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If you’ve never walked into a Chanel store it can be a depressing experience.
Believe it or not, there is more than the price that’s a downer. Chanel takes some of the most extreme business practices in the industry to ensure that their product is scarce.
This scarcity, in turn, allows them to create urgency and charge high prices. You might walk into a Chanel Store and only find a couple of bags on display. What’s more, if you want a limited edition bag, they may or may not get it and, if they do, it will likely go to an established customer that has already purchased several bags.
So what to do? Well, do what most people who want a Chanel bag do and start looking at second-hand options.
People who trade luxury bags often sell Chanel items at a significant discount. But how can you as a reseller or a bargain hunter be sure the product he’s getting is genuine? One way to be sure is to check where an item is made.
So, where are authentic Chanel items made? Authentic Chanel items are made in Paris, France. Recently Chanel has also expanded its operation to Italy. Its Haute-Couture and High Jewelry items are made in Paris exclusively. Most Chanel items mention their country of making.
In this article, you will learn more about where Chanel items are made and how you can be sure the products you buy are genuine. This post can help resellers and bargain-hunting customers who want a deal without being duped.
Is Chanel Made in Paris?
Chanel products used to be made in Paris exclusively (that’s why some customers still doubt the authenticity of items made in Italy).
Suppose your buyers start questioning the authenticity of the Chanel products you offer. In that case, you can always show them articles that state that Chanel has made Italy its second largest production haven.
You can also cite articles that cover Chanel’s acquisition of a Spanish Leather manufacturer for its own production goals. In some instances, it is no longer a secret that Chanel uses Spain and Italy as its production bases. Still, a bulk of the production happens in France.
Are Any Chanel Items Made in China?
Chanel items are never made in China. They are also not exported from China to the rest of the world. But that doesn’t mean Chanel items aren’t available in China. There are Chanel stores in China, where the brand is popular. However, these products are also made in Chanel’s European manufacturing operations.
If you find Chanel items with a “Made in China” tag, you can be sure that they are fake. If the items are sold from China to international buyers, they can be counterfeit or genuine. The Chanel store in China doesn’t sell to consumers outside of China.
But an individual buyer could try to resell a genuine Chanel article while residing in China. The odds of this are slim, and resellers should not risk acquiring products from factory-rich countries where operations can be set up to imitate high-value products. It is also challenging to authenticate products remotely.
How Can You Tell if a Chanel Product is Fake?
When you buy Chanel items online, you need to be sure it is genuine. Of course, the Chanel store will sell authentic Chanel products.
But what about resellers and platforms that sell preowned products?
Knowing how to spot a fake Chanel item will give you the confidence to shop for the deals you need as a reseller or a bargain hunter.
Chanel Item | How to Spot a Fake |
Bag | A genuine bag will have a brand stamp of the same color as the brand’s hardware. It will be stamped directly onto the lining or on an attached leather tag. |
Shoes | The Chanel logo in the shoe, alongside an accurate country of making, are markers of a genuine Chanel shoe. Observe the logo closely, as this is where the fake items usually miss the mark. Another point of separation is the leather quality. The stitching and leather quality of genuine Chanel shoes is noticeably different from knock-offs. |
Clothing | The clothing label is put in a tacky way on knock-offs. Things like the label puckering the clothing, poor color choices in the label with respect to the actual fabric, and a tacky stitch job can all expose fake Gucci clothing. |
4 Best Practices of Buying Chanel Products on the Secondary Market
If you buy Chanel items on the secondary market, you should try to do so in person if at all possible. Regardless of whether you choose to buy in person or online, there are a few precautions you need to follow.
In this section, we explore what you can do to ensure the Chanel items you purchase are genuine.
1. Judge the Seller Before the Product
Experienced resellers know that focusing on the product is what gets people duped. When you purchase anything online, getting scammed with authentic pictures is very easy because it is hard to tell genuine and fake products apart from images alone.
More importantly, unethical sellers can always resort to stealing pictures of genuine Chanel articles.
The best policy is to find a trusted seller. You can see our list of trusted sellers for designer handbags here.
Sellers who gain all their business based on their reputation are motivated to filter fakes before taking them to the market. It can take more time to find an honest seller, but once you make a connection, you can buy a wide range of luxury items from them.
2. Avoid Buying from New Sellers
Unfortunately, new sellers are not in a good position to be trusted. It doesn’t matter how honest they are because risking thousands of dollars isn’t worth finding out!
New accounts on eBay, Poshmark, etc., can get banned after one fraudulent sale and consider it worth the money.
But an account running on eBay for five years would lose much more if it gets banned over one transaction. The older the account, the more its seller has to lose.
Alternatively, you can go with outlets like the Luxury Closet, which sells preowned items after in-house authentication. This option is discussed later in the post.
3. Consider the Ratings, but Remain Skeptical
Next, you must consider reviews and ratings of the specific seller profile. It would be best if you took positive reviews with a grain of salt but should take negative ones at face value.
Generally, positive reviews on seller platforms can be bought or faked. If there are too many positive ratings in quick succession, the overall rating becomes suspect.
Ideally, the rating should not be 5/5 or 10/10. Every seller messes up from time to time, and that should be reflected in the ratings. Authentic product sellers never incur reviews about the authenticity of their products. Instead, they receive complaints about shipping and packaging issues.
4. Use an Authentication Service
The safest way to acquire a Chanel product in the secondary market is by having the item pre-authenticated. If you’re buying from eBay they offer an authentication service that guarantees you are getting a genuine item.
Authentication can be challenging if the seller is located in another state. But if you’re buying from someone off Craigslist, then you should have them get the item authenticated by a third party.
The Luxury Closet is a business that authenticates and acquires preowned luxury items to sell at a markup. Resellers can use authenticators or hire one part-time to get multiple items checked out.
Should You Buy Pre-Authenticated Chanel Products?
If you are an end-consumer, you should not hesitate to get Chanel products from a reseller with an in-house authenticator. But resellers themselves should stay away from businesses that pre-authenticate products.
Businesses like The Luxury Closet sell preowned luxury items at a markup that bites into the margins of the reseller. It is a good place for consumers to shop. On the other hand, a reseller should acquire preowned Chanel items directly from previous users.
Final Thoughts
Authenticating Chanel items can be a chore, but it doesn’t have to be long-winded if you trust a seller.
Finding out a reliable seller will pay its dividends over and over as you buy more products from them. But no matter how much you trust a seller, don’t buy from them a Chanel item that is “Made in China” or in any other country besides Paris, Italy, and Spain.