But counterfeits have infiltrated the economy, and they have gotten more sophisticated recently.
These are the most commonly knocked-off styles to look out for, and some easy tells.
Luxury handbags are among the most expensive items one can buy — not considering things like yachts, mansions, and private islands — with the prices of exclusive purses from Hermès or Chanel climbing into the six figures.
The secondhand market has become an increasingly important part of the luxury market, rising to $50 billion last year, according to Bain & Company. With a limited supply of the most in-demand bags, some are turning to resale to avoid yearslong waitlists. At the same time, aspirational customers are taking advantage of better prices as a gateway to luxury.
But there are dangers to buying on the secondhand market: counterfeit products, which the rise in "dupe culture" has only helped to escalate.
Business Insider spoke to Hunter Thompson, the director of authentication and brand compliance at secondhand luxury retailer The RealReal, about the proliferation of increasingly convincing fakes.
"In 2024, if it can be faked, it's faked," Thompson said. "Someone wears something one day, and in a few weeks, it's been counterfeited."
Each month, The RealReal prevents about 5,000 fraudulent items from hitting the market and has kept more than 250,000 out of circulation since its inception in 2011. Some are sold by unwitting owners who have been misled, while others are part of a larger network of counterfeit suppliers seeking to make a buck from knock-offs.
Currently, the company is displaying 30 counterfeit bags intercepted at a popup on Canal Street — known for the fakes sold along its sidewalks — to display just how realistic they can be.
"The level of sophistication there has definitely only increased," Thompson said, adding that wannabe sellers are even faking receipts, hoping that proof of purchase will sway someone to accept a rip-off.
Hardware — like the feet of a Birkin, zippers, and pulls — can indicate that something is off, as are discrepancies in logos and spacing. For less obvious inconsistencies, the company deploys a microscopic camera that compares the bag with thousands of others, looking at everything from the grain of the leather to the edges of a brand stamp.
Here are the bags that Thompson said are most commonly faked —and some tell-tale red flags to look out for.
"It changes and stays the same. There are always those bags that are going to be counterfeit," he said. "Anything that's popular is totally game for being counterfeited."
Hermès Birkin and Kelly
The Birkin bag is arguably Hermès' most exclusive handbag, costing at least $10,000 — sometimes much more — and racking up yearslong waitlists.
Edward Berthelot/Getty Images
If you're in the market for a secondhand Hermès Birkin — priced $6,200 to $350,000 on The RealReal — or Kelly — priced $5,000 to $165,000 — be sure to turn it upside down and check the small pieces of hardware on its bottom.
"If the feet unscrew, it's bad," Hunter Thompson, director of authentication and brand compliance at secondhand luxury retailer The RealReal, told Business Insider. "That's the first thing I'm checking."
And if it comes with an orange authenticity card: code orange. "Hermes does not issue those," Thompson added.
The stitching is also a telltale sign: Hermès bags are sewn by hand, so it shouldn't actually be as uniform and perfect as a machine-made stitch.
Louis Vuitton: from key chains to trunks
Louis Vuitton bags — particularly those with the traditional "LV" print — are perennially faked.
Edward Berthelot/Getty Images
Anything Louis Vuitton — from key fobs to luggage — can be faked, Thompson said, with people perennially interested in the logoed bags.
For Louis Vuitton, the color is a dead giveaway, former employee Shelley Alvarado told Business Insider last year.
"There's a richness in color on the real product that doesn't appear obvious at first glance, but once you compare materials, you can absolutely tell the difference," she said.
Gucci's signature styles
A Gucci Chain Horsebit bag — one of the brand's more popular styles.
Jeremy Moeller/Getty Images
"Gucci, it's across the board and that's one that it's always up there — it always ranks very high in terms of counterfeit percentage for us," Thompson said.
Signature styles like the Horsebit or the Jackie are more likely to be copied than niche ones.
Like on Louis Vuitton bags, the logos are a helpful tool in spotting a fake. For example, the spacing and edges of the letters may be off, or the shape of a monogram.
Prada re-editions
Prada re-editions, like the 2002 Moon bag, have grown in popularity in recent years.
Edward Berthelot/Getty Images
In recent years, Prada has been rereleasing some of its styles from the early aughts, which have become popular — and popular to fake.
The triangular metal Prada logo is an easy tell, Thompson said.
"We're able to see the etching deep in, so we could see if it's striated, for example. That's a big red flag," he said, adding that the company uses its microscopic Vision software to check. With "20/20 vision, you're not really going to see that."
The Row's Half Moon bag
As quiet luxury becomes more popular, bags like The Row's Half Moon are more commonly counterfeit.
Courtesy of The RealReal
"There's the whole quiet luxury movement — those are even harder to spot," Thompson said, pointing to The Row, and specifically the brand's Half Moon, Alexia, and Sophia bags. "Things are more minimalistic, so there is a lack of identifiers."
Without logos, The Real Real zeros in on hardware, the grain of leather, and the stitching.
Celine's Luggage styles
Celine bags, including the brand's luggage styles, have become more commonly faked over the past year.
Courtesy of The RealReal
Celine bags, like the brand's Luggage styles, are more likely to be faked than they were a year ago.
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