How to spot a fake Hermès in a second-hand listing

Check four things before money changes hands: the blind stamp, the stitching, the hardware engraving, and the seller's paperwork. No single item proves a bag is real. Hermès does not authenticate bags for buyers and does not issue letters of authenticity. A Birkin or Kelly sold below market almost always has a problem.

Hermès does not certify bags

Boutiques sell new bags. They do not write authentication letters. The Hermès after-sales workshop repairs its own bags, and it can decline a bag it judges counterfeit. A missing service record does not mean a bag is false, and a service record does not mean a bag is true. Sellers use both claims.

Price and source

A Birkin 25 in Togo leather starts near $10,000 at retail in the US. Prices climb with size, leather, and hardware. Resale prices on popular sizes run at or above boutique prices. A 40 percent discount on a current-year Birkin is a warning sign.

Hermès sells new bags through its own boutiques and hermes.com. There are no authorized discount sellers. Most fake Hermès bags reach buyers through social marketplaces, personal shopper accounts, and pop-up shows.

Blind stamp and craftsman number

Hermès stamps a date code into the leather with no ink. It sits on the strap of the bag and faces the interior. The mark is a letter inside a shape, and the letter changes each year. A separate number identifies the craftsman. Check that the letter matches the year the seller claims, and that the stamp is clean and level. Crooked, inked, or oversized stamps are common on fakes.

Stitching

Hermès uses saddle stitching: two needles, one waxed thread, worked by hand. Stitches sit at a slight slant with even spacing, and the thread has a visible twist. Machine lockstitch, backstitch at the ends, and loose threads are signs of a factory bag.

Hardware

Engraving on the plates, feet, and zipper pull is sharp and shallow. Weight matters. Real hardware feels dense. Plating that flakes, engraving that is laser-etched and gray, and screws with slots that do not align point to a copy.

Receipts, boxes, and dust bags

Receipts are easy to print. Orange boxes are easy to buy. Neither proves a bag. A seller who leads with paperwork instead of the bag is a risk.

Third-party checks

Paid authentication services examine photos and hardware and give a written opinion. Auction houses such as Sotheby's and Christie's inspect the bags they sell. Resellers with return windows give a buyer a way out. None of these steps is a legal guarantee.

Legal risk

US Customs and Border Protection seizes counterfeit handbags at the border. Buying a counterfeit is trademark infringement. The OECD and EUIPO put counterfeit and pirated goods at about 2.5 percent of world trade in 2019, and handbags are a top category.