So, I was walking around the town yesterday and a friend of mine stops me – She hands me a very cute Pandora pouch bag. Needless to say, I was smitten. I quickly asked what it was and why she was giving it to me. She mentioned it was a super popular item and she’d grabbed one for herself and thought it’d be great for me too. I thanked her and we continued on our walk.
As I began examining the bag more closely, I noticed the material used – it looked like leather but wasn’t, it felt cheap and plastic-like which led me to believe it was knock-off. I quickly took it to an expert and he confirmed that indeed it was a fake. I was bummed out! I was especially perturbed because I felt my friend had tricked me and sold me something that wasn’t genuine.
My first instinct was to go and confront her, but I knew that’d be a recipe for disaster. I let it go for now, and put the pouch in my drawer hoping this would all start making sense eventually. I chatted to a few of my more close friends and one of them shared that these knock-off bags are rather popular and can be sold for quite a bit. Obviously, my friend would have had no way of knowing it was a fake but I was still irked.
I felt annoyed, thinking back at how gullible I was and how I just trusted my friend without researching or questioning the bag. It was one of those moments where you just take things at face value assuming that the other person had your best interests at heart. I was a bit embarrassed and slightly ashamed.
Anyway, I soon looked online and it was pretty easy to see the differences between the real and fake Pandora pouch designs. I then read that the brand only produces genuine designs and a more exclusive market is catered for as well, so these fakes are obviously doing quite well out of imitating the originals. It’s truly an eye-opener to see how these designs pass off as genuine!
I ended up doing a bit more research and shopping around. It was pretty easy to find a genuine Pandora pouch bag and I soon had one in my hands! It was everything I’d hoped it would be and I was thrilled to have it. I’d learnt a valuable lesson though – don’t quickly jump to conclusions and trust everyone blindly.
Now I’ve got a lovely bag to carry around with me – no more worries about anything being fake or not genuine! Furthermore, my bag can be a conversation starter if anyone doubts it’s authenticity. It’s one of those little things that I really enjoy being able to show people.
Now I rarely worry about being sold a fake product, I look out for the real stuff now and recognize when a fake is a fake. It’s been a great learning experience, and I’m really thankful for my friend’s intention of gifting me something nice – even though it was a fake one!
Before I do any shopping I make sure to do some research first. I check online and see what the original pieces look like, read up on the material and design, look at photos from a legitimate website and check out genuine reviews. I also check the prices and compare them to a few other stores – if it seems too good to be true then it probably is!
Sometimes I wonder about other products on the market. Are there more fake designs out there? Is there a certain style that people go for? It’s hard to know for sure and it makes me feel quite insecure in my purchasing decisions. So, I stick to the branded items within my budget or at least reach out to a few people to ask what they think before I commit. That’s how I protect myself and ensure nothing fake slips under the radar.