Louis Vuitton is a celebrated handbag maker that tirelessly innovates and has an awesome range. It is out of reach of the mass market because of its high price tag. This is precisely the reason for the legitimate replica handbags and not so legitimate fakes to thrive and rip off the gullible buyers of their valuable monies. In addition, Louis Vuitton is also famous for accessories, which have earned prominence in Hollywood.

By the way, the menace of clones and replicas is plaguing the Louis Vuitton market. The company has taken several technical and legal steps to curb it. Louis Vuitton is suing geographically diverse companies for allegedly selling clones of its handbags for $6 apiece for a damage consideration of €61,000 - €75,000 depending on the extent of damage. But the question is how, you the buyer, can protect yourself from getting duped. Of course, your first defense against clones and fakes would be to buy from authorized stores, a list of which is available to be downloaded at the official site of Louis Vuitton.

Nevertheless, it pays to check for certain telltale marks; although the list herein is a very basic one, it serves as a starting block to identify clones or replica handbags from genuine Louis Vuitton bags.

The first thing to check whether a handbag is fake is by checking the price tag. If the price is under half of what it would cost in an authorized shop, then it’s a fake. Genuine Louis Vuitton sells only at retail and bags cost around $1500. Thus you know anything selling for $75 or for $150 has got to be a fake. Even the pre-owned genuine bags don’t sell for such ridiculous prices because why would an owner wants to sell it when he can hold it until the model is withdrawn when he can make big time money.

Louis Vuitton tag never comes with blue numbers printed thereof. It is a warning signal for you if you to steer away from it. Sellers appear to think that leaving the numbers will some how convinces the buyer strangely when originals don’t even have such things at all.

Besides the printed number tags, an additional big indication that whether a handbag is fake or a genuine is the plastic wrapped around the handles that gives a cheap look. I am not suggesting that Louis Vuitton handbags don’t have plastic wrappers over handles but you can always tell from the quality of the plastic used. Some brand new bags come with plastic covers but not the resale bags. A display bag or a used piece, then you should not find the plastic covers at all. Since Louis Vuitton never does business on wholesale, you may want to ask the seller where he got the bag from if you see plastic still covering the handles.

Another apparent telltale clue is the paper wrappings around the hardware as if to protect it. You might even pick some paper around rivets, which is very funny.

My advice would be to look for more technical description on their official site, perhaps precisely at the time of investing in a genuine Louis Vuitton.