Subject: I'm Embarrassed

Dear poupette,

Truly I am.  I've only thought about LV in the last 3 days & now that I read all this stuff I am embarrassed to say I bought a fake. I left a comment in your survey section (Tuscany). HOW this ALL started: I saw a Murakami lighter & really liked the bright colors & begin 2 look for other items with the same design. Well the prices were so much I of course started to look for deals. After winning a bid I received a message from ebay that they cancelled the sale. This is when I begin research but, I had completed another purchase before this. Well you see how my story goes. I just had to say think you for your site and related links & I publicly apologize for my actions of purchasing in ignorance. Though I really like the Murakami design & I don't know if I will ever own an authentic one, but I know I won't purchase another fake. If you want to know the one I purchased (sad face) send me an email and I will send the link. P.S. If I have read correctly an upside down LV Logo is a dead give away, right? Sigh...

Poupette: You don’t have to apologize for buying a fake, particularly if you did not know. I feel bad that you spent money on something that really has no value. As for upside down LV’s, items that are made with one continuous piece of fabric will have upside down LV’s on the back. If you plan to make future LV purchases outside of the LV store, I highly recommend that you purchase my LV guide so you don’t get ripped off.

What you are about to read is the scary tale of a hopeful shopper. A tale so atrocious that no shopper should be caught in its grips. This is the story of Kristalyn from Florida.

Kristalyn, an admitted shopaholic, grew up with little money. But now she has saved quite a bit of extra cash and wants to start buying some of the finer things in life that she previously could not afford.

One day while at a high-end department store, Kristalyn spots a woman carrying a Louis Vuitton bag. With a rush of adrenaline, Kristalyn thought, “I have always wanted a Vuitton but it has been out of my reach.” Kristalyn hurries home to look for "her" Louis Vuitton on the internet.

Kristalyn immediately types "Vuitton"’ in the eBay search engine and nothing comes up. She then does an internet search and realizes the proper spelling is ‘Vuitton.’ Kristalyn eagerly types in ‘Vuitton’ and was astounded at all of the goodies she saw. She decides to limit her search to "Vuitton Speedy." Now working with a more reasonable search result, Kristalyn begins the hunt, establishing a $75.00 limit for herself. It wasn't long before Kristalyn realized she would not be able to snag a Speedy from amongst all the other anxious buyers for $75. Kristalyn re-thinks her purchase strategy and decides she will spend up to $200.00, but only after extensive research on the Speedy.

Kristalyn goes to a number of web sites and even purchases a book called Buying Real Louis Vuitton Online by Angie Houston. It had now been two months since Kristalyn first saw the woman in the store with the Speedy, and she is anxious to buy. Kristalyn knows not to buy any Speedys with crooked symbols, misaligned symbols or from unproven sellers. Kristalyn is ready to go.

Kristalyn begins the hunt for the killer Speedy. Kristalyn stays up late every night for two weeks searching for just the right Speed; one that wasn't too dark, too torn, or too ugly. On September 10th, Kristalyn finally finds the perfect Speedy—her Speedy! This one is only 2 months old, has the beautiful Louis Vuitton gift box and bow in the photo and a Louis Vuitton dust bag. The seller of the Speedy has one POSITIVE feedback for a purchase. Kristalyn is excited; a near perfect Speedy for $150.00. "WOW!" Kristalyn exclaims as she receives the email confirming that she is the winner of this Speedy.

On September 17th, Kristalyn receives the Speedy. She looks at the box and bow, which are new, and, although the bag looks "new," it just doesn't’t look right somehow. Kristalyn gets nervous. She hides the bag from her boyfriend and best friend. She doesn't’t want them to think she is stupid for paying $150.00 for an ugly bag. All Kristalyn can think is “Louis Vuitton makes the ugliest purses and how stupid of me to want one.” She spends the night crying.

The next day, Kristalyn goes to her local Saks Fifth Avenue to look at their Louis Vuitton Speedys and is awestruck. “These purses are really beautiful,” Kristalyn tells the sales associate. Kristalyn goes home to retrieve her Speedy.

Kristalyn, Speedy in hand, hears the sales associates at Saks whisper as she walks by, “What an awful fake Speedy.” Kristalyn asks innocently, "Did you say my purse was fake?” The sales associate says, “We could tell that bag was fake the moment you walked in the door.” Kristalyn asks how could he be so sure and he states in a sarcastic tone “Look! your purse has cream-colored handles and a pink base. That means it will never gain a patina. Vuitton’s purses always have a light leather base that will turn a golden tan over time." Now inspecting the date code, the associate says, "In addition, this date code of ST4593 makes no sense whatsoever.” Kristalyn flees the store with no idea about what to do next.

Back at home, Kristalyn emails the seller, but gets no response. She then uses the seller's contact phone number she had obtained through eBay. No answer. Next, Kristalyn writes the seller a certified letter and asks for a refund within ten (10) days. Again, no response.

Having now waited 30 days, Kristalyn files a fraud report with eBay, knowing it will take 30-60 days to get any money back. And when the refund does come in, it will be minus the $25.00 that eBay charges as a deductible!

Time to to bring out the big dogs! Kristalyn contacts her local police. The local police tell her that the amount is too small for them to do anything. The internet investigator from the police department gives Kristalyn the web site address of the internet crime division. Kristalyn files a report at https://www.ifccfbi.gov   and files a mail fraud report with the postal service using PS Form 8165. As a result of these reports, Kristalyn is contacted by her local Attorney General’s office who informs her that it could take months for them to investigate.

Fortunately for her, Kristalyn had mailed a money order to the seller's street address and not a Post Office Box. Kristalyn is now being contacted by many of the other seller’s customers who had no address at all for the seller because they had paid electronically. Kristalyn was happy that her hesitation to pay electronically, had paid off.

Kristalyn files a small claims lawsuit against the seller who lives in California--the other side of the continent. Kristalyn cannot afford to take time off to go to California to sue the seller, so she sues him in Florida. The seller never responds to the court's notices, so Kristalyn wins $150.00 plus court costs. Kristalyn writes the seller to tell him that she has won a judgment against him. The seller continues to ignore Kristalyn’s correspondence.

Now on the phone with a lawyer, Kristalyn is told that she will have to pay to file the judgment in California and contact a detective to find out where the seller works so she can garnish his wages. Kristalyn pays a detective $150.00 to find out where the seller works, then attempts to garnish the seller’s wages. But the seller is self-employed, so Kristalyn finds she cannot do proceed along those lines.

At this point, Kristalyn is beyond frustrated. She spent $150.00 for the FAKE Vuitton, $100.00 filing the lawsuit, $100.00 filing the judgment in California, and $150.00 for the detective. So far, Kristalyn this was a grand total of $500.00 for a FAKE purse. A new Speedy would have cost about $475.00 and now, Kristalyn is regretting her decision to purchase the purse from an unproven entity. It has now been three months and Kristalyn is worn down. She decides to check the seller’s activity on eBay and discovers that he has sold 10 other fake purses during the three months she has been chasing him. Kristalyn realizes she should have posted negative feedback months ago to warn other buyers. Feeling even worse than before, Kristalyn gives up.

One day in December, Kristalyn receives a call from the Attorney General’s office who tells her that they are working with other states to bring several fraud charges against the seller and needs her as a witness. She also hears from the post office who agrees to her refund since the money order was cashed fraudulently. Kristalyn also learns from eBay that the seller is no longer a registered member. Kristalyn is ecstatic at the good news—justice has finally prevailed. But in the process, has burned Kristalyn’s online shopper’s heart. Will she ever even purchase from eBay again? Stay tuned . . .

"Speedy’ Buy, Slow Refund"

Contributed by Bettie

Michelle's Story

I was completely fooled by a photo on eBay. This seller has purses with all the right details in photos, LV on the hardware, inside label that looks authentic, stamp on strap and suede interior. Forty bids by end of auction. I bought it not even a month ago for 240.00. The thing fell apart 5 minutes after it arrived. Plastic and cardboard. I filed fraud claims with PayPal, eBay and an internet law enforcement agency. It appears my own credit card company may take the loss. No one else, including eBay cares. I think there are rings out there upping bids, turning in fake feedback and who knows what else. As to the seller, she claims to have 150 positive feedbacks and I'm sure she is still out there defrauding people. I'm finished with eBay. Anybody can be duped in this area. At least buy from a seller in your area so you can take them to small claims court .

Carla's Story

Hi Poupette and friends. On September 10th, I embarked on the dangerous journey of Louis Vuitton via eBay. I purchased a "brand new Louis Vuitton Monogram Papillon". Needless to say, this bag was a fake. I thought that 250.00 for a new bag was a steal, as it retails for about 560.00. I got the bag, and I was new to the Louis community and accepted it as real.

BY CHANCE, I came across My Poupette.com by doing a google search, which, interestingly, I NEVER do. I actually mis-clicked on "search" instead of "favorites." Out of curiosity, I had MP authenticate the bag. I was devastated and really sad. But My Poupette worked me through it, emailing me throughout the day.

Fortunately, I was able to get my money back through PayPal, which ended up being just as sketchy as the seller, but at least I got a refund. Today, September 23rd, I took the plunge and bought a brand new large bucket bag from the Louis Vuitton store in a mall in NJ. I am absolutely ecstatic. The initial buying experience is a once-in-a-lifetime event.

I realize now that the money I would have saved using an auction is worthless compared to the satisfaction and peace of mind I now have with my authentic bag. To me, a fake bag is worth absolutely nothing, and without the reassurance of authentication or purchasing it yourself, your Louis Vuitton bag will never truly have the sentiment that it SHOULD. I thoroughly support sellers who guarantee their products and only sell authentic items because they are a rare breed in a race of counterfeiters. I love my new bag, but more than anything, I love the reassurance that I have regarding its "identity." I know that I cannot make this a recurring event in my life, as LV's are luxury items, but this purchase was absolutely lovely and I am delighted.

I love My Poupette.com and I really owe My Poupette a lot in respect to their devotion, energy, time, and care. Fight on, LV crusaders, fight on!

Francine's Story

Hi there! Me and close to 20 others were very recently ripped off on eBay! This seller from overseas sold me a monogram Ellipse petite bag. Her ad stated 100% guar authenticity and in her e-mails she stated over and over that the bag was authentic and guar. a refund if not. She even had the nerve to give me a valid serial # which I verified with LV as authentic. She required payment via Western Union so there is no recourse for refund. I got the bag and it is a TOTAL fake. It has NO serial #, the inside lining is PLASTIC, no dust bag as promised and no plastic around the handles as promised and NO d-ring! The zipper is broken and it is a terrible fake. Then, she promises a refund but hasn't delivered and will not return e-mails. I e-mailed all of the people whom she had sold bags to and found they are almost ALL in the same boat! She is a total con-artist and fooled all of us! What can we do to stop her??? I think there is more than one of them working it. Her name on eBay is different than the name she uses for payment. The ad states she is in Singapore but all comm. goes to Indonesia. She says she is on vacation! Any advice would be appreciated .POUPETTE: The first step would be to report this person to eBay, then to your local authorities, who can tell you what your options are.

Lonnie's Story

Hello I just found your web site. I thought I was the only lunatic obsessed and addicted to Louis Vuitton. I purchased my very first piece of Louis Vuitton at Saks Fifth Avenue in NYC in the mid 70's. My first piece was the Portfolio which cost $62.50. My late father thought I was out of my mind since I was a teenager. The collection began to grown after that. The next piece was the umbrella. Very handsome with the burl wood handle for $75.00. I remember walking down fifth avenue with it in hand as it was raining, a stranger on 5th Avenue approached and she said "don't u think it's a bit much?". I retired the umbrella after that, it is in excellent condition. The collection grew when I discovered the round and square trinket boxes. I purchased an LV picture frames, the desk set before I owned a desk. I was destined too. I purchased an LV thermos which was never used. I graduated on to keepalls, soft luggage, etc. After almost 30 years I'm still a proud collector. I keep on buying. I own several pieces from graffiti, unused. The Pegase which I keep a plastic cover on while traveling as other suitcases too. Yes, I admit I am a Vuittonolic. When LV reintroduced the steamer trunks some 20 years ago, I purchased a trunk for a mere $2500.00. Today it is over $10,000.00. I also bought in the 80's the hard cased men's jewelry case. I failed to mention the playing cards and ashtray. Well it is a good investment and a good addiction. What is the appeal to us. I am still trying to figure it out. I remember as a teenager I was in Bloomingdale's on the escalator, there was a woman in front of me wearing LV covered pumps. We started to chat, she informed me that she took an old keepall and took it to a cobbler and had shoes made. She started the trend. We smiled and laughed. I am looking at my latest purchase the cell phone holder. I don't even own a cell phone, nice to look at. If u want to share my story please feel free to. Share it with others. My best friend in NYC calls me a Vuittonologist. With my knowledge and collection he gave me a honorary degree in Vuittonology. I hope you enjoy reading my life with LV. Happy Holidays and LV for all!!! Sincerely Lonnie, Vuittonologist.

Gretchen's Story

I Hate Fake LV Purses!! Fakes are totally ruining my business. I own a consignment store and got a huge amount of LV's from one person and a couple from my mother. All are 100% authentic, without a doubt. I even went to LV to have the items from the consigner authenticated. If there weren't so many fakes out there people wouldn't automatically assume that my LV's are fake! Anyway, one of two things happens when they see real the LV's in my store. They either say that they can get them much cheaper at those totally illegal purse parties or they think that they are sooo knowledgeable about LV's, saying that they could spot a fake LV a mile away. And then go on to say the ones I have are fake. One woman even pointed out that my mother's Speedy was fake because the LV's were upside down. I had to explain to her that if she looks on the other side of the purse that the "LV's" are going the correct direction and that in this style of Speedy they use one continuous piece of material, so no matter what one side will have upside down LV's! Or, like I mentioned before, they say the my domestic LV's are fake. Just because these people have one LV purse they think they know everything about every single LV purse ever made. It gets me soooo angry. Sorry I needed to vent!

Shauna's Story

I would like to introduce myself as the newest member of the "Fell for a Louis Vuitton Fake" club. I recently became intrigued with the Louis Vuitton Noé handbag (the large one that was used to hold champagne bottles) . When I started pricing them, I was disappointed at the cost via e-luxury and thought I'd check eBay out. Well, lo and behold, there were HUNDREDS, of them on eBay! I'd found the answer to my problem! Why didn't everyone do this I thought! I found the Noé bag for a steal at $150.00. It showed several photos including one of a stamped leather strap. It was also GUARANTEED AUTHENTIC or your money back! How wonderful! I couldn't wait to buy it. What a jerk I was!

When I opened the box & saw it, I felt as if I had been punched in the stomach. I knew it was phony. For one thing, the LV's were upside down! Had I really LOOKED at the photos "looking" for a something to be wrong, I would have seen that "something was definitely rotten in Denmark". In addition, the lettering was very light, nothing at all like the authentic pieces of LV I had. I didn't know what to do or who to turn to. I didn't want to tell my husband and expose what an A** I was to fall for this! I decided it was just a lesson I had learned and was going to have to pay the piper. Somehow I found My Poupette on line. It was hope for a fool like myself. I emailed Angie & told her the whole miserable story. My Poupette replied and walked me through everything I would need to do including what to expect. In addition, she and Angie looked at the photos online, verifying I indeed did have a fake bag. They both helped me immensely as I went through the necessary procedures to get my money back from the seller.

The seller insisted her mother had purchased the bag at Harrod's in London back in the 70s or 80s. Yeah, right. Thanks to Angie and My Poupette, I got my money back and the seller was very professional in the manner in which it was handled. It was a huge hassle that took up a great deal of time, but was worth it in the end. I couldn't have done it without these kind women. From now on, any LV purchases I make through eBay will only be from My Poupette's verified sellers! Thanks Angie and My Poupettel! You are ANGELS!!