Well hello there! Are you thinking of stepping over to the "dark side" (metaphorically speaking of course) and purchasing your first replica product? First, welcome to the world of replicas. There are a LOT of myths which need to be debunked both about the quality and purchasing process of replicas whether they be shoes, handbags, watches etc. This is a welcome-to-the-replica-world guide that'll help you get ready to dip your toes into the water.
Before you start typing your “Where to get the best [insert brand name]” posts, we’d suggest taking a look at the Trusted Rep Dealer/Seller List which has been compiled based on the joint experiences of many sub readers.
We have been conditioned by society & the media to automatically make a link between "fake" or "replica" bags and thoughts like, "oh what a faker; he/she can't afford that; who are they kidding?". When a person is new to the world of replicas these thoughts and associated worries can be said to increase tenfold as you are in a world of unknowns.
Now anyone who is a seasoned replica shopper can safely assert that after they have gone through crappy, decent, good, and excellent replicas that these worries are valid BUT their validity depends largely on where you shop and what your expectations are.
That first key to shopping for replicas is that you NEED to know who to buy from. This knowledge will help you go from buying poor excuses for replicas to buying ones that are super fake and that you essentially can't tell apart from a real deal unless rulers, and authentication numbers are analyzed. If you are a newbie you can feel free to explore the Trusted Dealers/Sellers list we have compiled based on persistent feedback from other experienced sub readers.
The second key for shopping for replicas is that you NEED to realize that a replica bag is a replica bag. This statement may seem obvious but a lot of people go into the world of shopping for reps with the mentality that the product they buy should be exactly equal to the original. While many superfakes can be up to 99.99% accurate (especially when it comes to some brands like Hermes), you should always keep in mind that unless you go to a boutique and pay full price you are NOT buying an authentic bag therefore there may be miniscule differences that you need to either be willing to accept or alternatively go and pay full price for the authentic version of the bag you want (as many of us do when we feel the rep bag is not up to par).
In other words you need to manage your expectations when shopping for a replica bag - if you are the type of person who is an authentic puritan you may find it hard, from a psychological sense, to stomach a rep however most of our forum members are disillusioned auth shoppers who have already spent plenty of moolah on authentic goods and have determined we DON'T want to pay full price for everything we buy.
There is good news, and bad news when it comes to deciding which brand you should go with when deciding which replica products to buy vs. not buy.
The good news is that there are good quality replicas for many designer brands, but the bad news is that not every brand or every model within every brand will be available in a replica form at all - let alone a good replica! This means you need to be super careful when picking which replica products to go after. A good rule of thumb to take into consideration when deciding which brand to pursue for your first replica purchase is the popularity of what you are seeking.
Think of it this way: we may all see Cara Delavigne, Chiara Ferragni, Olivia Palermo, the Kardashians, Kate Moss, Angelina Jolie, or any other celeb/model/blogger with a certain designer bag like a Birkin (with the advent of social media it's hard not be photobombed with beautiful designer items all the time!). Now this specific bag is quite popular and in demand so as the fundamentals of economics dictate, the old demand/supply rule dominates the supply. As a result there are better copies of Birkins out there (if you are buying a super fake) than so for example a Fendi Baguette which is not as in demand therefore is not as well produced by rep manufacturers.
The key takeaway is that when you are shopping for a replica (whether it be a watch, shoe, bag, or whatever) set your sights on something that is popular since popular items tend to be be more well done generally as opposed to less popular items. The focus of LuxuryReps is on meticulously crafted replicas - i.e. bags that are EXTREMELY hard to distinguish from their authentic counterparts or as the media popularly refers to them superfakes. This is not a forum where the focus is on buying $50 Michael Kors or Kate Spade fakes.
You can use this line of thinking to guide you in deciding which bags to buy fake vs. which bags to buy real. Models which are less popular or not as well known are typically better to be purchased as authentic, while it would be foolish to buy certain bags as authentic since their replica counterparts are almost perfect and practically indistinguishable from the real deal.
One key thing to remember when shopping for replicas is that every knockoff is not equal. There is the good, the bad, and the ugly. Historically, there were many A's and +'s involved when looking for replicas online so it really becomes quite confusing to decode what a seller is trying to sell you, but after many years of interacting with Chinese sellers I have a pretty good understanding of their labels. These are the common quality grades (with some labels being considered historic at this point):
Low Tier: These are the trashy and 100% fake looking. We do not discuss this kinds of reps on this sub.
Mid Tier (historically referred to as AAA, AAA+) : The typical market replica copy; the quality is so so; it is usually good enough to fool many, but lacks that lux feel of the original copies you buy from the brands.
High Tier (One to One/Original Leather/Counter Quality): This is the "good stuff" as one would put it if they were discussing drugs - counter quality replicas are what Chinese sellers consider the best replicas in that they are apparently good enough to be placed on the counter at an authentic store, and this relates to both craftsmanship and leather quality.
Another thing to remember, especially when it is your first time buying replicas is that some sellers lie about their quality. You can avoid the pitfalls of buying a replica as a first time shopper by sifting through reviews on this forum and consulting the trusted sellers list.
If you want to confirm the grade of bag you are purchasing is the best to approach a seller with these kinds of prompts:
"I want to buy the best quality bag you have available".
"What are your bag grade qualities? I want the best one".
….so young jedi … after reading this guide you should be ready to try out your rep saber and start exploring the world of replicas. If you find this guide useful, please upvote to show the love! :)
