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Authentic Louis Vuitton is listed on internet every day!  I’d love to help you find that fabulous and authentic used Louis Vuitton item that you’ve been dreaming about.  This guide will help you search internet for the real deal- avoiding all the replicas along the way!  It takes some work, but you can do it!  We will be discussing features of an authentic bag, the seller, and the Louis Vuitton company and Date Codes.

1.  Know your bag!

Was it ever made by Louis Vuitton? This sounds like an easy one, but it’s not!  I am a Trading Assistant here on internet and had an interneter mail me a black vernis Louis Vuitton Houston to sell for her.  She’d bought it on internet and I could still see the glowing feedback she’d left the seller for the $495 transaction.  One problem… Louis Vuitton has never done Vernis in black!  Try your bag on at a boutique, check the VUITTON website, or Elux, buy a catalog- etc, but make sure that the bag you are looking for was ever made by Louis Vuitton.  This is especially common in Multicolore bags- (there was never an Multicolor Backpack, Ellipse, Papillon etc), Cherry Blossom (no CB Speedy, Alma nor Cabas tote, Pegase), Cerises (no Papillon, Ellipse, Cabas Piano, Mezzo or Alto) or vintage pieces.

Know its parts: What is it “supposed” to be lined in?  Should it have feet?  What does the base look like?  Should it have a d-ring inside?  Where?  Does it have a date code? Should it? Where? You can check the Vuitton website or your local boutique for this information… you can also purchase more detailed guides here on internet that include such details…  For example:  If it is supposed to be lined in brown cotton canvas, it needs to be lined in brown cotton canvas.  There have never been brown suede linings- even in the vintage pieces.  Alcantara kind of looks like a suede-y material, but it isn’t suede and although is found in a greyish mushroomy color, it isn’t found in dark brown.  A Speedy of any age should have brown cotton canvas lining, so if you see any other lining- you know it isn’t authentic.  The lining of a Speedy has NEVER looked like this:

Know its Monogram placement: Louis Vuitton has been in production since 1854!  Their style is classic, and quality- phenomenal!  The traditional Monogram Toile canvas that is so popular today- had its beginnings in 1896.  The monogram itself can give clues as to authenticity.  Louis Vuitton is very careful about the way that the monogram is placed on any piece.  Most of its styles are the same today as they were when they first came out- with a few exceptions.  The actual LV monogram is usually (with the exception of some vintage pieces) symetrical from side to side in all monogram styles (traditional, Multicolore, Cerises, Mini mono, Vernis etc.) as you can see in this Louis Vuitton Speedy (notice where the LVs are in relation to the handles, sides, quatrefoils etc)…

Watch the stitching: Louis Vuitton is very careful with its stitching.  Stitching should be very even and regular.  The same number of stitches will be found in similar locations on similar bags… for example the leather tab that the handle attaches onto on any size monogram Speedy bag will always have 5 regular, even stitches across the top, like this:

Watch the age: While vintage pieces follow most of the rules that I discuss in this guide, there are definite differences in vintage pieces.  For example, all French Company pieces vary slightly… so if you are looking at a French Company Vintage Vuitton piece, it may differ a bit.  For instance, the FC Speedy 30 does NOT always have 5 stitches across the top, does NOT have upside down LVs on one side, and does NOT have Louis Vuitton embossed in the hardware.  I’m currently writing a guide to help with these vintage gems- so watch out for it.

Made in Spain? Yes, while it is true that authentic Louis Vuitton is made in France, for over 25 years, Louis Vuitton has also produced bags in the USA, Spain, Germany and Italy.  It is not true that a Louis Vuitton bag has to be marked “Made in France” to be authentic.  Here are the embossed markings of an authentic Louis Vuitton bucket bag, Made in the USA:

What about the “Upside Down LVs”? People email me all the time about this one… Some styles of authentic Louis Vuitton WILL have “upside down” LVs on the backside.  The reason for this is that Louis Vuitton uses one continuous piece of leather that wraps around from the front to back, without a seam on the bottom- and so, the backside has upside down logos.  This is true on the Speedy styles (except French Company Speedys), the Keepalls, Papillons, and some similar styles.  Most monogram pieces (any piece with a separate piece of canvas or leather on the bottom) will have the LVs right side up on both sides.  Here is the backside of an authentic Speedy 25:

What about the patches? It is true that many older fake bags had patches on the interior and exterior those simply were never there on authentic versions.  Fake exterior patch followed by fake interior patch:

However, some authentic bags DO have them!  This is especially true of vintage pieces where there is a round patch meant for personalized embossing like this:

Some current bags also have patches inside, like the Viva Cite:

The Fonts: Louis Vuitton uses a very specific font.  I’ve noticed that a few counterfieters have begun to do a better job at knocking it off… so be careful, but current LV fonts will ALL look like the one on the patch above.  Notice the VERY round “O”s.  Here is an example of two straps- one authentic, one a “better” fake.  Can you tell the difference?

(The bottom one is authentic…)

2.  Know the Company:

Louis Vuitton has been making trunks since 1854.  They have done an incredible job at keeping their brand’s value at a prestigious level.  One of the reasons that they have been able to do this is by not discounting.

Louis Vuitton does not discount.

There is no such thing as a Louis Vuitton sale- even at a boutique or Neiman Marcus (or Saks, Nordstrom etc.)   They just don’t do it… ever!  There are no end of the year sales, no sample sales… no sales period.

Louis Vuitton does not have outlets, or seconds or irregulars.

Never!  If you return a purse that is irregular for any reason, they’ll usually take it back, but they will not discount it and then resell it.  They will simply destroy the bag.  There are no outlet stores for “last year’s models.”

Louis Vuitton does not wholesale.

Ever.  Period.  End of story.  The only places where you can buy brand new authentic Louis Vuitton are in a Louis Vuitton boutique, on eluxury, or from one of a limited number of high-end department stores that have mini boutiques inside (i.e.: Saks or Neimans) that are under the exclusive control of LV.  There is NO wholesale distribution of Louis Vuitton at all.

What does knowing this information on the company tell you?

It says, be VERY careful of sellers who are selling brand new, with tags or without Louis Vuitton for any significant amount of money below retail.  Many sellers of authentic LV here on internet DO sell bran new, never used, tags included etc. Louis Vuitton items, but these are often limited edition, wait list only pieces, that usually sell for MORE than retail.  Occasionally, a seller will sacrifice a bag like this for just under retail, but that is clearly the exception to the rule.  You simply will not find a brand new authentic Louis Vuitton bag on internet for much less than 15% off retail (and even that is rare).

Louis Vuitton Tags:

When you DO buy Louis Vuitton from a boutique… it will come with tags- but they are NEVER attached to the bag.  Other designer labels like Chloe, Marc Jacobs, Coach will do this- but at Louis Vuitton- tags are usually tucked into a pocket or included in an envelope that comes with your receipt.  This little white plastic LV circle tag…. with an attached tag?  This was NEVER made by Louis Vuitton.  If you see it attached, it isn’t real.

This weird yellow card was NEVER used by Louis Vuitton… if you see one included in an auction you are looking at, it is not authentic.

For some reason, the fakers all use this dark bronzed envelope with a Louis Vuitton sticker on it (to the left below- with the lock on it)… LV has NEVER used anything like this.

Finally, Louis Vuitton has never attached a canvas swatch sample to a bag like the one with the turquoise LV on it attached to the right side of the handle in the following picture…

When you buy an authentic Louis Vuitton item from a Louis Vuitton boutique or eLuxury… you will get two tags- and MAYBE a care booklet.  If you have it mailed to you by your favorite SA, she MAY include a little card thanking you for shopping with Louis Vuitton or whatever.  That’s it.  One tag will say “Louis Vuitton” and will say what the bag is made of- whether it’s monogram canvas, vernis, epi etc.  The other will have the model number, the correct French name of the bag and the bar code.  Notice that they are NOT attached to the bag and do NOT have the little plastic round LV white thing the fakers love to use.  The tags would look like this:

***PLEASE NOTE*** The fact that a bag you are looking at has cards that look like this does NOT mean that it’s authentic…  The fakers do a better job duplicating the tags & receipts than they do with the bags!

3.  The French Company & Vintage:

During a period between the late 70’s and 80’s, Louis Vuitton licensed out production of its monogram pieces to the French Company.  This is a US based production company, who produced pieces that were intended for distribution in the market here in the United States.  These items will either have a marking that says that the item was produced under a special license, have a US based department store logo, or a particular tyvek French Company tag inside.  French Company items will NOT typically have date codes and they do look slightly different when compared to vintage French made Louis Vuitton.

Other vintage Louis Vuitton items (not French Company)… may look different from what you expect today- may styles are discontinued and are really hard to get.  Like the French Company items, vintage French made Louis Vuitton items often used treated leather in some of these vintage pieces,  like this vintage Dauphine:

Notice that the leather is darker and treated… this is not the untreated vachetta leather with a patina…

These vintage pieces could also have Talon or Eclair zipper pulls- not the Louis Vuitton LV pulls that we have today…

So now…. I hope you all have the best deal of LV through the internet!