Coach Purses: How to tell an Authentic Coach Handbag from Fake Coach Handbags
84How to Spot a Fake Coach Purse
Let’s be honest. A Coach purse to many people is a real buying decision. No matter your spending ability at some point you must look at your available money and compare it to your desired purchase. For you it could be $50, $400, or $1200 that is the dollar amount that makes you stop and consider a purse purchase. If you are looking to spend a portion of your hard earned money on a real coach purse you really want to make sure that it is the real deal. Here are a few tips I have put together for you to help make sure you make a good decision.
C Pattern Design
If your purse is the ‘c’ or ‘cc’ style stitching you will be able to use this pattern to inspect for authenticity. Look at the purse to check for the following.
a. The c pattern should go straight up and down.
b. The pattern will be centered on the front and back panel of the purse.
c. The seam will go straight through ‘c’ or ‘cc’ pattern not cutting off letters. (include picture) You will see the seam in picture does not obstruct the cc pattern.
CC Pattern and Seam Display on an Authentic Coach Purse
Leather Label with Serial Number
There is a serial number that exists in the majority of the real Coach purses that begins with ‘No’ that is located on the inside sewn in leather label. On some of the smaller purse sizes there is not a tag. These styles would include the clutch, swingback, and the mini. I have also seen fakes that have the sewn in label starting with a No followed by a serial number. However, when you compare this label to the real one the quality of leather and imprinting is obvious which is real. The words on the label should also be in all-caps.
Know the Real Deal
I would suggest you visit retailers of real Coach stores to begin to teach yourself what an authentic Coach purse looks and feels like. Pay attention to the look and feel of the leather, lining, zipper, stitching and leather tag. As you become more familiar with the real Coach handbags, you will recognize a fake easier.
Poor Craftsmanship - Leather is Pieced Together
Stitching
View the stitching on the purse. Stitches that are different in width or have threads coming out of the seam are a great way to spot a knockoff. In a real Coach handbag the stitching is impeccable.
Poor Stitching on Fake Coach Handbag
Coach Style
In order to be an authentic Coach handbag it must be a Coach style. This one can be a bit tricky since Coach releases new styles throughout the year. I see the Internet as a great way to help you determine if the style you are looking at is a real style. Ask your question in a forum or blog and learn from others.
Zipper
Inspect the zipper of the purse. On a poor Coach knockoff, you can simply tell the difference by a looking at the zipper. A Coach purse will use a zipper with the engraving ‘YKK.’ Look for the engraving. If you are still not sure, zip the purse a few times to see how smoothly the purse zips.
C not G
I think this one should go without saying but it bears to mention since it must be working on some people. The Coach brand starts with a ‘c’ not a ‘g.’ It is unbelievably silly to me but some Coach knockoff have the stitching of a ‘g’ or ‘gg’ not a ‘c’ or ‘cc.’
Packaging
I have seen some auctions with pictures of purses with plastic wrapped handles. To my knowledge this would also be a sign of a fake Coach purse.
So I would love to hear from you. Please let me know of any other ways you make sure that you are purchasing a real Coach purse.
copyright © 2008 Divine Purses
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Comments
Thank you for your great advice! I work at a thrift shop and we get Coach bags in all the time, and there is always a "great debate" on if it is the real deal or not! I own 5 Coach purses but did not know some of the tricks you had on your website.
Thanks again for your wonderful advice.
Lark
Raquel,
From everything I have seen, there will not be a cc or c pattern on both the exterior and interior of the purse. For example, if you have a signature pattern purse your lining should NOT have the c or cc pattern. Lots of time you can also tell from the quality of the lining. If the lining is stiff and just feels like poor quality then most likely you are looking at a fake.
Just recently in my area, there have been a number of people having purse parties with Coach bags coming with a card of authencity. Please know that manufacturers of fakes also print up authentic cards that look identical to the real cards so do not use those cards are a decision point.
Have a great day!
umm, this was very helpful!
thanks <3
so now my question is, do all real Coach purses
have the 'YKK' symbol engraved in it?
Yes, an authentic coach purse will have the 'ykk' symbol engaving.
I LOVE Coach purses! All I can say is be careful on Ebay!!! Currently there is one selling that was made in Costa Rica, not CHINA. Buyer Beware!
Thank you for the great buyer beware. I would suggest only buying Coach products on ebay from a buyer that has sold at a MINUMUM 100 items which included at least 50% of Coach purse sales. Seeing a buyer's previous history will help to protect you when you buy on ebay.
I just saw today that some ebay seller's are offering free shipping on the Coach purse sales. In this economy, it is a wonderful time to get great deals if you have cash available!
Thanks for this very detailed information. I know to look at the label and serial number, but the cc pattern and stitching is something new to me. All Coach handbag lovers need to read this.
Coach purse and handbags are really very good products, I've already bought many of the coach purse, but not checking the Leather Label with Serial Number, this hub teach us about how to buy a coach purse…
All Coach handbag lovers need to read this. Thank you for the great buyer beware. I would suggest only buying Coach products on ebay from a buyer that has sold at a MINUMUM 100 items which included at least 50% of Coach purse sales.Thanks for this very detailed information.
THis is very helpful! Coach bags are a bit pricey but if you go a Coach Factory Outlet you can get a very good deal.
Should all Coach purses come with an authenticity code, or is it the more pricey ones?
My Sister bought a bag from an official Coach store and gave it to me for Christmas. The zipper was terrible! Got stuck all the time. There was no YKK stamped on it and it came with brown paper wrapped around the zipper pull. I'm wondering is it possible it's a fake even though it came from a store? If it's fake, I'm sure she didn't know. Afterall, it's from Coach!
This description defintetely raises some questions in my mind. From my exeperience the Coach stores are great to work with. I would suggest taking the purse back to the store wtih your receipt for an exchange. The zipper should work easily.
I asked my DH to exchange it at another Coach store near his work. They showed him several purses of the same model and they were all like that unfortunately. So I guess it wasn't a fake (which is good news) but then the product is not that good (bad news). The sales rep could only suggest rubbing a wax candle on the zipper and repeatedly opening and closing it to "break it in". Decided to return it and get a different model (going to check it out thoroughly)
I am glad you were able to return it for an exchange. The zippers should work good without having to do anything to them.
Below is a link to the Coach website which states the Coach guarantee.
http://www.coach.com//cservice/FaqTemplate.aspx?fa
Happy Shopping!
just was reading one of the comments that said that she saw a purse on ebay made in Costa Rica instead of China, and then said Buyer beware. Coach did have genuine purses made in Costa Rica, this is generally a good sign if you see a Coach bag that says it was made in Costa Rica, it's probably not a fake. Coach also has made purses in the United States, China, Italy. The only creed that is a dead give away in this way of a fake is one that says made in Korea. Coach never made purses in Korea.
Great informative information.
Hi...you have develop such a wonderful useful hub that educate us for differentiating the actual and fake coach handbags...in fact this is important for us as consumer that didn't know much about the details on this product....thanks...i really appreciated.....
great hub!
Great tips! Another thing to look for is any misspelling on the creed patch. You would think this wouldn't happen with the modern counterfeiters but it still does! When you see a misspelling, it's a fake for sure. So check that out too when buying online or at a thrift store or garage sale. Good Luck!
Thanks great advice..!!
My question is do knockoffs have YKK zippers in them?
Raquel M Castro says:
14 months ago
What about the lining? Also do most purses come with a carry silk bag?