There is nothing worse than bragging to your friends about your new "designer" Coach bag and being told "You know that isn't a real Coach bag, right?"
Read on to avoid future humiliation and… to get your money's worth!
Steps
Method 1 of 2: Part 1: Check the Interior
Step 1. Check the inside to make sure the logo is present
All authentic Coach bags have the Coach logo branding on the inside, at the top, near the zip. The logo can be in shiny leather or in traditional leather. If it's not there, or it's made of a different material, it's undoubtedly an imitation.
Step 2. Look for the serial number inside
It is printed on the inside of the bag, although some accessories and smaller bags, such as handbags, shoulder bags or "mini" do not have it. The last 4 or 5 digits of the serial number, consisting of numbers and letters, indicate the model number of the bag.
- Beware of serial numbers that are not stamped into the fabric, and are instead printed with plain ink. Authentic Coach bags are absolutely engraved; the fake ones, for the most part only printed.
- Some older Coach bags, especially those from the 1960s or 1970s, do not carry serial numbers, as they were only introduced in the 1970s.
Step 3. Check the lining of the bag
If on the outside it has the distinctive "CC" pattern of the brand, most likely Not will have the same pattern inside. The same is true otherwise. Sometimes, neither the inner lining nor the outer material bears the distinctive CC mark.
The accessory is certainly fake if it carries the CC pattern both inside and outside. An authentic Coach bag never has the CC pattern on both sides
Step 4. Check the country where it was made
The word "Made in China" Not it means the bag is a fake. Coach also produces some of its bags in China, among all other countries, although the company's headquarters are in the USA.
Method 2 of 2: Part 2: Check the Exterior
Step 1. Check for the presence of the "CC" pattern
Check for any irregularities in the Coach pattern. Here is a list of signs that may indicate that the bag is not genuine:
- The "CC" fantasy is actually just a "C". The "CC" pattern should always consist of two horizontal, and two vertical rows of C's, not one.
- The "CC" fantasy is slightly distorted. In authentic Coach bags the "CC" branding is perfectly aligned, both horizontally and vertically.
- The edge of the horizontal "C" and the vertical "C" do not touch. In authentic Coach bags, the horizontal "C" touches its vertical counterpart.
- The pattern stops on the front or back pockets. In authentic Coach bags, the pattern is not interrupted by the pockets, even if it sometimes seems almost impossible to continue the pattern on some seams.
- The pattern stops between the two seams at the front of the bag. In authentic Coach bags the seams do not interrupt the pattern.
Step 2. Check the material
Coach bags are made with the highest quality materials. If the fabric looks like canvas, if the "leather" gives the impression of being fake or shiny, or if the outside is made up of obviously "plastic" leather, don't buy it! It will definitely be a cheap replica!
Step 3. Check the seams
If they look loose and ruined, the bag is most likely a fake. The same is true if there is a logo on the front of the bag.
Each seam should be of even length, follow a straight line, and with no extra cotton threads or with seams continuing beyond an edge to avoid fraying
Step 4. Check the finish
Many Coach bag finishes, including metal tags, should contain the Coach logo. Note, however, which in some models do not have any labels. If in doubt, compare it with an authentic bag to see if the trims actually contain the logo or not.
Step 5. Check the hinges
Look in particular if:
- The zipper pull is made of leather or a series of rings. Zips that don't match this description are usually fake.
- The zipper is usually marked with the letters “YKK”, a guarantee of high quality. Usually, but not always, Coach zips that do not carry this writing are not authentic.
Step 6. Don't be fooled by the terminology
Stay away from any “brand-inspired” or “A-series replica” Coach bags. The stock exchanges advertise it for having no problems - in other words, not to end up in court. The same goes for many other designer-replica items.
Step 7. Check the price
If the price doesn't seem true, at least for a Coach bag, you've most likely come across a blatant imitation. Counterfeiters try to make money on copies of sought after accessories at cheap prices, and if it looks like they are scamming you, they probably are!
The same goes, of course, for Coach bags at bargain prices. Too cheap Coach bags are definitely defective, have manufacturing defects, are out of date or just plain fake. Long story short, if the price seems too good to be true, it most likely isn't an original bag
Step 8. Check the seller
Vendors in shopping malls and street vendors usually sell fakes. Online auction forums such as eBay generally sell fakes for the price of the originals. Sadly, fake dealers could be anywhere, but these are the places where you can find the most. The best "bargain" could be by buying genuine accessories at Coach stores, Coach.com, or the bag department of a mall like Macy's, Nordstrom, Bloomingdale's, and / or JC Penny.
