Designer duds are expensive, plain and simple. If you are in the market for superb items straight off the runway but do not have the budget for buying items straight from the store, there are alternatives. However, you should be warned that buying designer items from anyone else that the original manufacturer leaves you open to possibly purchasing fake goods. Designer knock offs are sold on the street, in stores, and most popularly, on the World Wide Web. Protect yourself from spending hard earned money on items that have been poorly made from sub par materials. Just because the item in question possesses a brand name that is no guarantee you are dealing with the real McCoy!

Most of those items that are claimed to be designer goods sold on the street are just plain fakes. Use a bit of common sense when buying any type of goods from any type of seller. If you buy a fifteen dollar Louis Vuitton signature purse, there is a strong chance that item is indeed a fake. Remember the old adage, “if it is too good to be true, then it probably is.” This cannot be truer than individuals looking super deals on authentic designer duds.

Regardless where you choose to purchase your cut rate designer goods, be sure the seller is reputable. If you are purchasing items from virtual stores on the World Wide Web, look to see if there are any complaints lodged against that specific company. Also, if you choose to purchase designer items from online auction sites like Ebay or Yahoo! Auctions, carefully evaluate the seller by searching the feedback responses. As always, go with your gut instinct—if you think something is a fake, and then avoid buying the item. No matter how great you are at sniffing out a deal, there is not way that bag you are buying for fifty dollars is a genuine Hermes Birkin bag.

The best way to avoid buying faked designer goods is by feeling the items. If the materials seem cheap, rough, unevenly dyed or woven, or poorly made, the item is probably a fake. Furthermore, take a close look at the craftsmanship. Check the seams, buttons, zippers, and any other items that can give an item away as a fake. With bags and shoes, look at the quality of the leather. Furthermore, the lining of a bag can tell you more about the quality of that particular purse than anything else, so be sure to take a peek inside.