has a high dedication to authentic Louis vuitton especially Murakami. She has a large array of Murakami Bags and tips on buying LV on Ebay. She let you compare fakes to Authentic and has a list of sellers who have different designer addiction.

website: The Vuitton_princess ME page on ebay.

5) Rufus Steele is a close LOUIS VUITTON watcher, they have guides and reviews for all LV ranges and has a newsletter for all things VUITTON. They also have LV related competitions, interviews with other LV addicts and recommended links of websites and forums.

website: 1st-4-Louis-vuitton.com

6) *Babyclouds* is a very dedicated seller and buyer of all things Cherryblossom, and is not afraid of showing off. This site isn't exactly informative but fun for a quick glance at Murakami, and also has an excerpt of the whole Cherry blossom collection for those who get confused of what things are produced in CB.

Website: *babyclouds* ME page on Ebay

7) Shmoo8 is an ebay reseller who sell Hermes and Louis vuitton and has a quick-read guide to Authentic LOUIS VUITTON. Their guide is a general warning about ebay and the people in it, what to watch out for and horror stories and little pitfalls you may avoid if properly read.

Website: Shmoo8

Miss Troppo also has an EZ board forum for only authentic LOUIS VUITTON who you can chat about your latest purchases or run by a question to the educated sellers this is a good place to discuss all thing Vuitton. But if you think it's easy to get in you're dead wrong in order to enter the site you must respond to a rigorous process of application and such. But It may be worth it in the end when you have some question about a certain bag.

Website: http://p074.ezboard.com/bauthenticlouisvuittonaddicts.

9) And Miss Troppo has set up her new auction site after getting tired of the crap being sold upon ebay. Even though the products aren't exactly showroom new they are very well kept and gently used. The categories span from accessories to Luggage to handbags each category has about 4-12 items. And if you look hard enough and often you could find a like new item for much less, and of course an Authentic Seller.

Website: www.mrstroppo.com

Now this is as much as I can get out of my head for now, hope you have learned something and will be able to put your new skills to the test, on and off EBAY. Remember it is never ok to intentionally buy a fake Louis Vuitton, remember it’s not worth it and know that it will fall apart next Monday. So please allow everything to soak into your brain next time you see a Louis with a tag (any tag) attached to it you should know to run far far away. Always remember that buying Louis Vuitton on Ebay is never an impulse buy, you must research the bag to figure out that it actually exist get it’s retail pricing and see if the person is trustable and also if they have ever sold any LOUIS VUITTON before or just skip the hassle of bargain hunting and worry about fakes and go to a LOUIS VUITTON boutique.