How to check authenticity of designer pieces when buying pre-owned

Use this as a shopping checklist. It is not proof that a piece is genuine, and it is not a service that certifies goods.

Start with who is selling

A new piece bought from the brand, or from a retailer the brand itself names, comes with that seller’s own conditions. For the houses this site follows, the brand’s site is the direct route: see brands we follow.

Pre-owned selling is different. A listing is a description plus photographs. Ask who owned the piece, how the seller acquired it, and whether an original receipt exists. A receipt from the brand or from a retailer the brand authorizes is stronger context than a dust bag, a box, or a ribbon. Those extras are easy to separate from the garment they once belonged to.

Ask for photographs of the whole object

Useful pictures show the front, back, and interior, plus close views of the brand label, size label, care label, and any stamped hardware. Include the closure, the hem, and places that rub: underarms, crotch, shoe insoles, and strap holes. A single styled photo does not show construction.

Compare those pictures with the same style on the brand’s current site, when the style is still published. Look at where the label sits, how the hardware is finished, and whether the listing’s description matches the photographs. A title that names a brand while the photos show a different label is a reason to stop.

Read the labels and the hardware

Many fakes copy a logo and miss the ordinary parts: uneven stitch length, loose thread tails on the label, spelling on a care label, or a font that does not match the brand’s other labels from the same period. Hardware can be plated plastic where the genuine article is metal, or it can carry a stamp that is blurred or off-center.

Labels change over years. An older genuine piece will not look identical to this season’s label. Treat a mismatch as a question to resolve, not as an automatic verdict. Date codes and serial marks, where a house uses them, should be read against the brand’s own practice. This guide does not publish code formulas, because those formulas are copied as often as the goods.

Metal mesh and chain

Houses such as Rabanne are known for linked metal and disc construction. On a pre-owned piece, look for links of a consistent size, clasps that close, and solder or jump rings that are not freshly mismatched in color. Missing discs and green corrosion are condition problems. They are not, by themselves, an authenticity test. More on wear is in caring for metal mesh and sequin garments.

Price is a prompt, not a test

A price far below what comparable pre-owned listings ask is a reason to slow down and ask for the photographs above. A high price is not evidence that a piece is genuine. Condition, size, and completeness (both shoes, the belt, the original strap) move price as much as the name on the label.

What to keep if you buy

Keep the listing, the seller’s name, the payment record, and any receipt the seller passes on. If you later need a human judgment, take the piece to the brand or to an authenticator you choose and pay. Do not treat this page as that judgment.

Questions about the guide: sales@sco-enterprises.com.