Fake Chanel From a High-End Consignment Store
Here is a fake vintage Chanel bag and fake Chanel earrings that were sold at a high-end consignment store. Fakes don't only plague many online sites; they are also common in many consignment shops.
Check out this counterfeit vintage Chanel bag. It's definitely not the worst replica we've seen, but it's also nowhere near the best vintage fake we've seen. For an expert or vintage Chanel lover, there are errors throughout. We've captured these mistakes in our pictures.
Many sites and consignment shops that tout authenticity don't purposely sell fakes. They simply don't know any better and lack the necessary authentication knowledge specific to each brand.
This bag feels passable. The shoulder chain is heavy. The hardware parts are metal and not plastic. The red material does not feel obviously plastic. The stitching is neat and clean. These are all features that novice authenticators *cough* *cough* (shouldn't even be considered authenticators!) will examine.
A qualified authenticator will automatically notice numerous issues with the stamping and hardware parts. Because the parts are not sourced from the same place, and the manufacturing process is different from what an authentic bag goes through, the bag has many errors.
This bag is not a good or convincing fake; it just doesn't necessarily feel fake.
Here is another example of a fake Chanel item that was sold in a consignment store. Once again, the item is of a good weight. The material is metal, and the rhinestones are of decent quality. There is no obvious mold line.
However, these vintage Chanel earring wannabees are still considered to be very poor counterfeits in the eyes of someone experienced with Chanel costume jewelry. Any Chanel jewelry specialist will tell you that they are obviously fake. The jewelry techniques and parts are far from what a genuine pair of earrings would have.
In no way does this mean that there aren't consignment stores that do proper authentication of their items. However, the number of stores that don't properly authenticate is alarming. Be sure to always ask how they confirm the authenticity of their goods, particularly when they accept almost all designer brands and goods. A consignment store that only accepts handbags for instance will usually have less or no fakes compared to that of a store that accepts almost all designer items.