Every handbag aficionado knows the thrill of finding the perfect designer Gucci at the right price at the right time. There’s nothing like it! The last thing you want is to worry about its authenticity when you finally find the perfect Gucci bag. With replica Gucci bag sellers all over the web and black-alley boutiques, you risk spending serious pounds on a worthless bag. To make sure you don’t accidentally purchase a counterfeit Gucci bag, we give you 9x tips on how to tell if a Gucci bag is real.
How to tell if a Gucci bag is real
An essential part of the purchasing process, especially when you consider buying the Gucci bag from an unauthorised reseller, is to perform an authenticity check. Not all unauthorised webshops sell fake Gucci bags, but you have to be on guard when buying longed-for designer items online. Before you put any Gucci item in your cart, you need to know how to tell the difference between a real and a fake Gucci bag. With these 9 tips you’ll easily tell if a Gucci bag is real.
#1 Check dust bags
Every Gucci bag comes with a dust bag. Pay close attention to the high-quality dust bag. You can tell a real Gucci dust bag by its colours: they are coloured light honeycomb, black or dark brown. The GG logo or the Gucci brand name should be printed on it. Check the symmetry and spacing of the Gucci label on the dust bag.
#2 Look for the Controllato Card
‘Controllato’ means ‘checked’ in Italian. Gucci has a control system that all bag purchased are authentic. The Controllato Card proves that the bag went through the quality control process. The card reads GUCCI centred in all capital letters and Controllato in lowercase letters. Underneath are the numbers 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0. The first problem with the Controllato Card is that it can be moved from one bag to another. The second problem is that the card can get lost. Therefore, if your Gucci bag misses the Controllato Card, it doesn’t automatically mean that you came across a fake Gucci bag.
#3 Hardware should be top quality
Gucci bags always stand up to the test of time. The hardware, including zippers and engraving, will never peel and should always feel solid. Counterfeiters sometimes perfectly copy the look of a Gucci bag, but they always fail to replicate the hardware. If the hardware feels flimsy or light, it is a sure sign of a faux Gucci bag. Another key piece to look out for is the zipper. The metal zipper should always be flat and neatly engraved with the branded GUCCI. (all in capital letters) The underside of the zipper is often branded as well, with GUCCI written out clearly.
#4 Check the serial number
Many consider the serial number tag as the best way to distinguish real from fake. The serial number tag should be square or a slight vertical triangle and not sewn down on all sides. The Gucci serial number is typically located on a leather patch sewn at its top to the inside of the bag. When purchasing your Gucci bag, please take a close look at the serial number tag details:
- Trademark symbol at the top of the serial number tag
- ‘made in Italy’ at the bottom. The words are all in lowercase and in the same font as the Gucci name
- GUCCI in the middle. The letter G is formed the same way as in the interlocking Gs of the logo.
- The font of the serial numbers is dainty. With new Gucci bags, the serial numbers will be made up of two rows and there won’t be any letters in the serial number.
#5 Logo quality should be perfect
The logo shown on the exterior of a Gucci bag may differ depending on the style. The gold-plated interlocking Gs is the standard Gucci logo. Typically, the interlocking Gs are placed on the front of the bag, closure or flap. Please note that some styles don’t have the gold GG logo. In those cases, the Gucci name is embossed or printed on the leather.
#6 Monogram pattern should be flawless
When you consider purchasing a Gucci bag with the monogram style, the pattern should feature the interlocking Gs logo. Fake Gucci bags often feature irregularities, so take a good look at the consistency and spacing of the monogram pattern. Learn the monogram pattern characteristics by heart and you won’t risk buying an imitation Gucci:
- The G on the left should always be facing forward
- The G on the right should always be facing backward and upside down.
#7 Check for impeccable stitching
Always check the seams along the sides and the bottom of the Gucci bag! Real Gucci bags always have perfectly even stitching. The stitching can also be used to feature the Gucci logo or as a design pattern. Keep in mind that the colour of the thread is the same as the leather. Typical signs of a counterfeit Gucci are uneven stitching, threads dangling off the bag or different colour stitching.
#8 Body should be made from premium leather
Real Gucci bags are made of premium leather and materials. Genuine leather always has imperfections, a musty smell and feels buttery smooth. Inexpensive, synthetic leather is machine-made and looks unnaturally perfect, plus it has a plastic smell and feels rubbery. And let’s be honest: nothing smells as good as premium leather!
#9 Check the QR (Quick Response) codes
Gucci fights against counterfeiters and the latest addition to real Gucci bags are the QR codes. A QR code is a type of barcode that holds relevant information. The codes can be scanned on your smartphone to ensure the bag’s authenticity. Similar to the Gucci serial numbers, the QR codes are not unique to each other. They can be found on a small black fabric loop inside the Gucci bag. There is no stitching to the fabric! The 10-digit code is printed in white font.
How to tell if a vintage Gucci bag is real
In 1921 Gucci began as a company. The brand has been around for over a century and there are many vintage Gucci bags on the market. Since they are highly sought after, you risk purchasing a counterfeit bag instead of an authentic vintage Gucci bag. Here is how to tell if a vintage Gucci bag is real.
- Quality. Like the modern Gucci bags, a genuine vintage Gucci always has high-quality hardware, perfect stitching and is made of premium leather. Inferior quality is a red flag and signals a counterfeit.
- Logo. In the early 1960s, the interlocking G logo was introduced. Gucci bags that date from the 1920s to 1960 never have the interlocking G logo!
- Serial number. Some older bags don’t have a serial number at all and some vintage Gucci bags have double digits numbers.
- Serial number tags. Gucci bags from the Nineties were slightly rounded at the bottom. Some details are different as well. The trademark symbol is missing and the words ‘made in Italy’ are all uppercase letters. The word ‘Gucci’ looks the same.
Significant signs of a fake Gucci handbag
Sometimes you don’t want to waste your time on trying to figure out if you just spotted an imitation. These tips will help you instantly know if you’re dealing with a fake Gucci bag.
- Gucci never wraps the bags in plastic!
- The bag is fake if the dust bag doesn’t have the interlocking Gs logo or ‘GUCCI’ written in gold across the front. A fake dust bag is a serious red flag and tells you that the Gucci bag is a counterfeit.
- Uneven and/or crooked stitching along the inner seams and the bottom of the bag. Gucci would never even consider selling a bag with messy stitching.
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