Fakes on theRealReal
One of our biggest pet peeves is false authenticity claims. Today, we're bringing you another exposé: fakes on theRealReal consignment store. They rarely publish tagging pictures, and many people rely on these images for authentication. However, some of their fakes are so obvious and poor that we spotted them immediately in spite of the limited pictures.
The best and most trusted resellers are those that focus on select designers or a specific type of designer goods, such as vintage jewelry or select designer handbags.
We HATE sites that claim to have only authentic stuff when they really don't know what they're doing. These types of stores cause innocent buyers to pay lots of money for worthless fakes that cannot be ethically resold. Oftentimes, buyers don't even realize that they got a counterfeit!
Authentication is a difficult problem. It requires brand-specific knowledge in the designer and type of item.
Anyway, let's move on and look at the fakes! First up is the Fall 2008 Herve Leger teal green front-zip dress:
We spotted this obvious fake from a mile away! Look at the banding around the torso and the vertical banding. The design is very off!
Here's yet another obvious fake to share with you, the purple and blue double strap mini.
Again, look at that banding around the neckline. Even with heavy picture distortion, there is no way that the authentic version of this dress could be in those colors. This dress was never made in a pink and navy color.
One last example. Btw, I LOVE this dress!
See how the trim and bust is different from the real dress in several spots?
Had a picture of the main tag been on display in their listings, authentication would have been very obvious to MANY Herve Leger lovers. Poor fakes almost always have poor fake tagging too. Even a novice authenticator could have identified these as fake had the main tag been disclosed.
Don't get duped into buying a $10 fake for hundreds or thousands of dollars. When a company states that they accept almost all designer items, this is a BIGred flag.
Btw, they also have some authentication videos out there that are giving bad information. For instance, authentic Celine bags do NOT ALWAYS have a 90 degree cornered serial tag. 90 degree corners on serial tags is more common, but it's not ALWAYS this way.
If you have friends who shop on some of these "trusted" stores, please consider sharing this article with them. Let's be safe out there!