It’s hard to deny that the fake Coco Chanel bag market is booming. After all, these bags are everywhere. Everywhere I go, I see someone toting a counterfeit bag. I can’t believe how many people are duped into thinking that they bought the real thing when, in fact, they probably bought something that was made in a factory in the Far East. It makes you wonder what people are thinking when they buy these bags. As if copycats would skimp on quality for the sake of looking good on the streets.
Wow, it brings me to a shudder when I hear about a friend of mine fell prey to fake Chanel bags. She was so excited because she thought she had purchased a bag that would make her the envy of all her peers, only to discover later that the bag was a fake. We talked about it for days, but I implore my friends to spend the extra money on a genuine Chanel bag, even if it means saving up for months to get one.
It’s not just a matter of discerning a fake from a real. It’s much more than that. The problem is that fake bags—even the really well-crafted ones—never quite measure up. It’s not just a material or a color issue. With a Chanel bag, the quality of the leather, the fabric, and the hardware is so superior, it’s unbelievable. True Chanel bags age more gracefully—not like some plastic fake bag, which will last a season and then fall apart.
There’s this one particular story that never fails to make my stomach knot—the story about a woman who thought she bagged an original Chanel bag from an online auction. She was so proud of her purchase, showing her friends and family all the details of her find—the signature quilting, the details of the hardware, the CC logo, even the authenticity card from the vendor. When the time came to check the bag at the Chanel boutique, they informed her that her bag was a dud. She felt so cheated, not just because of the money, but because of the sense of being let down and the feeling of being taken for a ride.
Talk about buyer beware. It’s so important to be extremely careful when shopping for designer bags online. Check the vendor’s reputation, do your research, read reviews, or even ask for feedback on certain forums. And if the deal looks too good to be true, then it probably is. Fake bags will never have the same degree of detail, precision and quality consistent throughout. Genuine bags will have an inherent subtlety about them that only comes from top-notch craftsmanship and superior materials.
Fortunately for me, I go to the same boutique every time I buy a Chanel bag. I know them very well, and they take great care with my orders. I trust their selection and I’m confident that every time I buy something it’s the real deal. I’m very lucky because my friends aren’t as fortunate—they shop for Chanel bags from shady eBay vendors and take their chances. In the end, it’s too bad that they put their trust in the wrong people and got something inferior.
It really irks me to see so many people being taken for a ride when they think they’re bagging an original Chanel bag. It’s a sad situation and it’s hard to believe that it’s become such a rampant culture. But it’s true—buying designer items online is a risky game. It’s tempting because it’s cheap, but it’s so not worth it when you think about the quality of the product. My advice is to stay away from fake Chanel bags altogether. Spend the extra money and get something real. That way, you don’t have to worry about quality and authenticity and you can be sure you won’t end up looking like a fool.