2008 Woodie Awards
Faking it
eBay shoppers on guard for knock off
Jessica Cantarelli/ verge reporter
Issue date: 10/15/05 Section: The Verge
Those who think they can spot a knock-off Louis Vuitton a mile away may find it harder to do so when shopping on eBay for their beloved designer items.
eBay, an online auction Web site, sells everything from concert tickets to cars.
Designer items have become increasingly popular in recent years, according to Vivian Horitos, a sales associate at Saks Fifth Avenue in Chicago.
"Accessories have especially been booming, things like sunglasses and handbags are very popular," she said.
Horitos said one of this season's hottest items is the Chloe Paddington bag.
"We put out the Chloe bag and they were sold out in a day," she said.
It's hard to tell what is real and what isn't on eBay, according to Lindsay Oplinger, junior management major. Oplinger owns a wide variety of designer items including Louis Vuitton and Coach handbags.
"My aunt bought me a Coach purse on eBay, but she made sure the tags were on and looked up the registration number to make sure it was real," Oplinger said.
Hope Martin, of Champaign, said she loves to shop for designer imposter items on eBay because it is the easiest and cheapest way to do it.
Martin frequently buys knock-off designer jewelry on eBay. She said there's not many ways to tell if the items are not real, minus a stamp of authenticity.
"I just assume everything I buy on eBay isn't real," Martin said. "I talk to the seller beforehand, ask them questions and do my homework."
Martin said if she does plan on buying a (real) designer item on eBay, she arranges a return policy with the seller if she finds out the item is an imposter when she receives it.
"If they don't cooperate, then you know they're not legit," Martin said. "Ask tons of questions about stamps and lining of bags."
Oplinger said she prefers the real thing to a designer imposter item. She tries to go to the stores to buy her designer items rather than using eBay.
"I don't really know if there is a way without contacting the seller and asking for the registration numbers, then looking it up with Coach to know if the item is real (on eBay)," Oplinger said. "It just seems like a big hassle to save a tiny bit of money, and even some fake bags have bogus numbers in them."
eBay, an online auction Web site, sells everything from concert tickets to cars.
Designer items have become increasingly popular in recent years, according to Vivian Horitos, a sales associate at Saks Fifth Avenue in Chicago.
"Accessories have especially been booming, things like sunglasses and handbags are very popular," she said.
Horitos said one of this season's hottest items is the Chloe Paddington bag.
"We put out the Chloe bag and they were sold out in a day," she said.
It's hard to tell what is real and what isn't on eBay, according to Lindsay Oplinger, junior management major. Oplinger owns a wide variety of designer items including Louis Vuitton and Coach handbags.
"My aunt bought me a Coach purse on eBay, but she made sure the tags were on and looked up the registration number to make sure it was real," Oplinger said.
Hope Martin, of Champaign, said she loves to shop for designer imposter items on eBay because it is the easiest and cheapest way to do it.
Martin frequently buys knock-off designer jewelry on eBay. She said there's not many ways to tell if the items are not real, minus a stamp of authenticity.
"I just assume everything I buy on eBay isn't real," Martin said. "I talk to the seller beforehand, ask them questions and do my homework."
Martin said if she does plan on buying a (real) designer item on eBay, she arranges a return policy with the seller if she finds out the item is an imposter when she receives it.
"If they don't cooperate, then you know they're not legit," Martin said. "Ask tons of questions about stamps and lining of bags."
Oplinger said she prefers the real thing to a designer imposter item. She tries to go to the stores to buy her designer items rather than using eBay.
"I don't really know if there is a way without contacting the seller and asking for the registration numbers, then looking it up with Coach to know if the item is real (on eBay)," Oplinger said. "It just seems like a big hassle to save a tiny bit of money, and even some fake bags have bogus numbers in them."
The Daily Eastern News encourages on-topic, civil discussion on its articles posted online. It is our policy not to screen comments before they are posted or edit them after they are posted. However, we reserve the right to remove comments that are off-topic, malicious, libelous or include excessive foul language. The DEN also reserves the right to turn off all comments on any story it deems necessary.
Comments violating copyright law will also be removed.
Users who repeatedly violate this policy will be banned from commenting.
If you have any questions on our comment policy or wish to report a comment that you feel violates these standards, please e-mail a link to the article to our Online Editor at DENNews.com@gmail.com.