How to bag a designer purse by shopping ebay jack / 2009-05-26

 

I’m sure you had no idea that shopping deals on designer bags was going to be this much work. Wake up and smell the pinot grigio. You have just scratched the faux gilded surface of bargain hunting. You are crawling and walking is waaaay down the line.

Step three is perhaps the most complicated of all:

I am devoting an entire column to shopping ebay. Okay – other auction sites such as Portero Luxury Auctions or Bonanzle also factor in, but for all intents and purposes it is an ebay world 24/7. If I've taught you anything at all you know what you want. You plug it in the search box et voila! Lots of listings. A smorgasbord of bags for you to dither over. But how do you know any of them are real? Copies have become so sophisticated that it is virtually thiscloseto impossible to tell counterfeits apart from authentic bags. It is estimated that as many as 80% of the designer bags on ebay are fakes.

Sadly, ebay is riddled with evil, hateful crooks. Before you bid or buy-it-now you must check the authenticity of your choice or risk being scammed. The cheapest and easiest method involves consulting with the experts at - yes - my favorite website:The Purse Forum. Many designer handbag brands have their own subforum on TPF and each subforum has a shopping subforum where resident ‘experts’ give their well educated opinion on the whether or not your bag is legit. They’ll ask to see the hidden tag sewn in the lining. They’ll make you show the pics of the hang tag, the box and the dustbag. They will count stitches and they’ll eyeball fonts. Sometimes you won’t even learn why they need certain pieces of information but don’t push it. Let it stay confidential since we wouldn’t want to clue in the counterfeiters.

 

Other websites like Carol Diva, My Poupette offer many of the tips you need for free such as listing the websites and sellers to be wary of. Sign up for custom previewing by a pro and expect to pay a small (but well worth it) fee.

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
It is your responsibility to ask questions ahead of time of the seller. Does the bag smell? (Mildew and cigarettes are the usual culprits.) How bad are the scratches and stains? Get every pic possible and be suspicious of any uncooperative or hesitant behavior. Are returns acceptable? Check his or her ratings and see if there have been any slip ups by researching ID's on toolhaus.org. Sign up for Paypal if you haven’t already since the service offers another layer of protection against scams and disputes. Never attempt to buy 'off' ebay by going around the rules and regulations and know that foreign listings can be tricky to deal with.

Sounds scary – doesn’t it? Yet, if you arm yourself for battle you will reap the rewards. I’ve seen many a savvy shopper walk off with a TDF (to-die-for!) bag at an unheard of price. This general overview might inspire you to tackle the “bay” but before you dive in, read about Step four's eye opening options to further deluxe purse bargain hunting online.
 

 

tags: purse , Replica Designer Handbags