Good knock-offs exist and you certainly don’t want to own a fake Louis Vuitton purse.  If the deal sounds too good to be true, it almost always is a fake.  Real Louis Vuitton bags retain their value and often go up in value as they get older. Louis Vuitton does not wholesale their bags, nor do they have outlet stores. If you see a Louis Vuitton handbag for substantially less than it cost new, it is most likely fake.

Tips from a combined group of  bloggers and experts that can help you determine the authenticity of a Louis Vuitton purse.

• Colors:   Real Louis Vuitton multi-color bags contain at least 33 distinct colors. Fake multi-color bags have at most 20 colors.
• Patterns:   The LV monograms on a real bag will always line up horizontally and vertically, and they will never overlap with the zipper. The pattern will never repeat at an angle.
• Stitching:   Real Louis Vuitton bags have intricate, careful stitching. The stitching will be the same on similar places on the bag. For example, at all four spots where the handles connect to a Speedy bag, there will be 5 even stitches at the top of the connecting piece.
• Fonts:   Check the imprint on the inside of the bag. The “O” in a real Louis Vuitton will be an exact circle. The O on a fake Louis Vuitton may be closer to an oval.
• Date codes:   Starting in the early 1980s, Louis Vuitton imprinted the interior of all their bags with date codes. These are in the form of two letters and then 3 or 4 numbers. Real Louis Vuitton bags do not have “serial numbers” or any other markings that would be specific to a single bag.
• Made in:   Louis Vuitton manufactures bags in France, the US, Spain, Germany and Italy. If a counterfeiter is careless enough to state where their fake was actually produced (in China for example) it is clearly a fake.
• Interiors:   The inside of a real Louis Vuitton is very simple, and rarely contains inner pockets with LV monogram patterns.
• Dust bags:   A real Louis Vuitton dust bag is simple, with either the LV monogram or the words “Louis Vuitton.” It does not contain any more information than that. A real dust bag will also be made of quality material (not cheap plastic) and will have square corners, not rounded edges.
• Handles:   Real Louis Vuitton handles are thin, spaced close together, and rarely wrapped in plastic.
• Hardware:   Real Louis Vuitton bags have brass and gold metal hardware, not plastic. Zippers will have LV printed on them.
• Tags:   Real Louis Vuitton bags do not have “Authenticity Cards.” and they never have tags attached to the bag. Tags will usually come with the receipt, or tucked into the inside.

Designer handbags should be the real deal.  There is no value in a knock-off, so use these tips and make sure your designer purse is authentic.