• UPDATED:  JANUARY 24, 2012

•  Right here in Las Vegas, custom agents seized $350,000 worth of counterfeit designer goods on 12/14/10.  The counterfeit items bore the name of Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Dior, Versace, Chanel, Burberry, Ray Ban.  This was part of a nation-wide sweep by customs agents that since September, 2010 have confiscated over $16 million in counterfeit merchandise.
  
   If this doesn't convince you NOT to purchase NEW questionable designer goods on eBay, maybe this review/guide will.

• In the past month, over 25 eBayers have asked me to give my opinion on authenticity for mostly new Gucci purses/wallets on auction.  NOT ONE was authentic and the sellers were unable to prove authenticity to my satisfaction.  It is a signal to all potential designer bag buyers on eBay - if you want to buy a NEW designer bag, don't buy it on eBay.

• DO NOT purchase anything off ibidder.com.  August 2011, I had sold one of my vintage Gucci BRITT bags here on eBay and lo and behold there were my pictures on this website listed by some seller who stole my pictures, did NOT have the item and was selling it for $128.00 when in fact the authentic bag sold for $350.00.  I reported this to the website (they didn't care), reported it to Paypal because they're the ones guaranteeing buyer protection for purchases, and they listened! 

• If you are thinking about bidding on, or have already bid on a NEW Gucci on eBay..it is 99% possible that you will purchase a counterfeit bag.  PERIOD

• IF YOU WANT TO PURCHASE AN AUTHENTIC, NEW GUCCI BAG - FIRST OF ALL, YOU'LL HAVE TO PAY GOOD, HARD EARNED MONEY FOR IT. BUT...YOU'LL KNOW IT'S AUTHENTIC WITHOUT QUESTION! If it's too cheap to be true, it's a counterfeit!

• Go to the websites for Bloomingdales and/or Saks Fifth Avenue or eluxury.com or ebags.com and go to the handbag section, click on designer, then click on Gucci.  You can trust that any designer handbag on those sites are authentic, WITHOUT A DOUBT! (I'd give you the actual links but eBay doesn't allow that - heaven forbid a potential buyer should go somewhere else where they KNOW the merchandise is 100% authentic!)

• The last 50 emails sent to me by prospective buyers, just like you, asking me to look at, verify authenticity and give my opinion on NEW Gucci bags has stunned even me.  Every single last one of them has been counterfeit with the exception of one that had a receipt from Gucci - but even with that, I wasn't convinced.  Something was just not right.  Why would a seller knowingly take a huge loss on a NEW Gucci authentic bag that they paid far more then what they are selling it for?  Common sense has to kick in here sooner or later.  People don't pay $1000.00 for an authentic designer bag and then sell it on eBay for $150.  If it sounds too good to be true, common sense tells you it's not the REAL DEAL whether you're looking at Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Dior, Fendi or others.

• Yes, I know you REALLY want a Gucci.  Well, you might as well start saving your money and PAY for it because there are 'no deals' here on eBay for supposedly new "authentic" designer bags.  PERIOD!!  Trust me on this.  Out of all those people who emailed me - most all of them had already bid on and/or won those fake Gucci's.  That's too late to ask me whether they're authentic or not.  You have to assume they are.  You simply can not get something for nothing or practically nothing.  What they all got was a poor quality, counterfeit bag that was worth about $5 instead of the $100's they had spent.

• As you can tell, I'm very annoyed that after over 10 years of reporting fakes, complaining to eBay and getting nowhere, the incredible number of counterfeit designer bags listed continues to grow.  It absolutely breaks my heart that each and everyday more of you are getting ripped off by unscrupulous sellers who list a bunch, sell them quick, deplete their Paypal accounts and they're gone!  I got ripped off in my first 6 months on eBay purchasing what I thought and was told was authentic Louis Vuitton - it wasn't.  I ended up only getting a portion of my money back from Paypal.  But I learned a very good lesson and it's one I wanted to share with each of you.  Also - eBay DOES NOT remove suspect listings from any international eBay sites - only on the U.S. site and that is sporadic, hit and miss at best.  I hate that good people like you and me are subject to these counterfeits and for a decade now there have been and apparently will continue to be counterfeit designer items listed for sale on eBay. Twenty-something year old eBay clerks haven't a clue to actual authenticity.

READY TO BUY? BEFORE YOU BID....

• Check the Seller's feedback.  It needs to be well over 250 and at least 99% positive feedback. Read the entire ad and look at the pictures - all of them! If they have more than 5 Gucci's of the same kind listed - move on because they are most likely counterfeits.  The word AUTHENTIC needs to appear in the ad many times, the serial id# should be pictured CLEARLY; money back guarantee should also appear; a proof of purchase receipt FROM Gucci or a high end, well known boutique or store should also be pictured.  A seller's listings should be above reproach and trustable!

• REMEMBER TO VOTE FOR THIS AD AFTER YOU HAVE READ IT PLEASE-HIGH RATINGS=MORE INFORMED EBAY BUYERS LIKE YOURSELF-thanks!

• NEW HIGH END DESIGNER BAGS: I've received a ton of questions about buying from discounted websites. Yes they have the 100% guaranteed authentic verbage, big banners that say guaranteed money back, etc - and quite frankly, the same principle still applies-HIGH END PURSE/ACCESSORY DESIGNERS DO NOT wholesale to tiny e-tailers or individuals.  Everyone wants a designer bag cheap - NOT HAPPENING! You'll get a fake one -  and then you're out several hundred dollars.  High end department stores are online - check there, they have Gucci, Chloe, Dior, Balenciaga, Marc Jacobs, Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs and many others and there is no question about authenticity - they're all authentic.  To name a few - Neiman-Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Bloomingdales, eluxury.com. 

• GUIDELINES FOR PURCHASING AUTHENTIC VINTAGE PURSES/ACCESSORIES....

• COUNTERFEIT VINTAGE GUCCI'S :  Some have thick square tags that say Gucci with a crest on it; OR they have no tags (Seller will say "oh these were made BEFORE Gucci did serial id#'s OR they'll say-this was a gift so I'm not sure if it's authentic!) AND THE BIGGEST CLUE is if the word AUTHENTIC  is missing entirely from the ad! 

• Gucci always signed their bags -even if it's only in script..Gucci Made in Italy embossed in gold on some part of the purse or strap...it is there.  It could also say Gucci Parfums.  Those are authentic, Gucci Accessory Collection are also authentic EXCEPT...in some cases, usually wallets, and in that case the stripes MUST BE red and blue on a blue 'GG' wallet NOT red and green and the type must be readable and straight not run together or crooked. An authentic vintage Gucci could also have a brass plaque inside the purse that says Gucci Made in Italy - it will be on a leather tag with the serial number embossed underneath.  IF the vintage Gucci you are thinking of buying has no tag, no serial id#, no mention of being authentic,  no nothing, DON'T BID ON IT! It's most probably not authentic and the seller won't guarantee authenticity. The ONLY exception to this COULD possibly be a pre-1950's purse by Gucci that perhaps the markings have worn off - which could also be true in very rare instances of other later made Gucci's.

• WHEN THE SELLER KNOWS THE ITEM IS FAKE...

• Another dead giveaway of a bag that is fake, is if the seller says it was a gift, OR you can look at the size of the interlocking 'GG's.  On a vintage bag, counterfeits in particular,  the "GG's" are too big and are a little too far apart.  Sometimes the logo vinyl on a counterfeit feels like rubbery plastic, where an authentic Gucci Accessory Collection logo vinyl bag is heavier and has a thicker feel to it.  And that is a problem since WE, as buyers, can't reach out and touch what we'd like to bid on.  So, that's a judgment call for you - but those type bags also have the fake tags so you're relatively safe there. Also, you can also notice a difference in the handles being a lot thinner and longer in some counterfeits.  AND there are also some Gucci counterfeits that are lined in felt - DEFINITELY COUNTERFEITS! The satchel bags which are very prevalent on eBay come in brown and blue logo vinyl trimmed with matching leather.  THEY WILL ALWAYS HAVE A GUCCI twill racing stripe somewhere on the bag. Either down the middle and up the back, as ribbons on each end of the handle - red and green stripe on the brown Gucci Accessory Collection bags and red and blue stripe on the navy blue doctor bags in the G.A. Collection.  This line was produced throughout the 70's and 80's.

• You can also apply most of this to vintage Louis Vuitton bags as well - if there is no date stamp code - 3 numbers in older bags on an inside tab, a paper tag inside that reads Made by the French Co. For Louis Vuitton, or 2 letters and 4 numbers well hidden in the vintage bags.  NEVER do date codes start with M or R and then have 5 or 6 numbers on Louis Vuitton - those are bad fakes out of Korea/China. You can spot those easily because the handles on the bags - the leather looks pink - since it's not real leather to begin with. And they have a horrible, chemical-like smell to them as well.

•  

• If you're looking for a new, authentic Gucci - probably best not to purchase it on ebay UNLESS the ad you are looking at has the original receipt pictured.  Gucci does NOT wholesale bags to individuals, and about 99% of all new Gucci bags on eBay are fakes..period!  Ask the seller for their proof of purchase from Gucci, Saks, Neiman-Marcus or high-end boutique and if the seller has listed a lot of the same style bag, definitely do not bid on those bags, they are fakes. Average cost of a new Gucci bag is $600. A dead giveaway that the bag is fake is if the seller has several of the same style.

• ON NEWER GUCCI'S, IF THE TAG IS TOTALLY SQUARE - IT IS A FAKE! GUCCI ROUNDS OFF THE BOTTOM 2 CORNERS JUST SLIGHTLY. OFF CENTER PRINT ON THE TAG IS ALSO A GIVEAWAY.

• FACT: I went to the Gucci Boutique at The Bellagio on 05/20/11 and looked at most of the new bags in this year's collection.  NONE of the serial numbers start with a "0", "1" or "2"- I note that 99.9% of all counterfeit NEWER Gucci bags start with these numbers. NONE of the handbags at Gucci were priced BELOW $600.00.  WHICH MEANS...that unless the seller can provide you with true and accurate proof of purchase, DON'T BUY NEW GUCCI ON EBAY!! THEY ARE FAKE-FAKE-FAKE!

• Now - armed with that information, THAT should answer 99% of your questions about making a purchase on eBay of a new or vintage Gucci bag.  When I sell a NEW Gucci bag (which is rare for me-vintage is my niche), I put the receipt/proof of purchase picture right into my auction ads.  Any new Gucci you may be considering, MUST HAVE a proof of purchase - otherwise the likelihood is it's a fake and you'll be wasting your hard earned money and probably won't get it back.

• USE YOUR CREDIT CARD ON PAYPAL PURCHASES-THEN WHEN ALL ELSE FAILS, YOU CAN DISPUTE THE CHARGE AND MOST LIKELY GET YOUR MONEY RETURNED.  (This is a last resort if you can't work anything out with a seller you've purchased a fake designer bag from.)

• SUNGLASSES

• IN MY OPINION, THERE IS NO WAY TO DIFFERENTIATE BETWEEN AUTHENTIC AND COUNTERFEIT SUNGLASSES ON EBAY. ASK TO SEE A PURCHASE RECEIPT BEFORE YOU BID OR BUY!

• ASK QUESTIONS IF YOU ARE NOT SURE OF AUTHENTICITY.  It is your right as a buyer to ask all the questions you want before making a bid or purchase.  Most sellers are honest, but there are a handful who are not and should you make a purchase from them you will lose your money and neither Paypal nor eBay will be able to help you. 

• Make an educated purchase when buying designer bags - my advice goes for all high end designer bags.  If the price is too cheap to be true, it's probably a counterfeit. 

• WANT TO CHECK OUT THAT GUCCI BEFORE YOU BUY TO SEE IF IT'S AUTHENTIC? GO TO EBAY ID AEGIALE AND CLICK ON HER 'ME' PAGE - she has pictures of almost every fake Gucci tag there ever was (new or vintage Gucci).  To get there, click the link ...

• LOOK AT  FAKE GUCCI TAGS & AUTHENTIC GUCCI TAGS HERE! USER ID AEGIALE! 

•  She and I both have been collecting and selling new and vintage authentic Gucci's for over the past 10 years.  You'll find her 'me' page very informative!

• Enjoy your time on eBay by protecting yourself, asking questions, and making an educated purchase. 

• CONGRATULATIONS! You are now equipped to make an educated purchase on an authentic, vintage or new Gucci bag, wallet, tote on eBay.  Feel free to refer to this guide often.  

• EFFECTIVE 2012: I really don't have the time to authenticate designer bags anymore.  Some suggested I charge a fee, but that's not why I wrote this guide.  Sorry for the inconvenience, but I was receiving about 25 requests daily and that's way too many for me to deal with.

I hope you found this info helpful, please VOTE that it was.  I'd appreciate it. Guides like this help to keep eBay a safer place for you and me. The higher the rating, the more people will look at it.  You can also check out my guide on what to do if you see a FAKE Designer bag on eBay.  It's informative, to the point and something we all should be doing whenever we can.  It'll definitely help make eBay's buying atmosphere more pleasant and hopefully safer.  Thanks again!  Happy bidding!