FASHION LITERATURE

Author's profile: Maxine Nelson Maxine Nelson realized early on a true passion for writing. A memoir is in the works for publication in the near future. Currently she writes about her passions for all kinds of music, the performing arts, and local events in her area.

Coco Chanel once said," The best things in life are free and the 2nd best are expensive!" On that latter half of her statement she is no doubt referring to her exquisite handbags. It is a given fact her handbags are prohibitively expensive for the average person. That is why there have been numerous cottage industries of online outlets selling Chanel handbags. Or are they? That is a very important question. To save you any further headaches, if you want an authentic Chanel handbag you need to buy one at her Chanel Boutique either in Paris, New York, West Palm Beach, Beverly Hills, or anywhere else in the world. If those locations are not in your vicinity and you still insist on getting a Chanel handbag or purse at a discount, which can be accomplished with a legitimate purchase on eBay, then here are a few things you will need to be on the lookout for. The information presented will only be a starting point for you. It cannot be stressed enough that you will need to do further investigations. Whoever uttered the famous phrase: "Caveat Emptor or Buyer Beware" it is truly relevant today. Here are five warnings and tips to help get you started. Warnings: There are plenty of them and should be heeded. 1.) All of these products are sold through the Chanel Boutiques and very selected high end retailers, such as Nieman Marcus and Nordstrom. They do not allow their items to be sold on websites, discount stores, wholesalers, etc. You cannot even purchase Chanel items on their Chanel.com website. 2.) Chanel strictly prohibits any infringement on their famous trademark and will FULLY prosecute anyone who does so! Their legal department is fully dedicated to removing counterfeit items listed on eBay and other websites. If the bag is selling at a cheap price, or way below retail, it is most likely a fake. Even with used Chanel bags they still hold their value and can easily sell as close to retail as possible. 3.) Beware of these most commonly used counterfeit serial numbers on Chanel bags are :7244764, 8947749, 9316391, 9395451, 9395455, 9675223, 9777617, 9889754, 9892039, 10218184, 10380486, 10501946, 10995820, 11062948 and 10803549. In addition, these counterfeits come with a serial number card and matching numbers inside the bag. 4.) It is actually a federal crime to sell counterfeits and also illegal to mail them through the U. S. Postal Service. Many of these sellers of Chanel and other designer handbags have been arrested and prosecuted by the FBI. This type of crime is not taken lightly by law enforcement. You may also be prosecuted for buying counterfeits based on the mere assumption you will re-sell them. Ignorance is not bliss, nor is it an excuse. 5.) Here are just some of the sites selling counterfeits to please stay away from: citivogue.com, fettuci.com, toptrade88.com, Shop Star Style.com, mohega.com, pricebusters.com, DHgate.com, and ebshoppe.com are all under investigation by Chanel. Be sure to visit the International Anti-Counterfeit Coalition, IPCybercrime, CounterfeitChic & FakesAreNeverInFashion.com to learn more about this. Tips: These are just a few to give you an idea. There are a lot of details you need to look for. 1.) All Chanel bags should have a hologram authenticity sticker and matching card from its mid 1980's till present day collections. It has not changed in the last 25 years. Don't be alarmed if the card is not included in the bag, because they sometimes get separated. If this occurs it doesn't mean the bag is a counterfeit. 2.) The numbers from the hologram sticker and authenticity card should match identically. 3.) For the hologram sticker, the newer stickers (from their later 5 series till present) should be clear with gold flecks on it. On the right side of the sticker should be the name CHANELCHANELCHANEL to the right of the numbers series and on the left side a bold black line. A white sticker, under the clear one, should be scored in a criss-cross or X pattern. 4.) The card should be in the colors of black and gold. There are not several different styles of authenticity cards. It always remains the same with black and the gold trim and lettering. The hologram inside the bag will pull apart when removing it and ruin the tag. 5.) These handbags are made of very high quality calfskin, not lambskin, especially the Cambon line. However, they do use other leathers and fabrics depending on their others lines. The Cambon bags are made in Italy, not in France as one would assume. However, some of the Chanel items are manufactured in France. If you feel going through all this trouble is worth getting a good deal on a Chanel handbag, then hopefully this information will save you a lot of time, worry, and heartache. As I stated earlier you can get a good deal on eBay legitimately, the only problem is you need to take your time and be patient. SOURCES: http://reviews.ebay.com/HOW-TO-SPOT-A-FAKE-CHANEL_W0QQugidZ10000000001327063 http://www.chanel.com/fashion/8#8-bags-chanel-accessories-1,1 http://forum.purseblog.com/chanel/how-to-spot-fake-chanel-links-again-5599.html Source of this article:http://voices.yahoo.com/chanel-handbag-spot-fake-one-right-away-4287807.html