If you’re thinking of buying a Hermès handbag online, there are certain details that you must take into consideration. The luxury resale market, as vast as it is, can also be a space full of counterfeiters and scammers that create exact replicas of the Hermès handbags, selling them as genuine bags to take advantage of people.
This is why, if you want to buy a Hermès bag online safely, you must have in mind that there are certain levels of authenticity that are able to represent how genuine a bag is, so you can always be certain of the authenticity of a Hermès bag before purchasing it.
Next, we will detail each Hermès handbags’ authenticity levels so that you can learn what to look for and avoid scams when buying Hermès bags online. Read on and discover the perfect ecommerce to buy brand new in box Hermès bags safely and with the best prices!
- Why is Hermès bags’ authenticity an issue?
- Hermès Handbags’ Authenticity Levels
- The importance of traceability
- The Birkin’s & Kelly’s House: The safest alternative
Why is Hermès bags’ authenticity an issue?
Authenticity has always been an issue in the luxury resale market, but even more so when it comes to Hermès handbags, as these products are highly valuable and are considered amazing investments that can appreciate as time goes by.
Due to the renown, popularity and value of authentic Hermès handbags, counterfeiters have taken the opportunity to earn money from this by creating exact replicas of the handbags, with such level of sophistication that they are almost indistinguishable from original bags. Scammers go as far as using natural skins and precious metal hardware to replicate Hermès craftsmanship.
If you wonder if invoices or other authenticity certificates are enough to debunk a fake bag, you’re mistaken, as invoices can easily be falsified, and authenticity certificates issued by online marketplaces can become null if the experts can’t tell apart a fake from an original. Hermès handbags’ replicas are so good nowadays, that not even the biggest brand experts can certify the authenticity of a bag to a 100%.
This is why it is essential to ask for as much authenticity proof as possible to make sure that the bag you’re going to purchase is completely genuine, and that you’re not falling for a scam that will make you lose your investment.
Hermès Handbags’ Authenticity Levels
There are certain levels of authenticity that a Hermès handbag can meet to be considered genuine. Next, we will detail each of the levels, so you can know which are the basic elements that must be examined to make sure that a bag is authentic.
Low
The low level of authenticity entails a Hermès bag that is supposedly authentic, but that it has one or a few characteristics that set it apart from actually real bags. These types of bags may seem authentic, but there are small flaws that can be seen if explored closely, which can definitely tell you that the bag is completely fake.
Handbags with a low level of authenticity are present everywhere on the internet, and some of them are even sold without a packaging or dust bag, proving the point of forged Hermès bags that were made on a rush to seem real, but that lack the important details that a true Hermès bag should have. Although this bags may be easy to recognize as fake, many clients fall for them if they are not paying enough attention or if they don’t know enough about the resale market and its risks.
Always avoid buying a Hermès bag that seems off or that it doesn’t come with its original box and dust bag, because not only they can be a fake bags, but they can also be stolen bags.
Standard Low
The standard low level of authenticity entails a handbag that has been physically examined and it appears to be authentic. This examination also includes the packaging, dust bag and other elements that come with the bag. The physical examination must meet all the standards for a genuine bag, such as the skin, hardware, structure, stitching, prints, date stamp, metal engravings and much more.
However, due to the presence of countless sophisticated fake bags, it is very difficult to assess that a Hermès bag is authentic based on the appearance alone. There are many counterfeiters that have learned techniques from former Hermès employees, or that have mastered the creation of these bags, even using the same materials as the authentic products, buying them straight from the same suppliers that Hermès has.
This is why a standard low level of authenticity, or just the physical examination of a bag can’t be trusted entirely to certify that it is a real product. Most marketplaces are full of Hermès bags with a standard low level of authenticity, and this is why you must be very alert before purchasing them.
Standard
The standard level goes an extra step to certify the authenticity of a Hermès bag. This level includes not only a successful physical examination, but also the presence of the official Hermès invoice and in some cases an authenticity certificate issued by an online marketplace, that has presumably examined the bag physically.
The Hermès official invoice is a key element that contains important information about the bag, and that needs to match to the physical characteristics. A real Hermès invoice contains data about the model, size, type of construction, skin, color, hardware and date stamp, which is a unique code to every bag, and that it should only represent said bag.
Although Hermès invoices are one of the most important elements to assess authenticity, they can be easily falsified by counterfeiters that copy an original invoice, or that buy a genuine bag and then make copies of it, including the invoice. This is why the presence of the official Hermès invoice can’t be trusted entirely, especially if there is no proof of purchase with other documents.
When it comes to marketplaces’ certificates, they are not 100% reliable either, this is because of two reasons: first, there is no certainty that the marketplace actually performed a physical inspection of the bag, or if they just did it by pictures, in which case the pictures provided by the seller could have been stolen from another seller. And secondly, if the marketplace actually inspected the bag in person, it may be a very sophisticated replica that even the experts wouldn’t be able to tell from a real one. Either way, there is a very high risk of the bag being a fake.
The standard level of authenticity can be mildly trusted, but it is always better to have more proof of the bag’s genuineness by asking for additional documents and investigating further before purchasing the product.
Standard High
The standard high level of authenticity for Hermès handbags includes a physically examined bag, the official invoice and marketplace certificate, while also including one important document that can help you assess the genuineness of the bag on a deeper level. This document is the voucher or payment receipt that was handed by the official store after paying with a card.
The voucher is a very important piece of information that you can ask for to have a bigger picture of the handbag’s purchase, and it can almost guarantee that it is an original bag purchased at the store. In the payment ticket you will see three elements that need to match to the official invoice, they are the date and time of the purchase, as well as the exact amount paid at the store. If these three pieces of information match the official invoice, you have a trustworthy way to know the bag was bought at a real store.
Some payment tickets, although they are more difficult to fake, can still be falsified, so you will require more important documents to tell if the bag is truly genuine.
High
The high level of authenticity for Hermès handbags includes all the previously mentioned elements, with the addition of a very important document that can help you determine the authenticity of a bag a little bit further, this document is the bank statement and serves to corroborates the transaction.
The bank statement proves that the transaction was made at the same store, in the same day and time, and for the same amount shown on the payment ticket and official invoice. The bank statement is not easily obtained from every seller, as many people may be reluctant to show their personal data, and they are in the right of not doing so, but a simple proof can be shown by covering the important details about the account, and just letting the date, time and amount be shown to confirm that the transaction was real and it matches both the official invoice and the payment ticket.
This extra document can make the difference when determining if a Hermès handbag’s purchase is real and the bag is authentic.
Maximum
The highest level of authenticity for a Hermès bag can be achieved by having all the previously mentioned elements present, and adding more data and documents that can definitely prove that the product is completely original and was bought at an official Hermès store.
These documents can be contracts, identity cards, and proof of buy-sell transactions between buyers and sellers. It can also include data about the previous owners of the bag, tracing back to the point where the bag was bought at an official store. Of course, these documents can’t be handed to the buyer, because they contain personal information that needs to be protected, but they can be shown by covering confidential details to let it be clear that the bag was purchased at a real store by real people. These documents can’t be handed as copies to the new buyer, but merely shown, so the information remains protected while also proving that the bag is indeed genuine.
The traceability achieved by the maximum level of authentication can be of immense help to certify that a Hermès handbag is completely authentic. All the documents that can be gathered with this end can be requested to review their legality by law representatives such as lawyers, judges or notaries if needed in a legal process. That is the only way in which personal data can be disclosed.
The importance of traceability
Traceability is a key element when trying to prove the authenticity of a Hermès handbag, it is all rooted in finding prove about the real origin of the bag, whether it was bought at an official Hermès store in any city of the world, or if it is a very sophisticated replica that was molded and copied from an authentic bag bought at a store.
The counterfeiting world is so deep and vast that you can’t even imagine the amount of replicas that there are in all the online marketplaces, this is why traceability becomes a must to really discover if a handbag is genuine, or if everything that surrounds it is fake and made up.
Traceability involves knowing the whole history of the bag, since it was bought at the store until it reached the hands of the seller that is offering it to you. Tracing each step can be beneficial to be sure that every buy-sell transaction was made under the law and that the bag was really manufactured and sold by Hermès from the beginning. Traceability can be achieved through the compilation of documents that include contracts and the identity of the people or companies involved, to prove that they are real individuals.
However, no documents can be handed to the new buyers and no personal information can be completely shared with everyone, as it is stated in the data protection law. Sellers should only show specific documents and they are in the right of covering personal data before doing so.
The Birkin’s & Kelly’s House: The safest alternative
In the luxury resale scene there are thousands of online marketplaces to choose from, but only one can offer you enough authenticity measures to let you know that the Hermès handbag you bought is genuine. At The Birkin’s & Kelly’s House we apply the levels of authenticity to all of our bags, ranging from standard to maximum, so that you can rest assured that the product has been checked and authenticated.
All of our bags are labeled at our store to let you know which ones have a standard, high or maximum level of authenticity, providing a transparent and safe method before you decide to buy them.
Aside from its safety measures, The Birkin’s & Kelly’s House is also the ecommerce store with the best prices for brand new in box handbags. It has recently been proved in this study that we conducted examining 50+ luxury marketplaces.
So, not only does The Birkin’s & Kelly’s House provide authenticity levels to its handbags, but also all of them are in brand new in box condition and they can be found in the best prices of the market, even the newest models of the latest years of production, meaning that The Birkin’s & Kelly’s House is your perfect alternative to buy new Hermès bags online, with authenticity documents and at the best prices.
Enter our online store and explore our collection today!
