Of late, I've noticed several group buy sites offering discounted prices for branded handbags. Now, I am no connoisseur but what I do know (as a person who works hard for my money) is that I work hard to be able to save and buy a handbag that I like and I consider my purchases as a reward for all the hard work that I've done. And I am very, very sure that there are plenty out there like me.
Imagine saving up for a handbag that you've been eyeing for a while now. Finally when you've saved enough, you find out that there's a deal on the same handbag for a price that is slightly less. Which would you opt for? Market price or discounted price? Most would opt for the discounted price (and I would too if I were you) because there is definitely sense in buying a similar item at a lower price.
Unfortunately, later you find out it's a fake. How would you feel? Disappointed? Frustrated? Angry? You might be feeling all of those things and probably many more. Earlier today I read a post on Facebook on the matter:
The good thing for this individual is that she discovered that it is fake. How about those who do not know? I can't imagine buying a fake at the price of hundreds or thousands of ringgit.
Some might say, if you're so afraid of being cheated, don't buy online, buy directly at the stores (which is also what I'd recommend and practice) but sometimes, there are several factors in which you may be unable to buy at the store (like me who's living in a city where there's no Coach, Louis Vuitton, Fendi, Prada, Chanel, Furla outlets at all) so you might have to resort to buying online.
So, the question is, how do you protect yourself?
My suggestion, make sure you are buying from a reputable website (group buy sites unfortunately have to rely on the seller for the authenticity of the products), research and investigate the seller (if you're buying from a blog site or Facebook) and educate yourself (this is the most important part as it would be difficult for these sellers to cheat you if you know your stuff). On that part, you may want to read two interesting posts on the matter [here] and [here].
Oh, in case you're wondering if I've ever bought online, I have to admit that I have bought online before. Three of my Coach handbags were bought online, all are from their Poppy line, two of them feature the graffiti design and one of them is a limited edition. As a rule of thumb, when buying online, I try to go for limited edition or special edition.
Alternatively, you can also follow this adage, if it's too good to be true, it probably is. Meaning: if the price is too cheap, it probably is not an original.
xoxo Mrs Fashionista
Ps: If you're planning to buy online, I do advice on checking with the actual store on the item that you want to buy. When hubs bought me a Longchamp planetes handbag as part of my birthday present last month we discovered that the store price (we bought it at one of their flagship stores in Kuala Lumpur) is actually lower than the price offered at a group buy website. How ironic is that?
Imagine saving up for a handbag that you've been eyeing for a while now. Finally when you've saved enough, you find out that there's a deal on the same handbag for a price that is slightly less. Which would you opt for? Market price or discounted price? Most would opt for the discounted price (and I would too if I were you) because there is definitely sense in buying a similar item at a lower price.
Unfortunately, later you find out it's a fake. How would you feel? Disappointed? Frustrated? Angry? You might be feeling all of those things and probably many more. Earlier today I read a post on Facebook on the matter:
Names and profile photos have been covered to for privacy purposes. Permission to repost have been obtained.
The good thing for this individual is that she discovered that it is fake. How about those who do not know? I can't imagine buying a fake at the price of hundreds or thousands of ringgit.
Some might say, if you're so afraid of being cheated, don't buy online, buy directly at the stores (which is also what I'd recommend and practice) but sometimes, there are several factors in which you may be unable to buy at the store (like me who's living in a city where there's no Coach, Louis Vuitton, Fendi, Prada, Chanel, Furla outlets at all) so you might have to resort to buying online.
So, the question is, how do you protect yourself?
My suggestion, make sure you are buying from a reputable website (group buy sites unfortunately have to rely on the seller for the authenticity of the products), research and investigate the seller (if you're buying from a blog site or Facebook) and educate yourself (this is the most important part as it would be difficult for these sellers to cheat you if you know your stuff). On that part, you may want to read two interesting posts on the matter [here] and [here].
Oh, in case you're wondering if I've ever bought online, I have to admit that I have bought online before. Three of my Coach handbags were bought online, all are from their Poppy line, two of them feature the graffiti design and one of them is a limited edition. As a rule of thumb, when buying online, I try to go for limited edition or special edition.
Alternatively, you can also follow this adage, if it's too good to be true, it probably is. Meaning: if the price is too cheap, it probably is not an original.
xoxo Mrs Fashionista
Ps: If you're planning to buy online, I do advice on checking with the actual store on the item that you want to buy. When hubs bought me a Longchamp planetes handbag as part of my birthday present last month we discovered that the store price (we bought it at one of their flagship stores in Kuala Lumpur) is actually lower than the price offered at a group buy website. How ironic is that?
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