This site had gone offline when I looked earlier today, that doesn't mean it won't be back tomorrow though. Watch out for the same stuff but with a different site design, it happens.

I feel safe offering the following further bits of advice:

1. Sites which sell designer goods by many manufacturers - sometimes as many as twenty or thirty - are almost certainly selling fakes. There are few if any genuine dealers who can afford to stock all these different lines.

2. Although "myluxurybags" isn't particularly obvious, many names are, because the fakers use hundreds of different combinations of the same words so as to create as many site names as possible. If this site name had been "myluxurybags999" or "guccibagscheap" it should have rung warning bell. I say "should have" because time and again we see people falling for sites with ludicrous names. Ask yourself, would I go into a store with this name, looking for this item, if it were on the high street? What sort of name would you expect a genuine dealer in expensive designer bags to have? Even "myluxurybags" in this context is suspicious. Just "luxurybags" would work, but often, fakers tack "my" on the start of an address because the better addresses are already taken.

3. Before considering any site, use Google to look for others of a similar sort. Generally you will find a little research turns up many, many almost identical sites selling the same lines of fakes. Remember what these look like, in general, then go look at a known genuine site such as Lamboutin or Gucci. Ask yourself if the site you're about to hand money to, actually looks like the sort of place that has genuine, expensive designer gear. Does this look like a place which actually paid professionals to design its storefront?

4. Do NOT make a judgment based on price, in this market. Fakes are priced as genuine, or with a modest discount, so as to fool you. Do NOT make a judgment based on photos and do NOT make a judgment based on any claims that the site is safe, protected, hacker-proof, secure, or guaranteed in any way, shape or form. Even if it is, it's not worth the risk to base a decision to spend hundreds of dollars just on that basis.

Be vigilant, always. For every genuine site in the handbag trade specifically, there may be as many as a thousand fakes. If you really feel unable to hold on to your money, you could always send it to me. I won't send you a handbag, but then half these faker sites won't, either.

asked by Chris O. on 7/29/10