03/27/2024
👜LUXE VENDEURS PSA: 📣📣📣
To all my Hermès bag lovers out there! It's been a while since I've posted anything like this, BUT- I really feel it's necessary, given just how bad the influx of counterfeit Birkin & Kelly bags has gotten on the 2nd hand market.
Most people who have done their research on Hermès bags knows, first & foremost; It is incredibly hard to buy a Birkin or Kelly bag NEW from Hermès. That being said, if you see a seller who has multiple NEW bags for sale, that's all the "red flag" you should need. However, if you do decide to pursue it, there are other things you MUST be on the look out for.
1. Does the bag(s) have a receipt? (This is important).
2. Does the seller have a certificate of authenticity from a REPUTABLE authenticator?
3. Is the bag being sold through a site with seller protection, and/or offer an authentication before the bag is shipped to the buyer?
4. Has the seller sold before? How many times? How many Hermès bags? What's their feedback?
IF, after satisfactorily passing the above checks ypu decide to move forward, you need to be aware of the following;
I came across this seller on Offerup. "She" has had an account since 2017, has 4 "5 star" ratings, and has a TON of Hermès bags for sale- all of which are "brand new" and come with a "receipt".
Here's where the problems start;
Since I have been buying/selling & collecting for almost 20 years, I can spot a fake Hermès bag almost immediately- with the right set of photos. However, to anyone else who may not have the same experience, the bags listed look AMAZING.
Buttttt..... look closer.
The inside zipper is VERY wrong, both in the shape of the zipper head, the font, size & placement of the "Hermes" engraving, and the fabric along the sides of the zipper track.
Now, one thing worth noting here is that Hermès only uses zippers from ONE company, and it's the same model & size, only changing once when they upgraded the style back in the early 2000's. *This does not apply to very old bags, ie 1960s-70s* but all the others, it's standard. Hermès does NOT deviate, does NOT change things up, and does NOT make mistakes/replace parts with non Hermès parts etc. So, if you see a zipper that looks even the slightest bit different, the bag is FAKE. NO iff ands or butts about it.
The zippers prove that all "her" bags are FAKE.
The 2nd giveaway is the "receipt". Anyone who has shopped at Hermès should be familiar with what their receipts look like. Now, many scam or con sellers will likely say "it was bought overseas", or this is "overstock" or some other bogus excuse- but DO NOT BUY IT. If you have doubts, call Hermès- ask them to verify the purchase using the details on the receipt.
The receipts shown on all "her" bags are absolutely FAKE.
The next thing I'd like to point out is, when you are thinking of buying an expensive item, one of THE BEST TOOLS EVER is Google lense. Use it for ALL the item photos, photos of other items they are selling, AND use it for any profile pics they may have.
In the case of this seller, their profile pic comes back to "Farah Jefry", a Football player from Arabia. There's your bottom line proof.
Not only are they selling fake bags, but they a re also using fake photos, stolen from Google.
What's very concerning here, is this seller has already sold 4 items- presumably bags, and when you look at the prices listed, that could be upwards of $80k+..
This type of scam is considered "Federal wire fraud", and is a felony- however, if they are a seller who lives outside of the US, it can be an absolute nightmare- even likely impossible to get any of your money back, once you fall victim to one of these scams. They rely on buyers not noticing the small details, not checking on their credentials, (or they have a friend "buy" something to leave a fake review/rating"), and once you accept the item, it's done- and you will not be able to get a refund.
This is only one example of the countless scams out there, using high end items to target buyers. It is getting very difficult to distinguish real from fake, be it the items or the sellers.
Take a moment to look very closely at the photos. Hermès bags will NEVER have any irregularities, flaws, (ie crooked stamps, hardware etc), and they will NEVER be "on sale", or "from a boutique", etc. When in doubt, buy from a reputable site, pay for an authentication, or contact US, to help you find your next AUTHENTIC Birkin or Kelly, without the headaches, the doubt, or the risks. Send us a message for more info, or if you need any assistance finding your next bag! 😉
Stay safe!
Amanda @ LuxeVendeurs
