Many people will be searching for great deals over the next few holiday shopping weekends.
But if what you're after is a true designer product for that special someone, the last thing you want is to wind up with a fake.
Felisa Insignares knows designer fashion, and knows how widespread counterfeits are these days.
At her Designer Items and More boutique, she sells Louis Vuitton, Chanel and other sought-after brands.
But she warns that a lot of similar-looking items sold online are fakes.
"If you buy online, it's always a risk," she said. "I always say it's a little bit better if you actually get to feel it, to touch it, to smell it, to look at it."
Warning signs of a counterfeit
The Better Business Bureau's Melanie McGovern suggests if you're shopping a website you're not familiar with, ask yourself some questions that could prevent a rip-off.
"Does it look like the pictures were taken off of other websites? Do they have items that no one else has? But all of a sudden this website has them? Those are definite telltale signs," McGovern said.
Also, she says, carefully check reviews, and Google for complaints about that seller.
"See if other people are shopping there, what their experience is," said McGovern. "Or are they saying, 'I put in an order, and I never got anything.'"
It can be very tough nowadays to spot a fake. It's a lot different from the days when most people could spot a fake Rolex watch from 3 feet away.
Consumer reporter fails the test
Insignares asked me to try to spot a fake Louis Vuitton bag.
"It's gonna be your designer quiz," she said, placing two handbags on a table.
I picked the bigger bag as the counterfeit because the leather felt thin.
"This one feels thinner and cheaper than that one," I said.
But I was wrong!
"This is called a super fake," she said, holding up the smaller bag, made with heavier leather.
How could she tell?
"Take a look at that stitching," she said. "This stitching is sloppy."
She says poor stitching is a telltale sign of a fake. So is a zipper that is difficult to pull.
She showed me a Gucci bag that would look great in a web photo.
But, she said, "this is your run-of-the-mill counterfeited Gucci," with a flimsy strap and an internal zipper that got stuck while unzipping.
Insignares says if it's cheaply made, and you paid $200 for it, you'd feel ripped off. So would that special someone in your life.
So be careful and don't waste your money.
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