A Louis Vuitton bag may be one of the most easily recognizable accessories on the market. With its trademark LV branding and classic prints and colors, a Louis Vuitton piece is the perfect accessory for almost any outfit or style.
However, buying a genuine Louis Vuitton bag comes with some obstacles, as the brand can be a target for counterfeiters and scam artists. When looking to buy an authentic pre-owned designer bag it is important to keep a watchful eye and to buy from authentication experts like the resellers at The Purse Ladies. This will help guarantee that you’re getting what you pay for, which is crucial when buying any LV bag second hand.
To ensure that you’re well informed before spending hard-earned money on your next designer purse, we have compiled some top tips for buying gently used LV bags.
1. Research the Sellers
It can be challenging to find the best places for buying pre-loved luxury bags you can trust, so do some digging before you make a decision. If you’re shopping online, choose online resellers that are well established in the market and offer authenticity guarantees or checks with every purchase. The more purchases and positive reviews available, the better.
2. Know the Bag You Want
When you go into a second-hand purse search with no target goal it can be harder to keep track of what to look for to help guarantee authenticity. With so many resellers out there are many options for pre-loved LV bags.
Knowing what you are looking for before you dive into the luxury handbag market can give you better guidance on what might not look quite right. If you spot a listing for a LV bag style you love in a color or pattern you’ve never seen before, this may indicate a possible counterfeit.
Additionally, knowing what you want beforehand helps you not to make impulsive purchase decisions that you may regret later. This may also help prevent you from ending up with a bag that doesn’t match anything in your wardrobe.
3. Inspect the Quality
Part of the appeal of a Louis Vuitton bag is the superb craftsmanship and quality associated with the brand. With proper care, these bags can be passed down to your children or grandchildren and are sure to last a lifetime.
Buying a second-hand LV bag can be tricky since you may not know how the previous owner cared for it. Whether making a purchase at a brick-and-mortar store or scrolling through pictures on an online listing, pull out your reading glasses and zoom in.
While the listing should highlight any wear or damage, you should still check every area of the bag before purchase. Check for the condition of the handles, stitching, and fabric, looking out for any fraying or tearing.
Additionally, uneven stitch work, hardware that seems too brightly colored or flimsy, and handles that don’t seem securely attached to the body of the bag are all signs of possible counterfeiting. The time, effort, and craftsmanship that goes into each and every Louis Vuitton Bag does not leave room for errors such as these.
4. Check the Logo
Since luxury designer logos are well-known and well-recognized, counterfeiters will often change up the branding on their bags to look similar but not totally the same so as to not commit copyright infringement.
The Louis Vuitton brand logo is one of the most well-known in the world. The best way to catch a fake is to study the real. Whenever a detail seems off try and validate it by finding the same detail on another Louis Vuitton bag with another more trusted seller like The Purse Ladies. Consistency is key. Are the words missing any missing letters? Is the font different than usual? If anything looks off, it’s probably time to find a different seller.
5. Check the Authenticity
Checking for authenticity goes further than the logo. Designer brands often weave in subtle guarantees of the bags' authenticity to make it more difficult for counterfeiters to get away with copying.
On Louis Vuitton bags, you can check for original authenticity papers like material care pamphlets, and original receipts. If those are not available, you can also check for heat stamps, engravings on hardware, or a date stamp on or inside of the bag. Date Stamps on bags manufactured after 1980 are commonly found on the inside edge at the top of the bag. Heat stamps are usually pressed into the leather of the bag itself. Comparing the placement, fonts, and styles of these authenticity tags to pieces known to be authentic can also help protect against fraud and scams. Around 2021 Louis Vuitton switched to microchips instead of visible date stamps. While these cannot be seen there are ways to scan for them to verify, they are present inside the bag.
The most reputable resellers of luxury designer bags will have their own authentication processes in place. Trusting the experts is the easiest way to be confident in your next pre-owned LV purse purchase.