How to spot a fake Chanel bag? 15 Quick ways

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Need some help spotting a fake chanel bag? Here are some specific things to look for.

There’s nothing quite like the feeling of luxury. Whether you’re sipping on champagne or shopping for designer bags, the appeal is undeniable. But what if someone says that you could get that luxurious feeling without spending a fortune? It may sound too good to be true, right? Because it is!

Chanel is an epitome of luxury. And people literally kick their asses off to get a good deal for their products. On the other hand, some counterfeiters grab this opportunity and try and sell fake chanel bags in the name of original on a much lower price that can easily swoon people who haven’t yrt got a chance to touch the real deal.

They’ll create a spot on mirror copy with cheap material and call it real.

But with a little bit of know-how, you can spot a fake Chanel bag from a mile away and save your dollars on a low-quality phony items. So why wait? Read on for 15 quick and easy tips to help you tell the difference between a authentic Chanel bag and a counterfeit one.

how to spot a fake chanel bag?

1. check the quilted pattern

Chanel is famous for it’s quilted patterns. You can see diamonds, squares, and chevrons all over Chanel bags. So one of the major distinction between a fake and real channel bag is the alignment of the quilted pattern at every opportunity. It must maintain a consistent diamond pattern even when the pattern is interrupted by a pocket on the back or closed outer flap in the front. If it’s not, you probably have a fake one.

But, if the bag is vintage or really old, you may see inconsistent patterns as the old leather can naturally stretch a bit over time, so the pattern alignment can look slightly off. But it won’t be the case if you are being sold the latest or newer piece.

2. number of stiches per panel

Chanel uses a high number of stitches to guarantee that the quilting does not bulge and appear puffy. So start looking for the number of stitches on each panel, which is one side of a quilted diamond or square. There should be more than 8 stitches at any cost. If it’s less than that, you know it’s a replica.

Seeing 8-12 unique stitches per panel is quite normal for a real channel bag. The latest launches have at least 9 stitches on each side and the older bags had 8. NO Chanel bag to this date had less than that!

Also, pay attention to the stitching’s neatness. They must appear clean and tight. A poorly constructed counterfeit is indicated by less than 8 stitches or muddled handiwork.

3. serial number of the bag can tell a lot

Serial numbers always tell a lot about a product and brand’s authenticity. The first six, seven, or eight digits indicate the production date of a bag. Chanel has NEVER issued a serial number longer than that.

Another way of spotting a fake channel bag is to match the style and font of serial number on the authenticity card to the horshoe shaped sticker inside the real chanel bag, which also contains the serial number. There’s also another round hologram sticker on the upper right-hand corner of the original chanel bag.

To prevent fakers from swapping serial number stickers from one bag to the next, Chanel frequently alters their appearance.

4. look for an authenticity card

The actual Chanel bag will surely come with a real authenticity card.

First few things to notice in an authenticity card is that the embossed serial number matches the font and style of the sticker inside the bag. All the elements on the card must be clean and clear. There should be no smudges, misprints, spelling errors or anything.

The genuine card would also have a neat gold border which should not be able to get scratched off easily.

The dimensions and the weight of the card are another key factors to look for. The card must measure 8.5 cm in length and 5.4 cm in height. And it should be of heavy quality and feel like a plastic card when touched.

There is also a grey circular design that appears pon the top right corner of the card for the bags that were made in 2005 and onwards. If there is no such symbol, it simply indicates that the authenticity card and the bag was created prior to 2005.

5. quality of chain strap

The infamous chain and leather woven combination is signature to Chanel’s bags. They first launched it with their first ever flap and shoulder bag.

And you can quite easily spot a fake chanel bag just by looking at it’s chain straps.

The straps must be made up of the highest quality. It should feel durable and luxurious and not hollow or light.

Also, look at the leather strap that is twisted with the chain; it should appear hand-sewn, not machine-sewn, unless you’re looking at the jumbo flap bag, where the leather has been folded four times.

6. color of chain strap

Another thing to notice in Chanel’s chain straps are the color of the chain. Chanel uses 24-carat gold for its chains that has a rich yellow hue, making it feel quite heavy. However, you’ll find a pale yellow colored, lightweight chain that just not feels extravagant.

7. look over the CC logo lock

The CC lock is seriously one of the most recognizable features of Chanel bags. The latest designs are all coming with either CC logos or CC locks. But there are bags like Chanel 2.55 that still has rectangular locks intact. The company is making both types of locks as of this moment.

But if you are looking at CC lock, make sure to take a closer look at it. The right C should overlap the left C at the top and the left C should overlap the right C at the bottom. This overlapping never changes.

The lock should be perfectly centered and symmetrical on the closure tab. The edges of the CCs should also be smooth and flat. The width of each C should also be consistent with the distance between the two C’s, indicating more accuracy. Some of these details of the CCs on a fake chanel bag would be mismatched.

8. examine lock’s backplate

Wondering how to spot a fake chanel bag? Open the flap and have a nice look at its backplate. The lock’s back is made up of a gold rectangular backplate secured by two identical gold screws on both sides. The House of Chanel used flathead screws until 2015 and switched to star-shaped screws after that. These shapes of screws are owned by the house and can only be unscrewed using the House of Chanel’s unique screwdriver, making it harder for counterfeiters to copy them.

The phony chanel bag would have Phillips-head screws (the ‘X’ shaped ones) instead of these which is clear sign of it’s fakeness.

Also check that the color of the bag’s hardware matches the CHANEL stamping inside the bag. 

A few more things to notice on the backplate is ‘CHANEL’ and ‘PARIS’ written very clearly and evenly with a consistent font style and size on top and bottom resprctively.

If the backplate of the bag says ‘Paris’ and has a stamp of ‘Made in France’ on the inside, there should be a tiny hallmark of three small lines on top of the left C. This just guarantees that you have an original piece. If your purse’s C has three hallmark lines and says “Made in Italy,” you’ve obviously got an imitation.

If you see a “Made in Paris” stamp in the inside, the bag is fake. Chanel only uses “France” and “Italy” for its “Made In” stamping. It may have Paris written on it’s backplate.

9. check all the zippers of the bag

Ooooh, as small as zippers are, they can very easily tell if your purse is from Chanel’s factory or not. Depending on the bag, Chanel uses a variety of zippers, including Lampo – which is always used for metal teeth, the EP – which generally features a pull tag made of leather, the DMC, YKK, eclair zippers, and triple ‘C’ in a circle. For very vintage Chanel bags, there is an unmarked zipper to test.

Make sure you open and close the zipper several times and get a feel of the quality and how smooth and seamless it zips. It has to feel luxurious like everything Chanel displays.

10. look at color of the brand stamp

On the inside of every Chanel handbag, a brand stamp is imprinted directly onto the lining or an attached leather patch. The brand stamp should be the same color as the bag’s hardware; a bag with gold lock and chain strap should have a gold brand stamp, and a bag with silver lock and chain strap should have a silver brand stamp.

If the colors are different, it is a huge red flag.

The metallic leafing of a genuine Chanel may rub off, causing the brand stamp to fade or almost totally vanish; however, this is merely seen on vintage designs that have been worn frequently.

11. what does the brand stamp say?

Every brand stamp, includes the company name – CHANEL, a registered trademark, and the country where the bag was produced. Be sure they are all in all capital letters.

Because Chanel bags are constructed in both France and Italy, either may be included in the brand stamp. On an imitation Chanel bag, only the city will be specified with the brand stamp.

12. dimensions of the brand stamp

The “Chanel” brand stamping should be approximately 1.5 cm below the logo and be 3.3cm in width.

13. how does the bag stand on a flat surface?

One of the quickest ways to tell if a Chanel bag is real or not is to see how it stands. A counterfeight would probably not stand straight due to low quality and less defined structure. Even though Chanel bags come in different shapes and sizes, authentic chanel bags will be made up of thick and sturdy material that can stand upright on it’s own on a flat surface.

If it tilts or falls, you know it’s fake.

14. look into the interior linning of the bag

Chanel is undoubtedly the epitome of luxury. If you ever see or touch an authentic chanel bag, you’ll instantly feel its quality and richness. Which why Chanel bags are lined with the highest quality leather. It is tightly and seamlessly fitted in the bag with no wrinkles, creases, bumps, or bubbles of any kind.

If the lining shows any signs of creasing or bumps after opening and closing the bag several times, you’ll know you are being sold a faux bag. In addition, the lining of the real chanel bag would sit tight and creaseless for many many years.

15. see the quality of it’s dust bag

Bags manufactured before 2000’s had a white dust bag and the ones made after 2000’s are having a solid black color. Genuine chanel dust bags are made up of superior hard cotton and have CHANEL imprinted right in the center in white bold letters.

If the brand name is mispelled, written in off-white or grey, or has thinner font with uneven spacing, then you are being duped.

These are all the points you have to consider if you really want to learn how to spot a fake chanel bag. There are many counterfeiters who produce almost exact copies of authentic chanel bags that can very easily fool average people. Chanel knows what they sell and won’t produce or sell anything less than top-notch. Even the slightest differences should make you suspicious.

Hope you’ll not get dupes after knowing how to spot a fake chanel bag!

Where to buy authentic Chanel bags?

If you are looking to buy authentic chanel bags, your best option is to buy directly from Chanel’s official website or offline retail boutiques. You can find Chanel boutiques in nearly every luxury department store, including Harrods and Selfridges.

Some other stores from where you can buy brand new or pre-owned Chanel bags are Shopbob, Fashionphile, Farfetch, and, Rebag.

chanel bag Alternatives

I have a full post on Chanel bag dupes where I have found and listed some of the beautiful yet affordable alternatives to Chanel bags. These are not fakes and does not say Chanel or anything related on them. They are bags made by companies that look almost like Chanel bags.

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how to spot a fake chanel bag?