With numerous immitation brand name products on the market, RADLEY with it's increasing popularity has sadly also fallen victim to this unscrupulous trade in inferior quality FAKE goods.

SO HOW CAN YOU BE SURE YOU ARE BUYING THE GENUINE ARTICLE?

Personally I purchase all of my RADLEY bags & accessories from either reputable high-street stores such as John Lewis or Debenhams (also available online) or RADLEY's very own flagship store on the Kings Road in London.

RADLEY also sell direct from their website and you can sign up to receive regular news and product updates. By viewing their OFFICIAL website you can also access all of the legitimate stockists of RADLEY merchandise within the UK - so if in doubt then check it out! One stockist in particular - FIOREDIRECT.CO.UK sells past and present designs at discounted rates and is currently selling all of the new Spring/Summer 2009 range of bags at least 20% below the RRP with FREE DELIVERY! (no minimum spend required).

Obviously by purchasing from a reputable outlet you are guaranteed a genuine article, but as many of the designs are only available for short periods of time there has become an increased market on ebay although it is very apparent that alot of sellers are 'ripping off' customers by charging excessive prices on designs that are still available in the shops today!

Another point that you might want to consider is that RADLEY do not endorse or support the sales of their merchandise via ebay or other auction websites and will not verify the authenticity of any items listed. Their official stockists are also obliged not to sell in this manner.

So, setting aside all that has just been mentioned, if there is a particular bag you are seeking or you just can't resist trying for a bargain what exactly should you look for before placing your bid or making a purchase of a RADLEY product on ebay?

Here is my step-by-step advice to help ensure that you pick the real deal:

1. Look at the duration period of the auction which can be found at the bottom of the top box on the left hand side of the listing. Was the item originally listed for a 7 or 10 day period? This can be important as generally any suspect listing that is reported to ebay will take a few days for them to investigate by which time a 3 or 5 day auction could have ended and the item may have already been sold before they can remove it. 

2. Look at the Seller's feedback and recently completed listings to see what else they have been selling and whether or not their customers were satisfied. If they have a decent track record then it's a good indication that they are a reputable and reliable person to deal with. 

3. Does the seller specify a return policy? Will they refund you the purchase price if you are not entirely satisfied? If the listing doesn't specify this then don't be frightened to ask. A seller of fake items is unlikely to accept returns.

4. Is the item you are considering buying offered at an 'amazingly cheap' price as a 'buy it now'? As with most things in life if the offer is too good to be true it usually is, so avoid listings like this as they are most likely to be for fake products.

5. Beware of auctions that list the item as 'RADLEY STYLE' as these are unlikely to be authentic. 

6. Is the item of a design that is already known to you as a genuine RADLEY creation? I say this as there have been many fakes on the market that don't even resemble any designs or products that RADLEY have ever produced like this gold pendant (below). To date RADLEY have not produced or endorsed the production of any jewellery items. 

There are further photographic examples of these sort of immitation RADLEY style products in my guide entitled 'OFFICIAL RADLEY ACCESSORIES - YOU MUST BE JOKING!'

7. Don't be afraid to ask the seller if they can send you more photographs of the item. For example: the inside of a bag showing the identifying logo, the swing dog-tag as well as any detailed signs of damage if the item has been described as 'used'.

Old-style interior identifying logo made from leather (above) shown featured on RADLEY's very first 'Signature' bag produced in 2002 entitled 'BEACH HUTS' and the newer style metal interior logo featured on more recent design bags (below).

8. RADLEY bags, purses and other leather goods are provided in drawstring protective dust-bags (colours may vary). The vast majority of their bags also come with a small drawstring pouch inside containing leather cleaner and mitt. Check whether these are included with your potential purchase.

9. RADLEY bags have an attached glossy thin cardboard tag that usually (but not always) bears the name and barcode of the design on it's reverse side. (See photo below for an example of the Signature 'HOME SWEET HOME' bag and what a genuine tag should look like). These are usually attached with a thin leather tie that is the same colour as the lead on the accompanying swing dog-tag.

TIP: Cardboard tags on fake articles often depict a sillouette in red of a scottie dog next to the wording - a good indication that the item is not genuine.

Other RADLEY products such as purses, credit card holders and travel pass holders come with a printed glossy card insert. The newer ones have rounded corners (as shown below) but the original ones had sharper, straight edges and pointed corners.

10. Does the item have the RADLEY wording embossed onto it? This should be a small feature and on purses can be found underneath the appliqued dog but NEVER on it as shown in this example of a fake purse (below). It is only the leather dog-shaped swing tags that have the RADLEY brand name actually embossed onto them. There are also some designs of purses that have the brand name embossed on the reverse side. 

Another tip when buying a purse - if it has a zip fastening, is to examine the small leather pull-tag that is attached to it. Genuine RADLEY purse zips have a small star-shaped insert on this tag which is usually in the same colour leather as the appliqued dog featured on the front of the item (just visable on the genuine example below).

11. Take a close look at the swing dog-tag to ensure that it does have the RADLEY name embossed on it (like the example on the left below). Alot of fake tags may be the correct shape but don't necessarily have the embossing of the brand upon them. If they do it is often done in larger lettering or incorrect font and sometimes printed rather than embossed. Other giveaways are a larger than normal rivett eye not always positioned correctly, and a wider collar (See the examples below)

 Genuine shown left - Fake shown right.

A RADLEY swing tag should do just that - SWING! It should either be looped around the handle of the bag by it's lead or tied to a tiny loop just on the inner edge of the bag behind one handle. Leads and tags are detachable and should not be stuck down or stitched to the surface of the bag as has been found with many of the fakes.

RADLEY have made a few bags that carry metal tags rather than the more commonly used leather version. These have an enamel coated surface similar to the keyrings that RADLEY also produce (shown below)  and the brand name is usually silver in colour and feels slightly raised when you touch it with your finger.

RADLEY do not make plain stainless steel swing tags or silver and gold versions either!

There is also another dog-shaped type of swing tag recently featured on certain designs such as the 'STOWAWAY' that although is made from leather is actually edged with stainless steel.

Further examples of genuine RADLEY dog tags (including both the metal and leather/metal edged versions) are included in my guide entitled 'QUICK RADLEY FUN QUIZ - CAN YOU SPOT THE FAKES?'

12.  Finally, don't be taken in by sellers that advertise their bags as 'Limited Edition' or 'RARE'. The vast majority of RADLEY bags being sold on ebay are neither and virtually all of their designs have been produced in their thousands! It is true to say that RADLEY constantly update their designs each season and that many of their bags are therefore only available in stores for short periods, but you could say the same about the clothing you buy from any high-street store whose collections are constantly changing. Doesn't mean the designs are 'Limited' does it?

It may help to read some of my other RADLEY guides dedicated to 'Limited Edition' and 'Signature' bags - do your homework before you splash the cash and avoid being ripped off!

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ANTI-COUNTERFEIT DEVICES INTRODUCED FOR LAUNCH OF AUTUMN 2008 COLLECTION

Just introduced in time for the launch of the Autumn 2008 collection, RADLEY have recently announced that all their new bags and certain other items will be fitted with 'anti-counterfeit devices' to prevent the sale of immitation products.

Using LCD technology, each piece of new merchandise will be fitted with a holographic label that incorporates the trademark dog motif.

These extra security measures will see the logo change colour if moved enabling fakes to be more easily identified.

Updated 22/07/08

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I have been contacted by another ebay member today informing me that she has just returned from a holiday in Turkey and there are so many really good immitation Radley bags and accessories readily available which were cleverly made and very difficult to distinguish from the genuine articles.

This is obviously a concern as it is likely to mean that many of these items will at some point find their way onto ebay which is what has happened in the past with other brands such as Louis Vuitton. 

The only advice I can offer if purchasing on ebay is to check with any seller before you buy that they will accept a return if you are not satisfied. Seller's can also be reported for trading in counterfeit goods which may even result in prosecution as this is illegal.

Updated 10/07/09

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FURTHER UPDATE RE: TURKISH FAKES

I have been contacted today by another ebay member who has sadly found herself on the receiving end of one of these inferior Turkish 'RADLEY' immitations.

She points out in her message that the bag received didn't have all of the pockets that a classic RADLEY grab-style bag normally has even though the seller stated that it did. She also informed me that the attention to detail was very poor, especially the dog-tag which apparently only had an eye on one side and was plain on the back with no embossed brand name. The lining was also described as very inferior and quote 'far from looking like a RADLEY'.

All I can say to anyone else who gets caught out like this is to report the seller to ebay as they could well face prosecutuion for trading in counterfeits as this is illegal.

Updated 13/07/09

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If you love RADLEY bags you may be interested in my other guides.

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I HOPE THAT YOU HAVE ENJOYED VIEWING MY GUIDE AND THAT IT WAS OF INTEREST TO YOU. IF YOU FOUND THE INFORMATION HELPFUL THEN I WOULD APPRECIATE IT IF YOU COULD CLICK ON THE 'YES' BUTTON BELOW.