1. Make sure you know the item & designer:

Have a look on the designer's website and compare the item you're watching and bidding for. Are they the same colour/size/style? Many counterfieters get away with selling fake goods because buyers have nothing to compare them against. If you can't find an item on the designers website, then it's probably a fake, though many designers have limited edition bags, or certain items will only be available in certain countries or stores.

Make sure the item matches up completely. Make sure that the lining and hardwear are exact. Designers don't usually print on designs, especially on bags. Wording and pictures will be either engraved or imprinted. Hardwear should be the same colour and heavy, leather should smell like leather...very few designers sell faux-leather bags, especially when they retail for hundereds of pounds.

Where is your item sold? Many designers will only sell their items in their own stores. Louis Vuitton is only available on their website or stores in the UK, and from e-luxury in the US. Juicy Couture do not have 'retailers' that sell on ebay. If somebody says they are a licensed retailer of a designer then they're probably lying.

Determining authenticity

Once you've matched the item to your picture and are happy with the comparision, check out the items of authenticity. Most designer bags and purses will come with a dustbag and in a box. Designers like Louis Vuitton, Dior and Chanel will ALWAYS have these, and will usually have a serial number and authenticity tags. However, these can just as easily be forged, and not every item will come with them anyway. Some fraudsters will even forge tags for items that do not have any! Primp do not tag or bag their clothing! As far as I am aware Juicy Couture do not bag their clothing either, though this may be differant when buying online.

Reciepts: Many sellers now show/sell bags with reciepts. Use your intiative - If a seller has the reciept to an unwanted designer bag worth hundereds why are they selling it on ebay rather than taking it back to the store for a refund or exhange? This isn't always the case though, as some designers have a limited time for returning items.

The best way of determining authenticity I have found is the wrapping. 99% of designers will wrap their goods nicely, in tissue paper, ribbons, stickers, boxes and a carrier bag. People are far more likely to keep the posh wrapping paper and bags than reciepts. Ask the seller if they have the bag or any wrapping - they may wish to keep it and therefore won't have photographed it.

Questions to ask your seller

Any decent seller will be happy to answer any questions you have. If a seller doesn't answer a question, or gets nasty, keep away from them. Try not to bid on anything if you have an unanswered questions - Most sellers, genuine or fake, won't accept returns.

Ask them as many questions as you need to, and go with your instincts. If you think that a seller is lying about anything, then avoid them. Ask them plenty of questions - Why are they selling the item? Where did they get it and how much? Do they have the reciept? How big is the item?

Tips and tricks

• Read the description thoroughly. A seller won't answer a question on the size of the item if it's already been answered or is in the description.
• Make sure you know what payment they accept and what postage they offer. Always select recorded delivery at least - then if your item is lost or stolen in the post you can claim compensation.
• If it sounds too good to be true then it probably is - A genuine Louis Vuitton manhatten bag starting from £50.00 is probably going to be fake. Some sellers start their auction low as a selling technique though.
• Because of the current exhange rate, many sellers are buying goods from the US for half the price, and so can sell the items cheaper. Check out US websites that sell designer goods, you may end up being able to buy the genuine item cheaper there than on ebay.
• Build a good relationship with sellers. If you like a seller that you've already bought from, add them to your favourites and use them again. Ask plenty of questions.
• Make sure you're happy with the item you're bidding on. Every seller will be p*ssed off if you're the winning bidder and you don't want it anymore because it's not the right size or colour.
• Do your homework. Make sure you know the bag you want well, and search ebay everyday for it, and watch any you like. Try not to bid on items ending within minutes, despite how good a bargain they are, unless you've had the chance to check out the item properly.
• Try to pay via paypal whenever possible, and only ever send payment to the address given on paypal, otherwise you could be sending money to a scammer that's hacked into a genuine sellers paypal.
• Rare, collectible and vintage designer goods are rarely sold on ebay. Genuine sellers will sell them on other, specialist sites, and they'll be selling for thousands.
• Your seller should be able to give you information on maintaining your bag.
• Check out the sellers feedback and other items. If a seller is selling 20 genuine Chloe paddingtons you can be they're fake. Check out what the seller's been buying also, have they recently bought a designer dustbag or carrier bag? If so they've probably bought a cheap replica, and the authenticity tags and bags they're supplying it with are probably real.
• Designer clothing ALWAYS fits well. Despite what the majority of people think designer clothing sizes do not run small! They cost extra because they are superbly cut and fit extremely well. Counterfiters will usually make clothing and shoes extra small.
• Designer clothing and accessories will always be excellent quality, and last, hence the expensive prices.