Q&A for How to Spot Fake Louis Vuitton Purses

Louis Vuitton bags are expensive because they are top end luxury fashion accessories and are handmade from high quality materials. Moreover, a real Louis Vuitton bag is never supposed to go on sale. Once items from their range are out of their season, they are destroyed rather than sold at a discount, making the existing ones more valuable. One last but very important fact: LV bags are extremely well made and are durable, which means you should have your bag for decades to come. Looked at in this way, maybe the bag’s not so expensive after all!

You can check to see whether your Louis Vuitton bag is real or not by looking at a few key signs. For starters, check the quality of the stitching, which should be small and even all over the bag. Check that the pattern is even and matches properly across the whole bag. Another thing to consider is where you purchased the bag from––was the seller reputable and known for selling LV bags? You’ll find more details about these signs and many more in the steps above, to help you decide on the authenticity of your Louis Vuitton bag.

A date code on a Louis Vuitton bag is the marker of where the bag was manufactured (the first two letters), the week of manufacture (the first and third numbers) and the year of manufacture (the second and fourth numbers).

The date code here indicates that your bag had a production date of the 10th week of 2018, manufactured in France.

There are code checkers online that can often help you, although read their terms and conditions to see how accurate they claim to be. One example you could try is: lvcodecalc.com. However, it is probably also a good idea to follow up your check by having the bag seen by a Louis Vuitton expert as well, such as an LV retailer of repute or by emailing Louis Vuitton direct with a photo of your date code and bag.

While many luxury bags do carry a serial number, Louis Vuitton bags differ because they have date codes instead. This practice started around 1980, so vintage Louis Vuitton bags won’t have any numbers at all. The date codes on more recent LV bags read as follows: Two letters (the factory where it was manufactured); the first and third numbers for the week of manufacture and the second and fourth numbers for the year the bag was made in.

You would need to check the other features of the bag, such as quality of stitching, matching up of patterns, etc. as outlined in the article above. However, from the date code alone, it suggests the bag had a production date of the 18th week of 2015 and was made in France.

Many sellers say their bags are leather, but are just coated plastic. eBay offers buyer protection. Raise a case and let them sort it out for you. The result will likely be that eBay will say the seller has to provide a refund once they receive the bag back from you, and eBay will provide a return label. Make sure you get proof of postage.

Yes, it means it's fake.

Not necessarily. Assuming the handbag was produced after 2007, anyway. The date code format is Country Code - Week, Year, Week, Year (CC WYWY). RC is the Country code for Italy, and the 1028 would be the manufacturing date of the 12th week in 2008.

No. Never assume its fake because there is no code. Many expensive LV bags are without the code. Ensure that the bag has been verified by the store manager.

Not necessarily. Based on the date code you provided, it would appear the handbag was produced in France in December of 2003, according to the date code format of CC MYMY. Obviously, there are many other factors you need to consider and to be sure of its authenticity, so consider having an expert look at it in person.

Authentic LV handbags do NOT come with plastic wrapped anything. Unfortunately, you have purchased a knock-off.

It's fake. Louis Vuitton bags are not made in China, but in France and more recently, in the United States, Spain, Germany and Italy.

Ask a professional or a pawn shop dealer.

Yes, this could be genuine.

It can be any color: black, white, grey, purple, blue, etc. Canvas is either brown or white.

It's most likely to be fake then. The real ones are really good quality!

Authentic Louis Vuitton bags have a light reddish brown lining as yours does, but don't assume it's real. Is the color of the lining on the places of the handle where it shouldn't be? For example, the stitching. If so, it's definitely a fake. The bag is also a fake if the lining has a dark cherry red color to it.

Yes! In the early eighties, LV had just numbers. I have an old tote that just has three numbers stamped on the interior next to "Made in France."

Yes. It has the same date code policy as a Louis Vuitton bag.

That depends. If the bag is pre-owned, then the owner could very well live in China, and therefore it would be shipped from there. However, if the bag is new and supposedly being shipped from an LV manufacturer, it is probably a knock-off, as LV is not manufactured in China.

From the date code you have provided, MS1147, the bag is probably not authentic. The MS would be a country code and there is no code with these letters. The numerical digits should represent the date of manufacturing. So, assuming the bag was purchased around 1980, the manufacturing date (using the numbers 1147 that you provided) would be YYMM, the 11th year and 47th month. Obviously that doesn't work. Even supposing the bag may have been purchased in the early 1990s, the manufacturing date would change to YMYM, which would then make the date the 14th year and the 17th month.

Unfortunately, you have a knockoff. An authentic LV has a fine seam with no writing.

Go to a pawn shop dealer or look at real ones at the official store. You can also ask a professional.

Not necessarily. SP is country code for Spain, and 0028 would be the manufacturing date of the 2nd week in 2008.

Louis Vuitton should have a max of 4 numbers, not 5. These numbers represent the date. Since your number is 41534, this would mean it was manufactured on 415th year and 34th month, or 41st year and 534th month, which is impossible.

You can easily find a guide on determining legitimate date codes by doing a simple Google search.

Yes. None are made in Japan. They are made in France, Italy, Spain, Germany, and USA.

If it says Made in China, it's fake. Otherwise, Made in France, Germany, USA, or any others mentioned above, it could be real.