How to Buy Authentic Designer Bags on eBay

wearing: superdown bustier top | levis shorts | LV white mc bag

For months I've been browsing designer consignment shops looking for a good deal on either a small shoulder bag or a backpack. The only designer bags I was considering buying new are the LV palm springs mini backpack (but it's extremely hard to get) or the MCM x- mini backpack (easy to find, much more affordable than LV, and similar look). Other than those I really wanted to go for used because they are much more affordable and they have a history - I love vintage pieces! I had never really considered eBay because it didn't seem like the place to buy authentic designer items. The more I looked into it and did the research I realized it's an amazing place to get a good price on vintage and designer goods. With that being said please don't go onto eBay and buy the first bag that comes into the search. It's crucial that you do your research first. Today I compiled a list of my top tips and things to consider when purchasing a designer bag on eBay. I'm by no means an expert in buying vintage designer bags but I just wanted to share what I've learned. I'm also going to list the seller I purchased from as well of a list of sellers other people have had good luck with.

Find your seller. You should always check the seller information and their feedback score. You can see how many positive, neutral, and negative reviews they've had and you can read through them too so you can see what to expect from the seller. I would recommend to only purchase from sellers that have a high amount of reviews and a high positive feedback percentage (99% or better). You can also do this by going onto forums/ youtube and seeing where others have purchased from. When I first started looking for reputable sellers I wish I could've just found a list so that I could just browse through their shops. So that's what I did for you guys, in alphabetical order: atlantis-tokyo, authenticbrandshopkasei, best-lifejapan, biltmoreluxurydirect, boom2hanten, brandworks, brand_jfa, brandoff, brandstreet.tokyo, elady01, japan_monoshare, komehyo, kurotoa, kyounokura-japan, linda*s***stuff

There are many more sellers out there but thee are some I've come across that have mostly good reviews. I'm always looking for new sellers so if you have a good seller you'd like to share with me, leave a comment or send me an email. 

Most of these sellers are from Japan and initially I was worried but after researching, Japan seems to have very strict laws on counterfeit goods so more than likely what you buy will be authentic. I also love that most of the Japanese sellers offer free shipping and I got my stuff in less than a week which was such a nice surprise to me! I also love that their items are priced very well and described accurately. 

Review the listing CLOSELY!  I cannot stress this enough. Make sure to look at every single picture in full-screen mode and even better if you can look at it on your laptop or desktop computer since it's a bigger screen than a smartphone so you'll be able to see details better. Check corners, zippers, hardware, straps, interior, etc. Then read the description of the listing very closely. I've noticed that a lot of Japanese sellers are very good at describing the condition of the item and sometimes they use a rating system. 

- Take notice if they mention any odors. A lot of vintage pieces will have a closet odor, for some people that's a deal breaker so make sure to pay attention to that. If they don't list the smell you can always ask them. All 3 of the items I've bought from eBay have had a closet odor but can easily be taken care of with dryer sheets or some perfume. I washed my prada tessuto nylon backpack in a lingerie bag on gentle since it's made of nylon and had no leather parts and it came out just fine.

- Take notice if the zipper works properly, if it comes with all the straps/accessories/authenticity card/dust bag, etc, or if they mention any major flaws like cracks or tears.

- If being able to return an item is important to you double check the return policy.

- Search google for tips on authenticating the particular brand and style of bag you're shopping for and use those tips while looking at the photos on the listing.

Pay with Paypal. Even after you inspected the photos and listing I highly recommend paying with Paypal or a credit card in case any issues arise with the authenticity of your product and you have to file a claim. I've heard that it's way easier and quicker to deal with PayPal and credit card companies instead of your bank.

Try out auctions. Initially, I was only looking for buy it now listings because I figured I could never win an auction but it's not as hard as I thought and I love the thrill of seeing if I win lol. I've noticed that some of the best deals come from auction-style listings. A lot of the sellers that do auctions will start them at 99 cents and if there are not many interested bidders than you can actually get an amazing deal.

- I recommend watching the item that you want and keep a close eye on it. You don't want really start bidding on it until there are a few minutes left. Once there are only a few minutes left on the listing you should set a maximum that you're willing to pay on that item. This is so important because it's SO easy to get carried away when you're bidding. Once it goes down to a minute I will watch it and when it gets to around 5 seconds I will put in my max bid. That leaves only a couple seconds for other bidders to increase their bids. And this is exactly how I got the 3 items I've purchased.

- If you do want to try winning auctions get the eBay app because it will send all sorts of reminders to your phone.

Customs fees. On almost all of the listings, you'll notice the seller mention that they are not responsible for customs fees. I didn't get charged any customs fees on my orders so I'm not sure how this works but it's something to be aware of.

Those are all the major tips I can think of now. Feel free to leave me any questions in the comments below. For the rest of the post, I'm going to be sharing my experience and the items I bought.

The main items I was looking for were backpacks and shoulder bags and the designers I was looking through were Dior, Prada, Chanel, and Louis Vuitton. I ended up finding this Prada tessuto backpack in an auction and I got it for under 100 bucks (I saw one on the realreal exactly like mine that sold for $325). The seller mentioned how it had lost its shape and it had a strorage odor but that was not a big deal to me. I received it fairly quickly (less than a week) and it definitely had a musty closet smell that was stronger than I would've hoped. One other thing is that it looked more of a very dark blue than black like the listing stated but since it looks pretty dark I don't mind. I ended up sticking it in the washer on delicate inside of a lingerie bag and afterwards I stuck it in the dryer on low and it came out perfect. I only did this because the fabric looked washable and had no leather on it otherwise, I wouldn't recommend anyone do this. Washing it got rid of most of the odor and also got rid of some of the dirt/spots that were on it. I'm so happy with this purchase and I've been using it so much. Here are a couple similar ones currently listed on eBay: one & two

The next piece I had been wanting is a Louis Vuitton pochette accessoires in the monogram print. As with a lot of the popular LV pieces this one is hard to get your hands on new. So eBay was the perfect place to find one. I ended up getting it for $240 vs $525 which is the current retail price. Mine was made in 1999 so it's one of the older models with the thicker canvas and shorter strap. It came in pretty good condition just a few stains on the leather, wear and tear on the hardware, and storage odor (not as strong as the prada backpack) which I'll be getting out with dryer sheets. Since the strap is pretty small I can't exactly wear it as a shoulder bag like I wanted to but I plan to buy this chain strap from amazon so that I can. This is such a classic and I'm so happy to have it in my collection! Here are a couple currently on sale on eBay: one & two

I saved the best for last! I got my hands on a white multicolor pochette accessoires from the Takashi Murakami x LV collab. It is so freaking stunning!! I got this one from winning an auction and ended up getting it for such an amazing price (under $300). It does have a bit of staining on the leather, color transfer on the canvas, wear on the hardware, and storage odor but I don't care because it's gorgeous! I'll also be ordering a chain strap for this one so I can wear it crossbody/on my shoulder. Here are a couple currently listed on eBay: one & two

I bought all my pieces from this eBay seller and have had a pleasant experience each time. Each piece is shipped very quickly and arrived in less than a week. None of my pieces came with dust bags but came wrapped in clear plastic bags sealed with cute pink tape. 

What did you guys think? Have you bought any preloved designer items from eBay before?