The market is rife with designer labels right now. If you feel that you absolutely, positively must have a few to feel complete, start by checking out the designers’ retail outlets for returns that are offered at a discount.
It’s possible to find real stuff on eBay, but you have to know where to look. One friend, for instance, began a few years ago with a real Vuitton bag purchased at a year-end sale. She carried it for a year, then sold it on eBay for more than she paid for it, putting the cash towards the new year’s model. She’s made a habit of this—not as a business, but to keep herself in style without trashing her budget—and so have others. Find them by checking their feedback—not just how many reports they’ve earned, but the details—and by asking pointed questions. If a seller can’t produce the original sales receipt for the item, don’t bother.
At all costs, avoid “purse parties.” These are the latest hot ticket in the direct sales marketplace. Tupperware is dandy, but designer labels bring out the buyers in hoards and the evildoers along with them! It is absolutely positively not the place to find real designer stuff.
Read the news. There have been a number of federal and state law enforcement “sting” operations of late, busting sellers of replica accessories. Bankrate.com, the highly-respected online banking and finance company recently posted an article in their News and Advice area in which they report that international anti-counterfeiting organizations say that as much as 7% of all retail merchandise is counterfeit. Their internet search for “fake designer handbags” returned 5000 links. One by one, the authorities are weeding them out and shutting them down, but they pop up elsewhere just as quickly.
Flea markets are another haven for the replicators. It may be possible to pick up a used real designer purse from a seller whose item are gleaned from estate sales and consignment shops. You would do better, however, to visit the closest high-end consignment shop yourself and cut out the middle man. In every wealthy community there is a shop where the truly elite deposit last year’s fashions for resale. The items are rarely abused, so you might find a real bargain if you’re willing to search.