Beware of fake/counterfeit/imitation Prada

There is large amounts of fake Prada for sale on eBay, especially bags, coats, jackets, t shirts and shoes. Before buying anything Prada from eBay, bear the following in mind:

Price and Number of Items Sold

1) Prada is a very expensive brand, so if the item seems cheap alarm bells should immediately be ringing. APradajacket begins at about 400 ($800), so anything claiming to be brand new but selling for much less than this is suspect. Hats cost at least 50($100) so, say, a seller selling 20 'brand new' hats for 10 ($20) is almost certainly selling fakes. If the seller is also selling large numbers of the same item (for example, in many different sizes) they are almost certainly selling fakes. Prada does not wholesale their goods out to be sold on eBay.

Logos

2) Prada never puts both the triangle logo and the red stripe logo on the same item. This is because the triangle logo is from the Prada mainline, while the rubber red stripe logo is from the subsidary sports line. Bags, for example, which have both the triangle logo and the red rubber logo on are fake.

3) An item which has a red rubber tag with Prada written in white is most likely fake. The exception to this is on the tongue of trainers (sneakers), where there is sometimes a red rubber logo with Prada written on in white and on the arms of Prada Sport sunglasses. Otherwise, the word Prada is embossed into the red tag and NOT written on in white.

The second picture displays a number of hallmarks of a fake: the white-on-red logo used incorrectly, the authenticity card directly attached to the item (never happens) and the red-on-black tag on the zip (Prada have never put black tags with red writing on anything). Also the material looks cheap and wrong: these bags are made of nylon when they are real.

4) Look where the logo is placed on an item, if it has an external logo. A real Prada Sport jacket, for example, is not going to have the red logo obviously placed on the breast pocket.

5) Check the typeface of the logo. It is hard to believe, but some of the fake Prada items have not even got the Prada logo in the right typeface.

The real typeface looks like this:

Not like this (!):

5) If something has a large logo on, be suspicious. Prada do not do prominent tacky branding for the most part. Be aware of giant triangle logos on bags too.

This is wrong on a number of levels: although the label and tag look quite good, Prada do not use the white-on-red logo on clothes and they do not print it onto items like this. If it was real, the logo would be much smaller, it would be located at one side of the t-shirt at the bottom and it would be sewn on, not printed on, to the shirt. It would also be red with Prada embossed in, not red with white writing on.

Authenticity Cards,Packagingand Claims

6) Just because the item appears to have an authenticity card it is by no means authentic. People who produce and sell fakes can easily fake the white Prada authenticity card. This card should be in a black paper envelope, which is embossed with PRADA in shiny black. The authenticity card is never attached directly to the item.

7) Just because the seller says it is "100% authentic" it does not mean that it is!

8) Fakers can employ a number of tricks to make an item appear authentic regarding packaging. Sometimes the fake seller will buy one item from a Prada store in order to get a store bag to photograph their items against to give the air of authenticity. If something is photographed with a store bag and packagaing, ask if this will be included. Be aware that fakers have faked the Prada packaging too including, for example, the storage dust bags which come with some accessories. You can still look for suspect signs, like the fact that these are printed in black, not with red on:

Here, other signs that the item is a fake include the way 'Prada' is written on the strap (they do not do this), and the red-on-white logo. In addition the fact that many sellers offer many versions of this (fake) bag is a cause for suspicion in itself.

This is just a brief guide to spotting (and avoiding - who wants to be seen with embarrassing fakes?!) fake Prada on eBay, but it is by no means exhaustive as a complete guide would be much longer!

Unfortunately, a large amount of the 'Prada' sold on eBay is fake so be suspicious, be wary and ask questions before you part with your hard earned money. If it seems too good to be true in terms of price it probably is, and don't be duped by apparently authentic packaging or tags. Good luck and happy shopping.