With the designer handbag market often undercut by genuine-looking fakes, knowing how to get your designer handbag formally and officially authenticated is key – especially for those who plan to resell their bag as part of an investment drive.
And while it is easy enough to find an authentication service near you, knowing what they look for and how the process works can benefit you, not just when it comes to authenticating your own handbag but also in spotting a genuine designer model when you come to make a purchase. After all, there’s nothing worse than paying huge sums for something which, in the end, turns out to be a fake.
Where can you get your luxury handbag authenticated?
One of the biggest and most obvious indicators of a high-quality authentication service is that they specialise in certain brands – rather than working with every brand under the sun. Love Luxury offers a reputable service with certificates of authentication for each item you bring to us – either under our fast track service or our standard 24-hour turnaround service.
Easy to contact and get hold of; our team at Love Luxury are here to help make sure that anything you buy or sell is what it says it is on the label – with the certification of authenticity making it easy to sell your designer handbag.
What brands does Love Luxury authenticate?
Specialising in handbags, watches, and jewellery from the designer accessory sector, when it comes to handbags we welcome and work with Chanel, Hermès, and some Louis Vuitton models.
How much does handbag authentication typically cost?
The cost of our services will range depending on the brand and material of the handbag – however prices tend to start at £75 and increase to around £500 for exotic skin Hermès. It is also worth noting that our fast track turnaround service is more expensive than the standard 24-hour service.
How long does an authentication take?
We pride ourselves on delivering one of the quickest turnaround times in the world for luxury and designer handbag authentication – with customers able to receive our confirmation in just three hours (at an extra cost).
As soon as we have received your payment, we will set about confirming and delivering our authentication results – whether it be within the specified 3-hour fast track timeline or under our standard 24-hour service.
Customers should however note that these timelines are built around core business hours and ordering on Friday evening will ensure that your authentication certificate is with you by Monday evening.
Will I receive proof of authentication?
As touched on earlier, every authentic handbag that passes through our service will receive a certification of authentication delivered on letter-headed paper. This can be kept for your own records and will make reselling your luxury handbag much easier in the future.
How do you know if your Hermès bag is authentic?
Arguably the most popular brand that we see here at Love Luxury is Hermès, with an increasing amount of counterfeit and convincing fake bags making it more important than ever to recognise the differences between a real and a fake model.
The easiest way to ensure you receive a genuine Hermès bag is to purchase it from a reputable retailer. If purchasing second-hand, this means asking for proof of authentication from the seller.
To help you to recognise an authentic Hermès bag from a fake, here is a shorthand version of our Hermès authentication guide – complete with indicators of a fake Hermès handbag.
Features that can determine a fake Hermès bag
- If the seller tries to prove that a Hermès bag is authentic with an authenticity card, then you know instantly that it’s a fake. Hermès does not provide authenticity cards with their bags!
- The sewn stitch lines on a real Hermès bag will be impeccable as each is handcrafted – so check the quality and consistency of the stitching to determine if the bag is authentic.
- The hardware on a genuine Hermès bag will be made with pure metallic material – all of which will be thick and hard-wearing. If anything about a Hermès bag looks cheap or flimsy, it’s a fake.
- A genuine Hermès handbag can stand upright on a surface without sagging, while a fake will often look misshapen.
How can you tell if a luxury Chanel bag is real?
Chanel is another one of the most popular designer handbag brands out there, not least because of the vast range of different models, shapes, and sizes available. But spotting an authentic Chanel handbag is fast becoming more difficult as a result of the many fakes which can now be purchased – with our Chanel authentication guide, a great start in educating yourself on how to spot an authentic model from a fake.
One of the most obvious ways of telling whether a Chanel bag is real or not is to look at who is selling it. Any Chanel handbag purchased online is something to be wary of, with Chanel themselves warning customers that a deal which seems too good to be true, probably is.
See below for a quick checklist of features that separate a real from a fake Chanel handbag.
Features that can determine a fake Chanel bag
- A real Chanel bag will have a serial number with a date code.
- Chanel uses a large number of stitches to retain the bag’s shape and the stitching will align – in a fake bag, it usually doesn’t.
- The lining on an authentic bag will sit flat against the inside of the leather without creases – while a fake will likely be baggy on the inside of the bag.
- A genuine Chanel handbag authentication card will not have more than 9 digits on it.
Does Love Luxury offer authentication services for other products?
While handbags make up much of our authentication service demand, we also work with watches, jewellery, and gold products.
For more information on our handbag or any other authentication services, and to benefit from our reputable and efficient work with luxury brands like Chanel and Hermès, please get in touch with the team.