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Every time I go to Walmart, I see women wearing stained sweats, socks with sandals, and carrying a Louis Vuitton tote. Or a Chanel purse. Or Gucci…take your pick. At least, that’s what they would have you think – but, if you are one of these people, let me tell you a secret…no one believes your bag is real!
The plastic-y, shiny fake leather, the fraying strings, etc.
You don’t look high class, you look like a poser. And, believe it or not, carrying a fake designer bag makes you look even poorer than carrying a normal Walmart purse…
The real kicker is: designer purses and clothing are not out of reach for the average person. You might not be able to walk into Neiman Marcus or a Louis Vuitton store and swipe your debit card anytime soon, but eBay has become a hot spot for designer goods and handbags priced at 80% or more off of retail!
It may take a little patience and work, but we’re going to show you how you can buy an authentic Louis Vuitton bag from Japan (this applies to anything designer, however) for an amazing deal.
No, as you probably know, we’re resellers. We routinely pick up Louis Vuitton bags from Japan, clean them, and sell them for 2-3x as much in the U.S. The main reason that this works is that people are either scared to buy from Japan or don’t want to wait for things to be shipped.
While I can’t do anything about the shipping time, I can (hopefully) put some of your fears to rest and help you score an awesome deal for yourself. And, if you want to resell? What better way to get free Louis Vuitton items for yourself than to buy two and sell one! Buying/Importing luxury goods for resale can be one of the most lucrative markets at the moment if you have the money to invest.
So how do you do it? Well, let’s talk about how we buy Louis Vuitton bags from overseas: Japan, in this case.
Are Louis Vuitton Bags From Japan Authentic?
One of the first things we always hear when we tell someone we bought something luxury off of eBay is…”but it’s fake, right?” Contrary to popular belief, it’s not actually allowed to sell counterfeit items on eBay.
I once listed a Dooney & Bourke purse without authenticating it first and received an email from eBay within hours saying that the purse was not authentic and they had removed the listing. That’s not to say that fakes are not out there – eBay is rife with fakes – but if you are smart and buy from reputable buyers, you shouldn’t have a problem.
Believe it or not, one of the best ways to know that you’re getting an authentic bag is to actually buy from an overseas seller that specializes in luxury goods.
We routinely buy authentic Louis bags from Japan and have never had a problem with the product or with the service. It is actually illegal in Japan to sell fakes (we know…it happens), and eBay sellers are required to be licensed to sell luxury goods.
If you’re going to be buying used purses, be sure to check out our Complete Guide To Authenticating and Buying Used Vuitton Bags.
4 Best eBay Sellers For Louis Vuitton Bags
While there are dozens of stores based in Japan that sell Louis Vuitton bags and other luxury goods on eBay, we stick to the handful that we know. While there are some other small shops that pop up from time to time and seem to offer great deals, they are usually somewhat less than reputable.
Also, we look for sellers that sell authentic bags in good condition and typically start auctions at a low price. Many of the sellers we buy from typically start auctions at $.99 and offer free shipping. This gives up the best opportunity to snipe the bid for a good deal.
Best Japan-based Sellers For Louis Vuitton & Designer Goods
The below stores are ones that I have personally bought from and have good experiences with.
You can click any of the below links to be taken directly to their store on eBay:
- Monoshare (Visit Monoshare’s eBay Store)
- Energy-Japan (Visit energy-japan’s eBay Store)
- DreamStorage (Visit DreamStorage’s eBay Store)
- Brand_JFA (Visit Brand JFA’s eBay Store)
(all links are affiliate links)
Now, if you read the feedback from any major seller, you’ll notice that they get feedback from time to time saying that they are selling fakes. Typically, this feedback are coming from angry buyers who either aren’t getting what they expected or are trying to blackmail the sellers.
With that being said, there are some really good fakes out there and even resellers get taken from time to time. That, however, is a problem with buying used luxury goods no matter the platform or where they come from.
That being said, there are a few tips we can give to know whether or not the bag you are looking at is real:
2 Quick Tips For Avoiding Fake Louis Vuittons On eBay
1. Know the style you want.
Authentic bags are almost always listed with a style name. Louis Vuitton does not simply produce hundreds of varied styles every year. Rather, there are styles that have been around, unchanged, for 50+ years. When you become more familiar with Louis Vuitton styles and see an eBay listing for “Louis Vuitton Large Purse,” you will be able to tell with a single glance at the pictures that it is not a style that Louis Vuitton ever made.
Once you have decided on a style and have found a promising listing, look at examples that you know are authentic. For example, if you find a Speedy 30 on eBay, check out Speedy 30 bags on a site such as TheRealReal or even the Louis Vuitton website. What color is the leather supposed to be? Is it supposed to have a monogram on the zipper? etc. Take your time here – the more you compare, the more you know, you want a Louis.
If you want a detailed guide to recognizing fakes, you can find one here.
Also, knowing where Louis Vuitton bags are made will take you a long way in weeding out the fakes.
2. Look at buyer feedback
When we are looking at a seller that we have not purchased from previously, we make sure to read the feedback they have received. We rarely buy from a buyer who has less than 98% positive feedback on eBay, as it typically indicates that they either sell crappy products or provide crappy customer service.
Don’t be scared if the person has hundreds of positive feedback and a few negatives claiming they sell fake bags.
One of our favorite sellers routinely gets negative feedback claiming (untruthfully) that they sent a fake bag. These are usually left by bitter customers who were trying to run a scam, didn’t read the listing, the bag wasn’t in the condition they expected, etc.
It is worth noting that you should probably temper your expectation slightly when buying Louis Vuitton items from Japan—or buying anything else on eBay for that matter. You should not expect a mint product or world-class customer service if you are not paying for it. The bag that you get will show up in a nondescript box and will probably need to be cleaned and shown a bit of love before you use it.
My Experience: Buy a Louis Vuitton Bag From Japan on eBay
For this example, we weren’t actually looking to resell. We were in the market for a small side bag that could be worn to festivals or carried with basic essentials on a daily basis (for Kirstie).
A budget of $100 seemed fair to us. Sounds super cheap, right?
If you are serious about wanting a high-quality bag, then, believe me, $100 is a steal of epic proportions. Unfortunately, everyone else seems to be looking for the same type of bag. It took us a couple of weeks of hunting, but the bag we finally won was a Louis Vuitton Danube, a small rectangular bag that fit the bill perfectly.
If you are looking simply to resell rather than keep it, the style won’t matter so much and there are auctions ending every day that you could win and profit on. Our winning bid? $83.96 with free shipping!
When buying luxury items off of eBay, pictures are your best friend. Serious sellers make sure to photograph every flaw and problem. They don’t want to pay for returns and refund you after all.
After winning, we looked at the pictures again but everything seemed fine. There was nothing we could do but pay and wait. It actually took only a week for our bag to arrive from Japan. It was delivered Signature Required by our local post office (luckily I was home at 11:00 in the morning to sign for it…). I was a bit nervous to open it, but this is what we ended up with:
Louis Vuitton Items On eBay Auction – 5 Examples
Getting a great deal like this is not a super unusual event. If you’re both quick and persistent, there are many great deals to be found. Here are a few others we bid on that could have been yours!
(The numbers you see are the winning bids)
Rocking My New Louis Vuitton Bag (Before Selling It)
As it turned out, the Danube wasn’t quite big enough. With a rambunctious toddler (and another little one on the way) the times that I was able to use a bag this small were very few and far between. So what did we do? Put it back on eBay of course!
Since the bag was now cleaner (and shipping from the U.S., which makes a big difference), I was able to more than double my money on it! Maybe I’ll reinvest that money in a Neverfull Tote!
It should be obvious to you that, if you’re buying for personal use, getting a Louis Vuitton bag from Japan is the safest and cheapest option out there.
If you’re buying to resell, however, you’ll notice that importing designer goods, while lucrative, does not have the same ROI that thrifting does. You might double your money on each item, but you’d be hard-pressed to do more than that consistently.
However, if you had $1,000 sitting in savings and could start a luxury goods business right now, would you? Because you can!
As a side gig, or even a side gig to your side hustle, importing bags like this one is an easy way to make an extra thousand dollars or more per month. If you are a Poshmark seller, you might even do better than doubling your money with every sale!
How to Clean Your New Louis Vuitton Bag
Whether you plan on keeping or selling your Louis Vuitton, it can always benefit from some tender love and care. This is especially true if you’re buying a Louis Vuitton bag from Japan as many of them tend to have unusual dirt spots or a serious stench.
Even on bags in excellent condition, the leather trim (called Vachetta) tends to gather hand funk and dirt over time – which can build up, change the color, and even damage the leather. The main PVC body of the bag (usually the part with the logo on it) has a slight texture which can also result in it gathering lots of dirt and grime.
So of course, you have to clean your bag.
The question is, how to do it? Do it incorrectly and you will end up drastically changing the color of your bag, leaving it with a greasy texture, or even rubbing off the logos.
*Do note that I am not an expert. This is what has worked for me. If you follow my directions and ruin your bag, it is not my fault. Follow at your own risk.
My Recommendation
Luckily, there is a package that comes with (almost) everything you need to keep your bag pristine. I use Apple Brand Leather Cleaner & Conditioner Kit (Amazon link) to maintain both the bags that I keep and the ones that I sell.
Here’s the method:
- Wipe the outside of your bag down with a soft, damp cloth
- Using a very soft cloth rub the cleaner over the surface of the bag. You will see the cleaner drawing off the surface dirt onto the sponge.
- If the vachetta has significant watermarks or heavy wear, you can use a Magic Eraser to clean it. Just be aware that this removes the top layer of the leather and will probably cause the vachetta to darken a bit when you condition it. Using a small amount of water, rub the vachetta in light, consistent strokes. Remember, slow and steady wins the race here. If you check out the pictures of my bag, you’ll notice that I opted not to use a magic eraser. I liked the color and patina that it had and decided to keep it that way.
- Once your bag is clean to your standard (or as clean as it’s going to get), you’ll want to treat it with a high-quality conditioner. Think of conditioner as a lotion for leather; when leather ages it tends to dry out, which, in turn, causes it to lose its pliability and color. Many of the old Louis bags that we see have cracks (especially in the straps) that may have been prevented if their owner had just kept them healthy and conditioned! Using a clean makeup sponge, rub a thin coat of conditioner on the bag. A little goes a long way here.
- Let the conditioner sit on the bag for a bit so the leather can soak up all it can before wiping the excess off. Hopefully, you don’t use enough conditioner that there is much excess to wipe off, but it pays to rub a clean dry cloth over your bag anyway, as excess conditioner can attract dust and dirt.
- Enjoy your beautifully clean, new bag!
Buying Other Designer Goods on eBay…
Now that the Louis Vuitton tree has been climbed, I’m unsure what to pursue next. What would you like to see? Chanel? Gucci? Burberry? Or….something more amazing? Let me know in the comments!
Thanks for the fabulous tips! One of your listed sellers from Japan has been my go-to for awhile now. My absolute favorite is my super soft leather Prada tote that cost me a huge $17.33, free shipping. It’s my daily bag. I haven’t paid in excess of $200 for any of my Vuitton bags. The only thing it takes is patience.
I have noticed that the listings from Japan read about processing and additional charges may be added, but it doesn’t list how much the charges will be. Do you have any idea what the extra charges cost?
Thanks
As far as I’m aware that’s mainly so they’re not liable for any customs charges that the buyer’s country may impose. I’ve never had any additional charges.