You pay a pretty penny for a Gucci bag or any other designer handbag be it Fendi, Prada, Chanel or Dior. Your friends are drooling over that gorgeous Gucci Turquoise Leather Handbag you just bought. Wait until they hear what a great deal you got!

But is it authentic or is it a fake? Determining authenticity can be a bit tricky because some fakes are done very well. However if you know what to watch for you can spot a fake in a minute!

The first thing you need to do is look at the bag itself. Do the materials look to be of the highest quality? How about the stitching? There should be no loose or uneven threads and the thread should match the bag exactly. If the bag is leather the logo will be engraved into the leather.

Next have a look at the hardware. The hardware should all be quality weight pieces with no scratches or color variations. Most of the designers actually have a plastic face that goes over the hardware to protect if from damage until the bag is purchased. The brand name will be engraved not embossed on the hardware. You should also be able to find the name engraved on the hardware for the strap.

Have a really close look at the liner and any accents. Check for quality. The liner should be silk and you should see the designers name or logo on the liner. Designers dont use cheap plastic accents. Even their fancy handles that are fun and funky. If you look closely you will see leather underneath the top finish.

Many authentic handbag comes with a card of authenticity which has the manufacturers logo embossed on it, as well as information about the bag.

You need to check for a serial number. Not all designers put a serial number on their bags but many do. So have a look and see if you can find it.

Now here is the easiest clue to remember. If the deal sounds too good to be true it is. Lets face it folks how do you think that somebody on ebay has the ability to buy designer bags for less than the boutiques that sell quantities of them all year long for the designer. Do you actually think the designer is going to give these people such great deals so they can pass them on to you. Not!

You might try to convince yourself that its okay or that this person just stumbled across a good buy. Perhaps but highly unlikely. So if you truly want to own a designer bag then you must be careful who you give your money to.

If you dont care and an unlicensed knock off is okay. Then fine by me. But do remember that these knock offs are illegal and no matter how bad you want a designer handbag do you really want to own one thats not real and not legal.

If you are in the market for a designer hand bag then be sure you arent throwing away your money and buy it from a reputable licensed retailer. You want your bag to last you a very long time!