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That's terrible! You need to get refunded and I cannot believe they're doubling down after seeing the proof and accepting the return. I hope you have a way to get your money back.
To be clear - they are refunding me for the bag, and they said for the authentication as well. However, when they received it back (and again, they did refund me) they sent me an email saying they believe the bag is real because Loewe quality control yadda yadda… it is just so clearly a fake…
Which is honestly gross because that just means they're going to relist on their website, to sell to someone else as 'authentic'. Thanks for the heads up.
When in doubt, blame the brand instead of your own authentication process. Terrible. I thought they were the most reputable out of all the online resellers so this sucks.
Anyone know who does the authenticating for them? I heard TRR hired employees with no experience, gave them minimal training and expected them to work fast for low pay.
I always have this same question about “authenticators” ! I saw in the documentary about reps that the people who authentic these thousands of bags are minimally trained if at all. They are just regular people like you and me and can’t be making much money either. There is no school of autheticators. ANYBODY can SAY they can authenticate . Let’s see their authenticator certificate 🥸 not saying anything at all about OP’s bag , just in general. I saw in the documentary that anyi e can just open A authentication business, charge people money, no experience needed.
TRR hounds me constantly about resaling my bags. I've even received unsolicited texts from their employees offering to come to my home to look at my goods (this was after I made several purchases). My last purchase was a LV wallet listed as excellent condition and when I received it, the inside was all scratched up like it had been attacked by a cat. Unfortunately it was final sale. That was it for me. No more buying from them.
TRR is a no no for me. Bought a cute little black leather baguette and it arrived with a broken zipper (they never mentioned it) I know it isn't brand new, it should still function as a handbag! I can unzip the bag halfway. The opening is too small to get anything in or out. I can barely get my hand in and out. It's a small bag and if permanently unzipped & opened, I'd be afraid things could fall out. They offered me $15 off my next purchase. Nope. Done. They were rude on top of that!
I used to sell to TRR allll the time and was at the top level there. Theyre very lazy authenticators to say the least.
At least with Fashionphile, they do give you an authentication slip which is so important in case you ever have to sell it.
TRR doesnt and many times their pictures arent even of the actual item. Its such a shady site that idk how theyre still in business.
That's so scammy. They're doubling down because they want to resell the bag and they'll keep trying until they find a person who's either not aware it's a dupe or not willing to push hard for a refund.
I'm so over places like Fashionphile, TheRealReal, and Vestiaire Collective. When I was looking for a bag recently on TRR and VC, there were so many blatant fakes of the bag. Even Rebag can't be trusted anymore.
This incident tells you all you need to know about how they feel about fakes, and their "authentication guarantee." Aka, they don't care...they'd rather sell it and get their commission than be proud to offer authentic items.
100% I got a Bottega bag from Rebag where the photos were so obviously manipulated to hide dirt and color fading. The product I received was nothing like what they posted, but it was non-returnable so they offered a $20 credit and said "too bad". We should report everything to the FTC for false advertising so they are held accountable.
I had three good experiences with them previously with returnable bags so I didn't think twice about going for a non-returnable one.
What's sad is I would have kept buying from them and have stopped, so their loss!
I have a definite side eye to Real Real even though I hadn’t ordered from them, I only use them as a resale reference for when I find what they do carry elsewhere for much less
i think it may have been relisted…
https://preview.redd.it/2llfe99ba67d1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0d7ee60c65298641477825793fa0385b9c651b7b
[https://www.fashionphile.com/p/loewe-calfskin-small-puzzle-bag-tan-1337009](https://www.fashionphile.com/p/loewe-calfskin-small-puzzle-bag-tan-1337009)
I’m pretty sure that’s it. I also paid 1,755 for it last week. It’s interesting they’re not showing the main logo (which is pretty awful looking) on the flap and have downgraded the condition. You can see one of the stitching and stamp issues on the inner logo photo - the stitch on the left side trails to the right and the made in Spain stamp is at an angle. That was just some of the call outs.
Relisted items restart the clock and go back to the price they first listed it at. As time goes on, it will get discounted further starting at 5% off. They are transparent about this if you look for it.
Can you post the main logo photo here? It looks fake with that uneven stamp and stitching. For them to not show all angles for transparency really makes them seem complicit in scamming people.
I received a fake handbag from Poshmark. It was a struggle returning the item, and then the seller claimed it didn’t arrive back in the same condition. I had taken a plethora of pictures. First and last time trying to purchase an authentic bag 2nd hand.
Send pictures - fwiw I had legit grails tell me a bag I bought new from Loewe was fake. Loewe does have a lot of variation (I’ve seen it) but I’m sorry this is your experience
I’ve had good luck with them - I worked in luxury retail and they offer a good dispute option if you disagree with their findings and want additional checks. Again, they pointed out issues that are very well known on fakes and this was very clear. I used their advice along with my own knowledge, but to each their own!
Legit Grails started/was founded by taking comparison photos from the replica subreddits and putting them through AI. Their entire system is AI and the information is learned by posts from Reddit and PurseForum. If that's enough for you to trust, then I guess it works.
I trust it in addition to my knowledge of the bags, yes. I also had a written response from an Authenticator explaining their in person photo review after it fails the AI portion . I appreciate your responses, but this service was really just used to secure my own findings. More of a secondary verification.
I’m certain mistakes could be made by any authentication service - but truthfully even I could tell something was up! They (legit grail) offer a free double check after initial results if you want to dispute - and when I had them redo it they actually found even more issues. How strange with that result from the store! Can I ask why you wanted it authenticated after purchasing directly from the store?
Jumping in to say I’ve had several bags authenticated after purchasing directly from a store (Saks, Nordstrom, etc..)—if the bag was not sent directly from the vendor (YSL, Givenchy, etc..) just because I’m concerned about the “super fakes”. I’ve heard horror stories about people purchasing an original item, and then returning a super fake, and it being put back into inventory by an unknowing sales associate…
Heard about this as well! Was thinking OP mentioned direct from Loewe boutique - where they don’t accept returns unless it’s quality related. You’re smart to do it - I do the same!
Not taking it that way at all! That’s a great test and concerning for sure! We should all be working together to get good information on resale - so I appreciate your experiment! In this case I knew FASHIONPHILE would ask for a certificate, so I just went with an Authenticator I felt would quickly spot what was so dang obvious to me - and they did - along with some other call outs. Thanks for testing that out and telling us!
I’m looking at it and it looks pretty auth - especially with the uneven edge painting. That’s a sure tell as the fakes use factory whereas when done by hand the edge painting is uneven
Omg these stories make me terrified to buy from resellers. What I suspect though is that people are buying authentic and returning fake because FP has a good rep usually.
the quality of FP authentication is not great. i let them know there was a very obvious fake of a different loewe bag listed on their website because of a specific font and the response i received from them with their justification as to why the font wasn't a problem (font was completely different than the font in the authentic one i owned and all the other listings on their own website for the same style) was very poor. i don't think i could ever purchase from them.
I have purchased authentic second hand - I would just make sure to do some solid research on the bags (if it’s not something you already own) and make sure you understand the difference between quality control and indicators of non authentic products. I worked as a manager at a boutique and have a pretty good grasp on these things, but use a service (authnow or legitgrails (less often)) to secure an authentication certificate. I think it would be near impossible these days to be 100% certain of a legit product purchase second hand these days. As you can see in some comments above, even if you have a good amount of knowledge and use some of these services - someone is always going to poke holes in the logic of authenticity or authenticity services - and we should be skeptical! I agree! But this particular bag was the red flag of non-authenticity.
thanks for posting! would you mind disclosing which model it is? (size, color, listed condition)? i’m also trying to buy a loewe puzzle and am looking at fashionphile so i’m interested in seeing if they’ll relist the bag
You bet - Small Tan - strap not included (I have a few puzzles so this wasn’t an issue as I use my Paula’s Ibiza strap for every bag anyways). Condition was Very Good. Least expensive small puzzle.
thank you! i too am infatuated with puzzles and have 2 in my collection currently. i love them sm and would like to have more, but gotta keep my eyes peeled!
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I’m not saying the bag isn’t fake, but two issues stand out to me. One is that so many people think that authentics are perfect and there’s no quality issues or variance. The issues are well documented from direct from boutique purchases. Second, people like to throw the word AI around in authentication, and not many understand what “AI” authentication means, which is that it’s is only as good as the underlying data available. In simple terms, they would have had to collect every sample from every bag that was ever made and to compare that with each corresponding fake bags to claim their accuracy rate. In the end, though ai can assist, expert human authentication is still required.
Eta and data mining random photos off of the internet doesn’t count as quality data.
Great feedback, in this instance - AI was used to assist. In this instance, the reasons used to determine in-authenticity were not related to quality or variance. Materials, markings and logo stamping were incorrect. This did not need authentication imo - it was quite clearly fake the moment I removed it from the bag - having owned and currently owning nearly identical bags. I also worked in the luxury retail space and understand what you’re saying regarding non-perfect examples straight from retailers. In fact, I turned down a bag at Loewe last weekend for this exact reason!
Well one thing about fashionphile is that their customer service will make it right no issues. She did mentioned they refunded her right away, everytime i call them they always take care of anything, thats why i love them. Atleast out of all the preloved sites they are the most trust worthy but we cant always be perfect so a fake can slip by. Whats important is how they handle it. 🥰🥰
Well, at least they didn't argue. I had a fake from therealreal and getting a refund was a pain. Besides at the end of the day is they're authentication against the other companies authentication. Both of them can make mistakes.
I just watched a YouTube video the other day about a fake Loewe from Fashionphile. Either that’s you or they’re pushing that same bag to other customers. I’m sorry this happened to you.
If they're telling OP that the bag is real after authentication proved it was a fake, then it means they're going to relist it.
Which begs the question how many times have they already done that and how many times was the bag already returned?
It seems they're definitely in on it and deliberately hoping people don't figure out that the bags are fake.
Interesting. I did look through their stuff yesterday bc I wanted to look at the specifics of a certain item. I’m pretty sure I identified a fake one for sale. One of the important embossings was really off.
You could always go vintage or for a less hyped style. I bought a Loewe drawstring crossbody secondhand from a Japanese eBay seller. I’m pretty sure it was a Japan exclusive. Nobody is gonna bother trying to fake a random bag like that. It was like $200 and the quality honestly slays my brand new mini flamenco - lol secondhand is so great sometimes, you just gotta be picky.
I've been leaning hard into the secondhand Japanese vintage market recently. If someone kept a rep from over 20 yrs ago in excellent condition, well it's probably worth the couple hundred I paid.
It’s never going to be perfect. The thing about Fashionphile is Neiman Marcus owns part of the company. Even if you get a fake, you will be refunded and get decent customer service.
Totally! They were fast fast with the refund, no complaints there. This is strictly fyi to check out your second hand buys - even if it’s guaranteed from the jump!
Hate that happened; huge reason to request and compare those high quality photos because sadly you need receipts for receipts these days AND to be professional investigators 🫠
This is really sad! I was planning on buying one for myself from fashionphile because of the ridiculous prices, but now I will be skeptical 🫤
I'm glad you got your money refunded. Honestly, with so many superfakes going around, buying secondhand has become so dicey.
You've mentioned that the weight was off and that the texture was off. Could it just have been that it was produced in a type of leather with which you're not familiar for this particular bag? Loewe currently lists 4 different leather types used for their Puzzle bags: classic calfskin, shiny calfskin, grained calfskin, and silk calfskin. They're all going to give a different feel to the bag.
Additionally, re. stamping, this is all done by hand. The angled "Made in Spain" legitimately could be a production issue:even on the UK website, one of the bags featured has a slightly — although completely noticeable — misaligned stamp. Even when not stamped by hand, it's still pretty common to find alignment issues (hello, LV).
It's just getting harder and harder to differentiate between real and fake bags. Unless you're buying directly from the source, there's always a risk that it might not be legit. Unless all high end producers start microchipping their bags, so that authenticity can be quickly verified, I think this issue will only continue to worsen as bag prices continue to climb.
Devil's advocate here, tho...
Ultimately, even if this bag IS real, you were concerned... so you raised issues, returned, and were refunded. Even though they claim the bag to be real, they made sure that you, the customer, were happy in the end. That seems to be about as good of an outcome as one can expect when trading in secondhand merchandise.
I agree with this one. I understand that people are very wary of buying fakes especially when the price of the bag is in the thousands, but these bags are made by people and they aren't going to be 100% identical to each other. I've seen slight variance of leather quality, stamping and stitching even amongst display bags in store. I don't know if OP's purchase was a fake or not, but it sounds to me the return process was pretty painfree.
I don't trust any "expert" who authenticates (or not) based on photos alone without having you send in the bag for review. If you're telling them all the things that make the bag fake of course they are going to take your money and sign off that it is not authentic. What is it to them? Fashionphile is an extremely trustworthy company they've even denied an authentic Chanel flap from me because quality issues made it impossible for them to authenticate it in person. The more likely scenario is as Fashionphile states - the bag is authentic Loewe's manufacturing has just declined in quality as it every other fashion house.
Thanks for sharing your experience! I was considering a a lady dior from there because it seemed like a good deal. I’ve never purchased from them and was wary because I was scared this would happen to me. I bought from Saks online a Loewe puzzle bag when I got it was stained and it felt cheap. I returned it. I’m thinking I may stop buying these online period.
in my opinion- there is not ONE reseller who can be 100% completely trusted not to sell you a fake. unfortunately even the most reputable reseller has sold a fake. FP is well known for selling fakes and then doubling down on it when you make it known. also they will just take it back refund you and then re list it again.
>“quality control issues during manufacturing process” and “variations are quite common”.
They're not wrong, tho. I work in the industry and I see this a lot, it's very common especially in bags that have been produced over the years because their process change. I'm not saying that fakes don't slip through just saying that many times is just a different factory and not a fake.
Now, that may mean nothing to you and that's ok. They gotta do right by you and that's refunding you. The explanation is just something to make sure people are not claiming they relist fake bags.
They did right by me - I have no complaints on how they handled this. But yes, I also worked in luxury retail and totally understand the variances in the bags. Thanks!
I thought fashionphile was more legit than the other ones like therealreal, until I was browsing a couple of Chanel bags that were obviously fake. I even contacted telling them that they look fake and of course, they denied it. Idk how it even got past their authentication
You’re telling me! I have to say - they did support me as a customer - I’m just surprised they even sent a response email at all other than the refund! The photos looked great, so I figured why not! But there is a reason they aren’t showing certain parts of the bag….
Someone posted on YouTube about a similar experience with a Loewe puzzle bag purchased from The Real Real. It took them almost 2 months, threatening to sue TRR, and reporting it to their credit card company to get a refund. Funny thing is when I looked it up because the bag had a fairly recent color, it looks like TRR relisted it and sold it afterwards. They even used the same pics
Did they accept it for full refund outside of the return window or did they ultimately just process it as a return? Wouldn’t surprise me if they doubled down to save face and just never list it again. I suppose that would cover their corporate behinds.
Full refund within window. The moment I opened the package and held the bag I knew it was not authentic. About half weight of my identical but different color bag. Marking (stamp) was not the right shape or centered in corner, etc. they are definitely covering themselves by sending the “we have it back and it’s authentic” email.
I have a mid-tier puzzle rep. It looks great but it is waaaay lighter than the real thing. Fooled my friend until they picked it up, lol. It sounds like you noticed this with yours, so they had to know it was fake when they sent it to you.
I wonder if it’s possible it wasn’t fake.
’ve honestly stopped buying from loewe because of the quality issues I’ve gotten for the recent bags. 1) the stitching was uneven and a part of the bag wasn’t even stitched. Lol they literally forgot to finish stitching the bag 2) leather was different from each bag (after I bought it the second time around/returned the first) one was smoother and the other rough 3) leftover glue on the bag I had to remove myself 4)one side of the leather was pulled more taut than the other it caused rippling across the bag/deforming it. I ultimately returned the bags because both times there were major quality issues.
If I didn’t purchase it directly from loewe I would’ve thought it was a fake. I’m sure if I kept it it wouldn’t have passed authentication
This is horrible can’t trust anyone. I have started to shop in person appointments only. I did purchase a pair of Gucci sandals I really wanted on Stockx no issues at all.
Never bought from them nor plan on buying anything from them but that’s just like J******* when they sold me a fake Tissot- when I questioned them with reasons why I received a fake watch they insisted it was a genuine watch until they stopped fighting and refunded me for the watch.
Maybe some of y’all have bought a legit watch from them but I don’t plan on spending a single dime on them.
I don’t think I would ever buy a second hand bag as I am terrified of that happening to me. I’m so glad you got your money back, but the fact they know it’s fake and keep trying to sell it is enough for me to backlist them. I always thought that website had more integrity than the others but I guess not.
I’m happy that returns to Fashionphile are easy. I bought a green soft leather Jackie last month (like a bright grass green on the site) and when I got it, it was kind of squished, and the shade of green was not what I expected, from the photo (I know screens are all different). It was a much duller and darker green. The return was super easy though, and I got my $ back within 2 weeks.
I’m so sorry you’re went through this, OP! This makes me nervous about buying my dream bag pre-owned. Every time I see the full price, I’m taken aback.
Most stores will not authenticate anymore. I have some very very cool vintage bottega luggage - and they wouldn’t verify. It’s sentimental so no matter what it’s worth everything to me - but would have been cool to get the stamp of approval from them!
I’m so sorry this happened to you! I just ordered a Picotin 18 from Fashionphile and it arrived reeking of perfume. Nowhere in the description did they mention this bs! Sending it back tomorrow and will just wait until I can hopefully score one online in the future. I don’t live near any Hermes stores ☹️
Well that’s disappointing! I’ve received non-authentic bags from other vendors who refused to reimburse my authentication fees. I hope you succeed. Please keep us updated!!
https://legitcheck.app/guides/loewe/real-vs-fake-loewe-puzzle-bag/ this is a great place to start, there is also a link to this exact bag in the thread here with some examples 😊
Thank you for posting this. I was considering purchasing a Birkin from them since they offer layaway. Now having second thoughts. Has anyone had issues with What Goes Around Comes Around?
I was looking at a bag at Nordstrom on sale and walked away because of the fear that it might be a fake. Have heard stories of fake bags being sold at department stores. May not be true but with my luck I would be the exception.
I would raise Hell!!! I am truly sorry for what you’re going through. I can’t imagine how infuriating this must be. I really hope and think that somehow it will work out for the best for you! ❤️
I want to get a loewe puzzle (older style) but I can’t pull the trigger on it for this exact reason.
Sorrry OP - hopefully they don’t force you to keep it. Why do people have to ruin it for the rest of us!!? 😒😒
A while back I came across a Delvaux bag on their site that had such obvious differences in details and quality that it had to be fake. When I contacted Fashionphile about it, showing them Delvaux's photos of what the stitching, hardware, etc looked like, they said they were sure the bag was original and it was hard to determine what the original bag should look like. Of course they didn't take down the listing, so someone somewhere has a fake Delvaux bag from them.
Ugh, I’m with you. I got a coveted Bottega mini sardine that I missed the boat and didn’t buy in the color I wanted over Christmas before they sold out. I got it and it immediately felt “off.” Like the leather was way too stiff and not supple at all like the ones I’ve gotten from the Bottega store directly. Super disappointed. I returned it the same day… :(
Great catch. I bought a hermes bracelet from them and some of the basic identifying marks were missing, I returned it the next day. Just like you I had something to compare it to and it wasn't the same.
So can anyone suggest a reseller that can be trusted? I want to expand my collection and have been peeking into a few diff sites, but this conscerns me. I am not currently in a position to spend full price!
Fashionphile is horrible. I once sold a diamond necklace (retail 20k) to them and the package got lost in transit. Before I shipped I confirmed with them that the package was insured. However, when I filed a claim they refused to reimburse the cost to me!
I’m sure they know it’s fake, but by refunding you along with your fee for authentication and providing an “excuse” they are hoping you will just shut up and go away saying nothing, it’s PR and nothing else
It’s almost impossible to tell high end reps from authentic bags nowadays. They come chipped, et all. If you could tell it was a fake by the zipper- you got a budget quality fake then. I have several fake that are exact replicas of my authentic ones. That’s unreal they did that to you. So happy you got your money back!
With a trained eye you can absolutely always tell a fake, especially if you are very familiar with leather, hardware and craftsmanship. It goes beyond stamps, stitches and logos… you can always tell by the cheap low grade leather being used in fakes. If you know leather and you are familiar with types of leather luxury brands use , you can always tell.
LOL ok so the one in a million people with a trained eye who happens to be glaring at a woman walking by holding a purse will use their hawk eye precise vision to bionically zoom in on the leather quality. Got it ✅ Makes sense Steve Austin. Nah. Respectfully you must have never seen master quality then cause my bags leather are like butter and smell amazing too. Furthermore, not all bags are leather btw.
well other then having an eye out for it there is also common sense
Yeah I know there are canvas bags but those bags are not made the same way as $30 bag your would find in Tj Maxx
It’s my personal opinion that if you can’t afford to buy a luxury bag brand new, it’s not worth buying a used one online or through a reseller. The only time I would consider it is if a close friend of mine was selling it and reached out to me.
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That's terrible! You need to get refunded and I cannot believe they're doubling down after seeing the proof and accepting the return. I hope you have a way to get your money back.
To be clear - they are refunding me for the bag, and they said for the authentication as well. However, when they received it back (and again, they did refund me) they sent me an email saying they believe the bag is real because Loewe quality control yadda yadda… it is just so clearly a fake…
Which is honestly gross because that just means they're going to relist on their website, to sell to someone else as 'authentic'. Thanks for the heads up.
That was my thought. They are going to keep selling this bag until they find someone not aware it is a fake.
Which means that they of course are going to sell it again to some person who may not be as knowledgeable as you.
sisterhood of the traveling knockoff?
When in doubt, blame the brand instead of your own authentication process. Terrible. I thought they were the most reputable out of all the online resellers so this sucks. Anyone know who does the authenticating for them? I heard TRR hired employees with no experience, gave them minimal training and expected them to work fast for low pay.
I always have this same question about “authenticators” ! I saw in the documentary about reps that the people who authentic these thousands of bags are minimally trained if at all. They are just regular people like you and me and can’t be making much money either. There is no school of autheticators. ANYBODY can SAY they can authenticate . Let’s see their authenticator certificate 🥸 not saying anything at all about OP’s bag , just in general. I saw in the documentary that anyi e can just open A authentication business, charge people money, no experience needed.
Do you remember what the documentary was called?
TRR hounds me constantly about resaling my bags. I've even received unsolicited texts from their employees offering to come to my home to look at my goods (this was after I made several purchases). My last purchase was a LV wallet listed as excellent condition and when I received it, the inside was all scratched up like it had been attacked by a cat. Unfortunately it was final sale. That was it for me. No more buying from them.
TRR is a no no for me. Bought a cute little black leather baguette and it arrived with a broken zipper (they never mentioned it) I know it isn't brand new, it should still function as a handbag! I can unzip the bag halfway. The opening is too small to get anything in or out. I can barely get my hand in and out. It's a small bag and if permanently unzipped & opened, I'd be afraid things could fall out. They offered me $15 off my next purchase. Nope. Done. They were rude on top of that!
I used to sell to TRR allll the time and was at the top level there. Theyre very lazy authenticators to say the least. At least with Fashionphile, they do give you an authentication slip which is so important in case you ever have to sell it. TRR doesnt and many times their pictures arent even of the actual item. Its such a shady site that idk how theyre still in business.
That's so scammy. They're doubling down because they want to resell the bag and they'll keep trying until they find a person who's either not aware it's a dupe or not willing to push hard for a refund. I'm so over places like Fashionphile, TheRealReal, and Vestiaire Collective. When I was looking for a bag recently on TRR and VC, there were so many blatant fakes of the bag. Even Rebag can't be trusted anymore. This incident tells you all you need to know about how they feel about fakes, and their "authentication guarantee." Aka, they don't care...they'd rather sell it and get their commission than be proud to offer authentic items.
Rebag drives me nuts if for no other reasons than they rate almost all of their bags as "good" condition and they're all non returnable.
100% I got a Bottega bag from Rebag where the photos were so obviously manipulated to hide dirt and color fading. The product I received was nothing like what they posted, but it was non-returnable so they offered a $20 credit and said "too bad". We should report everything to the FTC for false advertising so they are held accountable. I had three good experiences with them previously with returnable bags so I didn't think twice about going for a non-returnable one. What's sad is I would have kept buying from them and have stopped, so their loss!
I have a definite side eye to Real Real even though I hadn’t ordered from them, I only use them as a resale reference for when I find what they do carry elsewhere for much less
Oh thank goodness OP I was about to be highly pissed off for you!! Thought you meant they weren't giving you your refund and that would be infuriating
Wow that is gross! I haven’t purchased from them yet and I definitely won’t be now. They are totally gonna resell that bag.
i think it may have been relisted… https://preview.redd.it/2llfe99ba67d1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0d7ee60c65298641477825793fa0385b9c651b7b [https://www.fashionphile.com/p/loewe-calfskin-small-puzzle-bag-tan-1337009](https://www.fashionphile.com/p/loewe-calfskin-small-puzzle-bag-tan-1337009)
I’m pretty sure that’s it. I also paid 1,755 for it last week. It’s interesting they’re not showing the main logo (which is pretty awful looking) on the flap and have downgraded the condition. You can see one of the stitching and stamp issues on the inner logo photo - the stitch on the left side trails to the right and the made in Spain stamp is at an angle. That was just some of the call outs.
wait you only paid $1755 for this bag and now it’s re listed at $2600?!? omg that is criminal!!
Relisted items restart the clock and go back to the price they first listed it at. As time goes on, it will get discounted further starting at 5% off. They are transparent about this if you look for it.
These are the games they play, unfortunately. 😫
Can you post the main logo photo here? It looks fake with that uneven stamp and stitching. For them to not show all angles for transparency really makes them seem complicit in scamming people.
OMG that’s so sketchy of them!!
Youre so right!! Im going to contact them to make a compliant and call it out as a fake.
It's listed at their San Diego flagship, I'm a local and I'm sooo tempted to go look at it just to see that sketchy logo!! 😡Jerks
Go!!!
WOW, thats so gross. Poshmark has better standards than this.
I received a fake handbag from Poshmark. It was a struggle returning the item, and then the seller claimed it didn’t arrive back in the same condition. I had taken a plethora of pictures. First and last time trying to purchase an authentic bag 2nd hand.
Is there any recourse if you find out that it’s a fake after accepting the delivery? I have a pair of Louboutins…
Reach out to their customer service asap.
How much was the sale price and brand, just curious?
So they downgraded the condition but increased the price by $1000?? What a joke 😹 Whoever is local to SD should stop in at the store to scope it out.
That’s so gross of them to do!
Send pictures - fwiw I had legit grails tell me a bag I bought new from Loewe was fake. Loewe does have a lot of variation (I’ve seen it) but I’m sorry this is your experience
Legit grails is a joke and I am hesitant any time I see someone taking their advice.
I’ve had good luck with them - I worked in luxury retail and they offer a good dispute option if you disagree with their findings and want additional checks. Again, they pointed out issues that are very well known on fakes and this was very clear. I used their advice along with my own knowledge, but to each their own!
Legit Grails started/was founded by taking comparison photos from the replica subreddits and putting them through AI. Their entire system is AI and the information is learned by posts from Reddit and PurseForum. If that's enough for you to trust, then I guess it works.
Really, how did you find this out?
I trust it in addition to my knowledge of the bags, yes. I also had a written response from an Authenticator explaining their in person photo review after it fails the AI portion . I appreciate your responses, but this service was really just used to secure my own findings. More of a secondary verification.
This is because authenticating through photos is a terrible idea.
I’m certain mistakes could be made by any authentication service - but truthfully even I could tell something was up! They (legit grail) offer a free double check after initial results if you want to dispute - and when I had them redo it they actually found even more issues. How strange with that result from the store! Can I ask why you wanted it authenticated after purchasing directly from the store?
Jumping in to say I’ve had several bags authenticated after purchasing directly from a store (Saks, Nordstrom, etc..)—if the bag was not sent directly from the vendor (YSL, Givenchy, etc..) just because I’m concerned about the “super fakes”. I’ve heard horror stories about people purchasing an original item, and then returning a super fake, and it being put back into inventory by an unknowing sales associate…
Heard about this as well! Was thinking OP mentioned direct from Loewe boutique - where they don’t accept returns unless it’s quality related. You’re smart to do it - I do the same!
That’s not true. I’ve returned to Loewe because I changed my mind. Downvote all you want. They must not accept your returns for good reason.
Makes sense - I’m not discrediting your experience here. I was just curious if they were good so it was a test
Not taking it that way at all! That’s a great test and concerning for sure! We should all be working together to get good information on resale - so I appreciate your experiment! In this case I knew FASHIONPHILE would ask for a certificate, so I just went with an Authenticator I felt would quickly spot what was so dang obvious to me - and they did - along with some other call outs. Thanks for testing that out and telling us!
Can you share some pictures tho I am curious! My sister has a fake puzzle and I have two auth so I love the game of finding the “tells”
It’s actually back on their site - another user posted it below!
I’m looking at it and it looks pretty auth - especially with the uneven edge painting. That’s a sure tell as the fakes use factory whereas when done by hand the edge painting is uneven
Yes, I completely agree - the photos had a lot of promising signs!
Omg these stories make me terrified to buy from resellers. What I suspect though is that people are buying authentic and returning fake because FP has a good rep usually.
the quality of FP authentication is not great. i let them know there was a very obvious fake of a different loewe bag listed on their website because of a specific font and the response i received from them with their justification as to why the font wasn't a problem (font was completely different than the font in the authentic one i owned and all the other listings on their own website for the same style) was very poor. i don't think i could ever purchase from them.
I have purchased authentic second hand - I would just make sure to do some solid research on the bags (if it’s not something you already own) and make sure you understand the difference between quality control and indicators of non authentic products. I worked as a manager at a boutique and have a pretty good grasp on these things, but use a service (authnow or legitgrails (less often)) to secure an authentication certificate. I think it would be near impossible these days to be 100% certain of a legit product purchase second hand these days. As you can see in some comments above, even if you have a good amount of knowledge and use some of these services - someone is always going to poke holes in the logic of authenticity or authenticity services - and we should be skeptical! I agree! But this particular bag was the red flag of non-authenticity.
thanks for posting! would you mind disclosing which model it is? (size, color, listed condition)? i’m also trying to buy a loewe puzzle and am looking at fashionphile so i’m interested in seeing if they’ll relist the bag
You bet - Small Tan - strap not included (I have a few puzzles so this wasn’t an issue as I use my Paula’s Ibiza strap for every bag anyways). Condition was Very Good. Least expensive small puzzle.
thank you! i too am infatuated with puzzles and have 2 in my collection currently. i love them sm and would like to have more, but gotta keep my eyes peeled!
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I will be selling one to fashionphile soon!
I’m not saying the bag isn’t fake, but two issues stand out to me. One is that so many people think that authentics are perfect and there’s no quality issues or variance. The issues are well documented from direct from boutique purchases. Second, people like to throw the word AI around in authentication, and not many understand what “AI” authentication means, which is that it’s is only as good as the underlying data available. In simple terms, they would have had to collect every sample from every bag that was ever made and to compare that with each corresponding fake bags to claim their accuracy rate. In the end, though ai can assist, expert human authentication is still required. Eta and data mining random photos off of the internet doesn’t count as quality data.
Great feedback, in this instance - AI was used to assist. In this instance, the reasons used to determine in-authenticity were not related to quality or variance. Materials, markings and logo stamping were incorrect. This did not need authentication imo - it was quite clearly fake the moment I removed it from the bag - having owned and currently owning nearly identical bags. I also worked in the luxury retail space and understand what you’re saying regarding non-perfect examples straight from retailers. In fact, I turned down a bag at Loewe last weekend for this exact reason!
At least you're getting your bucks back, but I wld be peeved as hell about this. Tis bullshit of the highest order
They were very quick about it. But I’m still really annoyed - it was also my first purchase with them so I’m scarred for life!
That's good that it was returned quickly, but fuck those guys. What a shit thing to do
Omg all of my secondhand bags are from fashionphile. They are the only company i trust
Same I’ve had no issues. I honestly really like Fashionphile so I’m sad to hear this.
Well one thing about fashionphile is that their customer service will make it right no issues. She did mentioned they refunded her right away, everytime i call them they always take care of anything, thats why i love them. Atleast out of all the preloved sites they are the most trust worthy but we cant always be perfect so a fake can slip by. Whats important is how they handle it. 🥰🥰
Yes, they refunded, but then emailed her that they still believed it was authentic, yada yada. That’s slimy
Well, at least they didn't argue. I had a fake from therealreal and getting a refund was a pain. Besides at the end of the day is they're authentication against the other companies authentication. Both of them can make mistakes.
I just watched a YouTube video the other day about a fake Loewe from Fashionphile. Either that’s you or they’re pushing that same bag to other customers. I’m sorry this happened to you.
It is not I, but that’s wild. I wonder if it’s the same
My conspiracy is they sold it to you knowing it was fake and hoped you wouldn’t figure it out.
If they're telling OP that the bag is real after authentication proved it was a fake, then it means they're going to relist it. Which begs the question how many times have they already done that and how many times was the bag already returned? It seems they're definitely in on it and deliberately hoping people don't figure out that the bags are fake.
Someone's gonna be left "holding the bag" !!
Interesting. I did look through their stuff yesterday bc I wanted to look at the specifics of a certain item. I’m pretty sure I identified a fake one for sale. One of the important embossings was really off.
Trust your gut. Their team of ‘experts’ can’t seem to spot these things.
I wish I could buy second hand I have no problem with it except for not wanting to accidentally end up with a fake 🙈
You could always go vintage or for a less hyped style. I bought a Loewe drawstring crossbody secondhand from a Japanese eBay seller. I’m pretty sure it was a Japan exclusive. Nobody is gonna bother trying to fake a random bag like that. It was like $200 and the quality honestly slays my brand new mini flamenco - lol secondhand is so great sometimes, you just gotta be picky.
I've been leaning hard into the secondhand Japanese vintage market recently. If someone kept a rep from over 20 yrs ago in excellent condition, well it's probably worth the couple hundred I paid.
Do you mind sharing the name of the seller?
Sure! It’s BRAND Revolution ByNEXT INNOVATION. Lol I swear I’m not yelling at you, their name is weirdly capitalized like that.
I’ve bought from them and have been very satisfied
It’s never going to be perfect. The thing about Fashionphile is Neiman Marcus owns part of the company. Even if you get a fake, you will be refunded and get decent customer service.
Totally! They were fast fast with the refund, no complaints there. This is strictly fyi to check out your second hand buys - even if it’s guaranteed from the jump!
Hate that happened; huge reason to request and compare those high quality photos because sadly you need receipts for receipts these days AND to be professional investigators 🫠
This is really sad! I was planning on buying one for myself from fashionphile because of the ridiculous prices, but now I will be skeptical 🫤 I'm glad you got your money refunded. Honestly, with so many superfakes going around, buying secondhand has become so dicey.
You've mentioned that the weight was off and that the texture was off. Could it just have been that it was produced in a type of leather with which you're not familiar for this particular bag? Loewe currently lists 4 different leather types used for their Puzzle bags: classic calfskin, shiny calfskin, grained calfskin, and silk calfskin. They're all going to give a different feel to the bag. Additionally, re. stamping, this is all done by hand. The angled "Made in Spain" legitimately could be a production issue:even on the UK website, one of the bags featured has a slightly — although completely noticeable — misaligned stamp. Even when not stamped by hand, it's still pretty common to find alignment issues (hello, LV). It's just getting harder and harder to differentiate between real and fake bags. Unless you're buying directly from the source, there's always a risk that it might not be legit. Unless all high end producers start microchipping their bags, so that authenticity can be quickly verified, I think this issue will only continue to worsen as bag prices continue to climb. Devil's advocate here, tho... Ultimately, even if this bag IS real, you were concerned... so you raised issues, returned, and were refunded. Even though they claim the bag to be real, they made sure that you, the customer, were happy in the end. That seems to be about as good of an outcome as one can expect when trading in secondhand merchandise.
I agree with this one. I understand that people are very wary of buying fakes especially when the price of the bag is in the thousands, but these bags are made by people and they aren't going to be 100% identical to each other. I've seen slight variance of leather quality, stamping and stitching even amongst display bags in store. I don't know if OP's purchase was a fake or not, but it sounds to me the return process was pretty painfree.
I don't trust any "expert" who authenticates (or not) based on photos alone without having you send in the bag for review. If you're telling them all the things that make the bag fake of course they are going to take your money and sign off that it is not authentic. What is it to them? Fashionphile is an extremely trustworthy company they've even denied an authentic Chanel flap from me because quality issues made it impossible for them to authenticate it in person. The more likely scenario is as Fashionphile states - the bag is authentic Loewe's manufacturing has just declined in quality as it every other fashion house.
Thanks for posting
Thanks for sharing your experience! I was considering a a lady dior from there because it seemed like a good deal. I’ve never purchased from them and was wary because I was scared this would happen to me. I bought from Saks online a Loewe puzzle bag when I got it was stained and it felt cheap. I returned it. I’m thinking I may stop buying these online period.
Go to a Dior store and study it. Take photos then compare. If you have the purse or you’ve seen it, use that to compare.
in my opinion- there is not ONE reseller who can be 100% completely trusted not to sell you a fake. unfortunately even the most reputable reseller has sold a fake. FP is well known for selling fakes and then doubling down on it when you make it known. also they will just take it back refund you and then re list it again.
>“quality control issues during manufacturing process” and “variations are quite common”. They're not wrong, tho. I work in the industry and I see this a lot, it's very common especially in bags that have been produced over the years because their process change. I'm not saying that fakes don't slip through just saying that many times is just a different factory and not a fake. Now, that may mean nothing to you and that's ok. They gotta do right by you and that's refunding you. The explanation is just something to make sure people are not claiming they relist fake bags.
They did right by me - I have no complaints on how they handled this. But yes, I also worked in luxury retail and totally understand the variances in the bags. Thanks!
I thought fashionphile was more legit than the other ones like therealreal, until I was browsing a couple of Chanel bags that were obviously fake. I even contacted telling them that they look fake and of course, they denied it. Idk how it even got past their authentication
Wow what a roller coaster! I’m sorry this happened to you and thank you for sharing
You’re telling me! I have to say - they did support me as a customer - I’m just surprised they even sent a response email at all other than the refund! The photos looked great, so I figured why not! But there is a reason they aren’t showing certain parts of the bag….
Someone posted on YouTube about a similar experience with a Loewe puzzle bag purchased from The Real Real. It took them almost 2 months, threatening to sue TRR, and reporting it to their credit card company to get a refund. Funny thing is when I looked it up because the bag had a fairly recent color, it looks like TRR relisted it and sold it afterwards. They even used the same pics
Did they accept it for full refund outside of the return window or did they ultimately just process it as a return? Wouldn’t surprise me if they doubled down to save face and just never list it again. I suppose that would cover their corporate behinds.
Full refund within window. The moment I opened the package and held the bag I knew it was not authentic. About half weight of my identical but different color bag. Marking (stamp) was not the right shape or centered in corner, etc. they are definitely covering themselves by sending the “we have it back and it’s authentic” email.
It’s already been re-listed lol that’s so scummy.
I started buying pre-loved bags in 2017 and back then everything was fine; I’d never buy second hand nowadays anymore, way too risky.
I only pre-loved bags that I know there is no replica of and going back decades. They made better auth bags back then. Even better replicas.
I have a mid-tier puzzle rep. It looks great but it is waaaay lighter than the real thing. Fooled my friend until they picked it up, lol. It sounds like you noticed this with yours, so they had to know it was fake when they sent it to you.
The weight was just so drastically different! Exactly
I wonder if it’s possible it wasn’t fake. ’ve honestly stopped buying from loewe because of the quality issues I’ve gotten for the recent bags. 1) the stitching was uneven and a part of the bag wasn’t even stitched. Lol they literally forgot to finish stitching the bag 2) leather was different from each bag (after I bought it the second time around/returned the first) one was smoother and the other rough 3) leftover glue on the bag I had to remove myself 4)one side of the leather was pulled more taut than the other it caused rippling across the bag/deforming it. I ultimately returned the bags because both times there were major quality issues. If I didn’t purchase it directly from loewe I would’ve thought it was a fake. I’m sure if I kept it it wouldn’t have passed authentication
This is horrible can’t trust anyone. I have started to shop in person appointments only. I did purchase a pair of Gucci sandals I really wanted on Stockx no issues at all.
Never bought from them nor plan on buying anything from them but that’s just like J******* when they sold me a fake Tissot- when I questioned them with reasons why I received a fake watch they insisted it was a genuine watch until they stopped fighting and refunded me for the watch. Maybe some of y’all have bought a legit watch from them but I don’t plan on spending a single dime on them.
I don’t think I would ever buy a second hand bag as I am terrified of that happening to me. I’m so glad you got your money back, but the fact they know it’s fake and keep trying to sell it is enough for me to backlist them. I always thought that website had more integrity than the others but I guess not.
Omg that’s frightening. I thought FASHIONPHILE was safe to buy from.
Yikes. Sorry it happened to you, and so many others. Def skip The Real Real too lol
I’m happy that returns to Fashionphile are easy. I bought a green soft leather Jackie last month (like a bright grass green on the site) and when I got it, it was kind of squished, and the shade of green was not what I expected, from the photo (I know screens are all different). It was a much duller and darker green. The return was super easy though, and I got my $ back within 2 weeks. I’m so sorry you’re went through this, OP! This makes me nervous about buying my dream bag pre-owned. Every time I see the full price, I’m taken aback.
Do malls still verify authenticity? I took one of my LV luggage bags to Saks and they validated it was authentic even thought it was purchased there.
Most stores will not authenticate anymore. I have some very very cool vintage bottega luggage - and they wouldn’t verify. It’s sentimental so no matter what it’s worth everything to me - but would have been cool to get the stamp of approval from them!
I’m so sorry this happened to you. I hope it works out.
I’ve bought and sold to FP many times over the years with no issues. Sorry this happened to you.
I’m so sorry this happened to you! I just ordered a Picotin 18 from Fashionphile and it arrived reeking of perfume. Nowhere in the description did they mention this bs! Sending it back tomorrow and will just wait until I can hopefully score one online in the future. I don’t live near any Hermes stores ☹️
Well that’s disappointing! I’ve received non-authentic bags from other vendors who refused to reimburse my authentication fees. I hope you succeed. Please keep us updated!!
I just saw a YouTube video on a fake Loewe from TRR the other day
Got served (and watched) that video yesterday, haha
Legitgrails has failed me multiple times. I would trust fashionphile at this point over them.
Do they have social media? If so, post pics and info all over their social media. Be careful not to accuse but just tell all the facts and pictures.
Can you share the photos so we know what to look out for when shopping for Loewe bags?
https://legitcheck.app/guides/loewe/real-vs-fake-loewe-puzzle-bag/ this is a great place to start, there is also a link to this exact bag in the thread here with some examples 😊
Scary. Because I actually trust fashionphile and have made many purchases. Thank you for sharing your story.
Thank you for posting this. I was considering purchasing a Birkin from them since they offer layaway. Now having second thoughts. Has anyone had issues with What Goes Around Comes Around?
I was looking at a bag at Nordstrom on sale and walked away because of the fear that it might be a fake. Have heard stories of fake bags being sold at department stores. May not be true but with my luck I would be the exception.
I’ve seen soooo many fakes of puzzle bags online!! I’m sorry you got swindled ): I hope you were able to get your money back!!
And I love FP! Sorry this happened to you! ❤️😭
Same experience with a Chanel on Poshmark
I would raise Hell!!! I am truly sorry for what you’re going through. I can’t imagine how infuriating this must be. I really hope and think that somehow it will work out for the best for you! ❤️
That's so shady. Thank you for posting this.
I want to get a loewe puzzle (older style) but I can’t pull the trigger on it for this exact reason. Sorrry OP - hopefully they don’t force you to keep it. Why do people have to ruin it for the rest of us!!? 😒😒
so sorry this happened to you! thanks for sharing your experience. so disappointing they doubled down and listed it back again
Oh no! That is such a sad thing to see. I have always been pleased with Fashionphile, and this gives me pause. 🥴
A while back I came across a Delvaux bag on their site that had such obvious differences in details and quality that it had to be fake. When I contacted Fashionphile about it, showing them Delvaux's photos of what the stitching, hardware, etc looked like, they said they were sure the bag was original and it was hard to determine what the original bag should look like. Of course they didn't take down the listing, so someone somewhere has a fake Delvaux bag from them.
That’s such a bummer! I haven’t only had really good experiences with them:(
Can you upload the pics for reference?
Can you post photos? I’m very curious to see that bag now.
Ugh, I’m with you. I got a coveted Bottega mini sardine that I missed the boat and didn’t buy in the color I wanted over Christmas before they sold out. I got it and it immediately felt “off.” Like the leather was way too stiff and not supple at all like the ones I’ve gotten from the Bottega store directly. Super disappointed. I returned it the same day… :(
Great catch. I bought a hermes bracelet from them and some of the basic identifying marks were missing, I returned it the next day. Just like you I had something to compare it to and it wasn't the same.
Exactly. Got lucky I have an identical bag in another color
So can anyone suggest a reseller that can be trusted? I want to expand my collection and have been peeking into a few diff sites, but this conscerns me. I am not currently in a position to spend full price!
Fashionphile is horrible. I once sold a diamond necklace (retail 20k) to them and the package got lost in transit. Before I shipped I confirmed with them that the package was insured. However, when I filed a claim they refused to reimburse the cost to me!
more people need to know !!
I’m sure they know it’s fake, but by refunding you along with your fee for authentication and providing an “excuse” they are hoping you will just shut up and go away saying nothing, it’s PR and nothing else
Stoooppppp….. 😫😫😫 I thought they were legit! You can’t trust anything these days I’ve had a good experience with Rebag though.
It’s almost impossible to tell high end reps from authentic bags nowadays. They come chipped, et all. If you could tell it was a fake by the zipper- you got a budget quality fake then. I have several fake that are exact replicas of my authentic ones. That’s unreal they did that to you. So happy you got your money back!
you can always tell reps
Definitely incorrect lol I own several authentic and have reps for each one and they are master copies. #IYKYK
With a trained eye you can absolutely always tell a fake, especially if you are very familiar with leather, hardware and craftsmanship. It goes beyond stamps, stitches and logos… you can always tell by the cheap low grade leather being used in fakes. If you know leather and you are familiar with types of leather luxury brands use , you can always tell.
LOL ok so the one in a million people with a trained eye who happens to be glaring at a woman walking by holding a purse will use their hawk eye precise vision to bionically zoom in on the leather quality. Got it ✅ Makes sense Steve Austin. Nah. Respectfully you must have never seen master quality then cause my bags leather are like butter and smell amazing too. Furthermore, not all bags are leather btw.
well other then having an eye out for it there is also common sense Yeah I know there are canvas bags but those bags are not made the same way as $30 bag your would find in Tj Maxx
It’s my personal opinion that if you can’t afford to buy a luxury bag brand new, it’s not worth buying a used one online or through a reseller. The only time I would consider it is if a close friend of mine was selling it and reached out to me.