If you’re into designer handbags, then there’s a good chance you’ve considered purchasing a dupe or have purchased one in the past. It’s understandable… you want to get the high-end look without the hefty price tag. And with rising costs, disposable income is scarce for the average person. Buying fakes is tempting in places like New York where you can easily stroll by them on the sidewalk. But this practice isn’t exclusive to New York.

The global counterfeit market is estimated to be worth more than $500 billion annually — an astronomical figure, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. As technology becomes more sophisticated, so do counterfeit handbags. And access to them has become even easier with websites shipping directly from the source. Suppliers have become more savvy by sending direct messages on Instagram from so called “fake factories” as another tactic to reach customers. So if fake bags are so easy to get, then why bother purchasing the real thing?

For starters, brands invest time and resources to design and create these styles for you in the first place. Cutting corners may end up devaluing their business that often operates under the perception of exclusivity. For instance, if suddenly everyone has a hard-to-get bag, it can lose its prestige in the eyes of consumers. Thus leading to fewer sales and a weaker bottom line. When a company isn’t hitting its financial goals, employees could be the first at risk of losing their jobs.

Beyond supporting the brand, you can buy the real thing for your own benefit, too. Certain bags increase in value over time, which many people look at as an investment if you ever plan to resell it on a platform like Vestiaire Collective or The Real Real. Take Chanel as the perfect example — it has been steadily increasing pricing on its most popular bags for years. Based on a 2024 Sotheby’s report, a Chanel 2.55 Flap Bag that could have been purchased for less than $5,000 in 2016 is now selling for more than $10,000. That’s a 100% return on your original investment. You lose this critical value when purchasing counterfeit bags. It isn’t just Chanel, either. It’s a similar case for brands like Hermès (obviously), and even newer players like The Row.

Another reason not to buy dupes? Some can be made up of such low-quality materials that they can harm both you and the environment. According to Victoire Boyer Chammard, senior brand manager and authentication specialist at Vestiaire Collective, “The increasing demand for counterfeit products can also encourage nonsustainable and ethically questionable production practices, such as the failure to respect labor laws and human rights, in particular.” Chammard stresses that though it may seem harmless, you could be helping to fund criminal activities and even support dangerous organizations like, terrorism and the drug trade. Is a fake handbag worth potentially directly contributing to criminal activity? No, thank you.

If organized crime isn’t enough to convince you, there’s also the luxury retail experience that you’d be missing out on if you’re buying fakes. The in-store experience is part of the appeal (and what you’re paying for) — another reason that designers like Chanel and Hermès only sell their bags in brick and mortar locations and not online. If you’ve ever saved up for a designer purchase, then you know how satisfying it feels to leave a high-end store after having a glass of Champagne with your sales associate, whom you’ve spent time connecting with.

The Authentication Process

It’s true that advanced technology and artificial intelligence are contributing to the creation of more fake handbags, but they’re also helping spot them. At Vestiaire Collective, the team uses a four-step digital and physical verification process to ensure the products on their website are 100% authentic.

Step 1 is profile monitoring. Any suspicious behavior is monitored through AI technology and machine learning. New accounts will be screened and prevented from joining the platform if there are any fraud risks associated.

Next comes digital verification, where listings are closely analyzed by both AI and expert review. Chammard explains that around 10% of listings are rejected at this stage for poor condition, image quality, or suspected counterfeit activity. She adds “65% of those rejected are flagged as potential fakes (up from 26% in 2021), demonstrating how digital tools are increasingly effective in stopping fraud before it reaches the buyer.”

Still, machine technology isn’t always foolproof. That’s where the next step, physical authentication, comes in. Vestiaire employs highly trained authenticators responsible for examining each item. In 2017, it established the Vestiaire Collective Anti-counterfeiting Academy. “Every authenticator completes 750 hours of initial training, followed by 180 hours annually, reinforcing the platform’s ability to adapt to new counterfeit threats in real time,” Chammard says.

The last step is quality control. This involves final checks before a listing goes up, so that everything like the product description, photos, and quality standards are the most accurate.

The team at The Real Real is also employing a mix of human expertise and advanced technology to authenticate new arrivals. Director of authentication Hunter Thompson says, “To enhance accuracy and efficiency, we’ve developed proprietary AI tools such as TRR Vision and TRR Shield. TRR Vision analyzes high-resolution images to detect counterfeit indicators, while TRR Shield uses machine learning to prioritize items for human review.”

The evidence speaks for itself: Since The Real Real launched in 2011, it has pulled more than a quarter of a million counterfeit items — that’s about 5,000 per month, according to Thompson. In order to bring awareness to its meticulous authentication process, last summer The Real Real even popped up in New York City. Not to be confused with one of its regular retail locations, this “store” never actually opened, but instead you could view a display of the many sophisticated bags that have come in and out of its system. The “store” was ironically located on Canal Street — one major hub of fake bags in NYC. How’s that for a brilliant marketing campaign?

Tips To Spot Fakes

TZR asked Chammard to share the main ways bags fail the authentication process so that consumers can become more informed. However, she made it a point to explain that not just anyone can authenticate without the proper training. Below is a nuanced, but not exhaustive, list of what a highly trained authenticator would being to look for.

1. Model: Does this item exist? Sometimes counterfeit items do not model an actual real product that a brand has created. This is why someone who has a deep understanding of fashion is so important in the verification process.

2. Brand Typography: With changing creative directors come differences in typography. For example, a logo may be from a previous era of the brand rather than the current one the product is meant to reflect.

3. Material: Material can be a dead giveaway if it doesn’t match up to the brand’s standards as well as the production period. A material used on a vintage bag can be different from a contemporary version from the same brand.

4. Weight: The weight of zippers, chains, and clasps can be measured to spot any discrepancies between real versus fake.

5. Stitching: Each brand has different stitching practices. Some use artisanal hand stitching techniques, while others use industrial stitching. It’s important to learn the techniques of each brand as another way to verify.

6. Serial Numbers: Serial numbers can provide hints about an item including the production year. Since these can be easily replicated, it’s important to complete further authentication steps beyond just the serial number.

7. Grammatical Errors: An easy way to spot a fake is to find a spelling error on a care tag or label. It’s a small detail — but a huge red flag.

So, the next time you’re faced with the question “Is it real or fake?” you’ll be better equipped to figure it out. Or, you can just shop at Vestiaire Collective or The Real Real to feel confident that your item has been thoroughly vetted by the experts. The choice is yours.