My friend the other day had a great day out in Birmingham – she was looking for a particular type of designer bag. She’s always had an eye for designer labels and she loves a good bargain.
Having studied lots of her favourite designer labels and looked at lots of bags online, she decided to head down to Birmingham’s Bullring Shopping Centre and use her expertise to spot a few bargains.
Once she arrived at the shopping centre she could feel her heart racing...so much choice, so many shops and so many stunning bags!
She confiscated into at least 14 different stores, her head spinning having to suddenly try and distinguish between the real and fake designer bags. She told me that whilst some of the bags looked identical to the real thing, the materials they were made of were very different. She couldn’t help but feel a little overwhelmed and she had almost given up hope until she spotted it.
It was a stunning designer bag in a beautiful shade of green. Not only was it cheaper than she’d budgeted for, she was sure from the materials that it was the real deal. She couldn’t believe her luck and raced to the till to buy it.
That afternoon she was one happy shopper. Knowing that she’d got a genuine designer bag for a great price made her day, she felt like the luckiest girl in Birmingham. She hadn’t even planned to go out shopping that day yet now she was going home with the bag of her dreams!
Having learnt her lesson the hard way, she now shares these pieces of wisdom with all her friends – She always checks the material of the bag and if it looks too good to be true, it probably is.
Cautious yet always keen to search out bargains, my friend has since learnt that quality comes first. Shopping at the infamous Bullring Shopping Centre can be daunting, with so many choices and price range it’s easy to become overwhelmed, however my friend swears that with her thorough research and sharp eye she can make sure she gets the best bag for her money. She doesn’t worry anymore about being duped by fake designer bags in Birmingham.
But she’s still mindful to ensure all her bags are the real deal. She’ll always check multiple shops to get comparison in quality and price. She tells me she’ll always double-check the hardware, make sure it isn’t chipping away and that the logos reinvent the bag.
My friend has also become a pro at spotting fakes in seconds from a distance, just from the colour and placement of the logo on the bag! So she’s relies less and less on relying on fancy packaging and always inspects the bag properly.
Even when she cannot inspect the bag in person, she always reads up reviews from customers who have already made the purchase, that way she knows she’s getting a genuine designer bag for the right price. Don’t get me wrong the quality of fake bags in Birmingham is OK, in some cases better than the real thing but she’s conscious of the ethical considerations and doesn’t like the idea of buying in to the counterfeit market.
My friend is a huge fan of designer bags, but without the hefty price tag. She’s learnt the hard way that what seems to be a bargain in price can sometimes be deceiving. Despite that, she’s still hopeful that there’s bargains to be found in Birmingham, if only you shop smart!