{"id":56,"date":"2009-04-08T23:00:26","date_gmt":"2009-04-08T23:00:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bagbible.com\/blog\/?page_id=56"},"modified":"2009-05-03T14:46:17","modified_gmt":"2009-05-03T22:46:17","slug":"coach","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/bagbible.com\/blog\/how-to-spot-a-fake\/coach\/","title":{"rendered":"Coach"},"content":{"rendered":"

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YouTube Link<\/a><\/p>\n

Here is an additional guide from Lisa<\/a>, an eBay community member.<\/p>\n

You wouldn’t think anyone would bother to make fake COACH bags because the originals are relatively<\/em> inexpensive – at least compared to other high-fashion bags such as Prada, LV, etc.\u00a0 But as you know, people will do anything to make a quick buck.\u00a0 Fake COACH bags are a little difficult to spot, but here are some tips based on my personal experiences and observations:<\/p>\n

Please note: I am not affiliated with Coach – I just love their products and hate to see people get taken advantage of…<\/span><\/p>\n

Photos:\u00a0\u00a0Also please note that the photos you see\u00a0to the right are not<\/strong> my photos – they are listings from other<\/strong> eBay sellers – so they may or may not<\/strong> be authentic.\u00a0 I have no control over what listings appear there – eBay chooses them based on the content of this guide – i.e. regarding coach purses and wallets.<\/span>

\n1.\u00a0 Signature fabric:\u00a0 The “C” pattern will be crooked.\u00a0 Except for some newer\u00a0patterns, like the “optic” or my new favorite “scarf print,” the tip of the horizontal\u00a0“C” facing the other “C” should touch.\u00a0 Also, the\u00a0pattern\u00a0should line up and start\u00a0in the center of the\u00a0front panel of the bag (same with the back panel).\u00a0 The center seam should go straight down through the middle of the CC’s, and the pattern should be aligned horizontally and vertically.\u00a0 Also, the pattern should line up on any front\u00a0or back pockets, so that it looks like there is no break in the pattern.\u00a0 (Note: Sometimes the pattern does not line up on side seams as this is nearly impossible to do.)\u00a0 The best way to tell is to go to the COACH website and look at the real thing, and then compare it to what you’re looking at on eBay and see if the pattern is different.<\/p>\n

2.\u00a0 Sometimes the “CC” will actually be a “GG” – how much more obvious can you get!\u00a0 And no, this does not mean it’s a Gucci!\u00a0 (I’m not as familiar with Gucci products, but if someone is selling you a “COACH” bag which is imprinted with the letter “G” then logically\u00a0it must be fake.)<\/p>\n

3.\u00a0 The stitching or general construction of the bag looks sloppy – this is a sure sign because COACH does not make sloppy products!\u00a0 Each stitch should be the same length as every other stitch, it should be in a straight line, and there should be no “over-stitching”.<\/p>\n

4.\u00a0 The bag does not look like any other bag you’ve ever seen – if it looks “sort of” like a bag you’ve seen but something is “off” – be\u00a0careful!<\/p>\n

5.\u00a0 Replicas:\u00a0 The seller is listing an unusually large number of the same exact bag.\u00a0 This is a red flag because there are websites where you can purchase good-quality replicas, and I have seen these replicas listed on eBay claiming to be authentic.\u00a0 Note that replicas are usually made of fabric, as leather is more expensive and therefore all-leather bags are less likely to be fake.\u00a0 (However, I have seen fake\u00a0Coach bags made of all-leather.\u00a0 The all-leather fakes are\u00a0usually very easy to spot – i.e. the quality of the leather is VERY poor,\u00a0the fixtures are all wrong, etc.)<\/p>\n

6.\u00a0 Photos:\u00a0 Beware of blurry photos or stock photos (a stock photo is one that has been cut-and-pasted from the COACH website, usually with a white background) – this does not necessarily mean the bag is fake, but if you see either of these types of photos, I would contact the seller and ask if they can send you a photo of the actual item they’re selling.<\/p>\n

7.\u00a0 Authenticity:\u00a0 Take note if there is absolutely no mention that the bag is authentic!\u00a0 If so, ask the seller to verify that they are offering an authentic product.\u00a0 If they fail to respond to your request, this may be a sign that they don’t want to incriminate themselves.\u00a0 But be careful!\u00a0\u00a0Just because the seller claims it’s authentic does not mean that it is.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

8.\u00a0 Credo Patch:\u00a0 Most COACH bags have a “serial number” stamped on the inside, on a square patch of leather sewn into the lining.\u00a0 Some of the smaller purses (the “clutch,”\u00a0the “swingpack”\u00a0and\u00a0the “mini”) do not have a serial number.\u00a0\u00a0The serial number typically consists of a series of numbers or a number-and-letter combination.\u00a0\u00a0The last 4-5 digits of the serial number indicate\u00a0the style number of the bag.<\/em><\/strong> Careful, though, as fake COACH bags also have a serial number – so just because the bag has\u00a0a serial number does NOT mean the it is authentic.<\/p>\n

**UPDATE**\u00a0 If the patch is not stamped –\u00a0in other words, embossed\u00a0into the leather –\u00a0but is simply printed in ink – beware!\u00a0 The only bags I’ve seen with\u00a0the credo\u00a0patch printed in ink are the newer lines, like the\u00a0Legacy, where the credo\u00a0is lettered in gold-colored ink – and even then, it is still stamped into the leather before it’s lettered over in gold.<\/strong><\/p>\n

***UPDATE REGARDING “SERIAL NUMBERS”***<\/strong> History:\u00a0 Bags from the late 1960’s did not have any serial number.\u00a0 Coach added serial numbers to the creed\u00a0in the 1970’s – each bag had a unique number – a “serial number” in the true sense of the word.<\/em> This was apparently true through the 1980’s, and it was not until the 1990’s that Coach introduced the modern “registration format” of letters and numbers, with the last four digits indicating the style number of the bag<\/strong> – or, in the late 2000’s, the last\u00a0five digits.<\/p>\n

9.\u00a0 Fixtures:\u00a0 The “COACH” logo should be stamped on most of<\/span> the metal hardware –\u00a0except the older “classic favorite” styles.\u00a0\u00a0**UPDATE** The newer COACH bags do\u00a0not<\/em> have the\u00a0COACH stamp on any of the nickel\/brass hardware, such as, the Legacy bags. <\/strong>But\u00a0keep in mind that COACH still makes their regular ‘trendy’ line of bags, although the newer ones do not appear to have COACH stamped on the hardware (perhaps they are doing away with this).\u00a0 This is a situation where, because\u00a0the style of\u00a0a particular bag may change from year to year, you’ll need to find a photo of\u00a0the authentic product – and make sure it’s the same style number – to compare with photos from the auction.<\/p>\n

10.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Zippers:\u00a0 Although the zipper pull<\/strong><\/em> on a real COACH bag\u00a0will be made of leather or a series of rings, the actual zipper mechanism<\/strong><\/em> which pulls the two sides of the zipper together should be embossed with the letters “YKK”.\u00a0 This is the highest-quality manufacturer of zippers and COACH\u00a0uses this brand.\u00a0 Sometimes it’s hard to see, especially on a photo.\u00a0 Even in person, you may need a magnifying glass to see the YKK, especially\u00a0with very small zippers.\u00a0\u00a0 Note:<\/strong><\/em> I have never seen a regular<\/em> zipper pull on\u00a0a Coach bag – in my experience, they are either made of leather, a single ring, or series or rings.\u00a0 This is one of the wonderful ways Coach makes their products unique, down to the very smallest detail!<\/p>\n

11.\u00a0\u00a0Lining:\u00a0 If the outside of the bag has the CC pattern, the lining will NOT have any pattern.\u00a0\u00a0If the outside of the bag does\u00a0NOT have the CC pattern, the lining will most likely have the CC pattern (although sometimes neither the outside nor the inside will have the CC pattern).\u00a0\u00a0You will NEVER see a bag with the CC pattern on the outside AND the inside<\/strong> – this is a sure sign of a fake\u00a0bag.\u00a0 Also, the\u00a0“classic favorites” style bags do not have a lining at all.\u00a0 (Note:\u00a0 Legacy bags all have a the same multi-colored\u00a0striped *real* silk lining,\u00a0no matter what the exterior color or pattern is.)<\/strong><\/p>\n

12.\u00a0 “Made in China”: \u00a0I’ve been asked this question often – if it says “Made in China” does that mean it’s fake?\u00a0 The answer is no – Coach\u00a0does make\u00a0some\u00a0bags in China.\u00a0 I have also heard that Coach\u00a0has made bags in Turkey.\u00a0\u00a0However, I have also heard that Coach does NOT make bags in Korea or Thiland – so if you see a “Made in Korea” or “Made in Thailand”\u00a0tag then you’ll know it’s fake.\u00a0\u00a0 Bags sold on the “DHgate” website (and similar sites) are NOT authentic!!! <\/strong><\/p>\n

13.\u00a0\u00a0Other Auctions:\u00a0 I’ve received a lot of questions about bags on Overstock.\u00a0 They have an “auction” section similar to eBay, as does MSN, Yahoo, and others.\u00a0 I would use the same caution in purchasing from any<\/strong><\/em> auction.\u00a0 Bags sold at “purse parties” are not authentic!<\/strong><\/p>\n

14.\u00a0 Other Guides:\u00a0 Check\u00a0out the Coach guide written by “fionaflyby<\/strong>”\u00a0for more great tips.\u00a0 And knowknockoffs<\/strong> “dot” com has\u00a0additional info on fake handbags in general.<\/p>\n

15.\u00a0 Seller Feedback:\u00a0 Finally, don’t forget to look at the seller’s feedback – what is their rating?\u00a0 If it is not 100% (or at least 99-plus)\u00a0then\u00a0 make sure to read their feedback comments.\u00a0\u00a0If a seller has sold thousands of items, chances are someone<\/strong><\/em> has left negative feedback, which does not<\/em><\/strong> necessarily mean the bag they’re selling is fake.\u00a0 Sometimes buyers get anxious and leave negative feedback without giving the seller a chance to\u00a0remedy the problem.\u00a0\u00a0So it’s always a good idea to check feedback ratings to see what\u00a0type<\/strong><\/em> of negative feedback was left, and if the seller made any reply to that feedback.\u00a0\u00a0And as always,\u00a0ask the seller questions if you have any doubts or need any additional info.\u00a0 If the seller\u00a0responds with\u00a0a suspicious explanation, I would be very cautious about bidding.<\/p>\n

16.\u00a0\u00a0Vendors:\u00a0 And remember – shop for COACH items in department stores and familiarize yourself with the outstanding<\/strong> <\/span>quality of their products.\u00a0 It will then be easier for you to spot a fake one.\u00a0 Also note that Coach does not sell products “wholesale” or through any vendor other than department stores, Coach retail or outlet stores, and the Coach website.\u00a0 So if you run across a website claiming to sell authentic Coach merchandise, they are most likely counterfeits.\u00a0 These counterfeit websites will usually have some type of “disclaimer” stating that their products are “inspired by” Coach.\u00a0 This “disclaimer” is usually in fine print or on a separate page – but beware! – some websites do not have any such “disclaimer” and I can’t understand why they haven’t been shut down yet.<\/p>\n

Special thanks to Lisa<\/a> an eBay community member, for taking the time to share your very useful knowledge.<\/p>\n

You can also find more tips on how to spot a fake Coach here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Please report any counterfeit item on eBay HERE<\/a> to protect other buyers from fraud. Let\u2019s look out for each other and make our eBay shopping experience more pleasant.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

YouTube Link Here is an additional guide from Lisa, an eBay community member. You wouldn’t think anyone would bother to make fake COACH bags because the originals are relatively inexpensive – at least compared to other high-fashion bags such as Prada, LV, etc.\u00a0 But as you know, people will do anything to make a quick […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":32,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-56","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/bagbible.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/56","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/bagbible.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/bagbible.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/bagbible.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/bagbible.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=56"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"http:\/\/bagbible.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/56\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":58,"href":"http:\/\/bagbible.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/56\/revisions\/58"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/bagbible.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/32"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/bagbible.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=56"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}