Is my Gucci bag real or fake?

Turn over the leather tag inside: its stamp and serial number tell a lot. On eBay, bags from $500 are checked for free by an authenticator.

Check before you pay

Tick them off as you go:

On eBay US, eligible handbags priced $500 or more go through eBay's Authenticity Guarantee for free: an authenticator checks the logos, tags, materials and hardware, and that the bag matches the listing, before it ships to you. From $200 to $499.99 you can add the check at checkout for $40. If the bag fails, eBay refunds you in full.
The leather tag inside is heat-stamped with the registered mark, "GUCCI" and "made in Italy", centered and evenly spaced.
The serial number is on the back of that tag: 10 to 13 digits, usually in two rows. A tag stitched to the lining on all four sides is a fake sign.
The first row is the style number: search it, it should show the same kind of bag.
The monogram is perfectly symmetrical, even where zippers, flaps or pockets cut it.
Straight stitching with exact spacing on seams, edges and handles.
Solid metal hardware, cleanly engraved "GUCCI", with the same color and quality on every piece.

Red flags

A price far below every similar listing.
"Replica", "inspired by", "style" or "dupe" anywhere in the listing.
Stock photos, or no close photo of the stamps, tags and serial.
A seller who asks you to pay outside eBay, which removes eBay's protection and its authentication.
Light, chipped or flaking hardware, or hardware engraved on one side only.

The safe way to buy one

A listing priced $500 or more: eBay's authenticator checks the bag before you receive it.
Between $200 and $499.99: add the $40 Authenticity Guarantee at checkout.
Receipts, the dust bag and any cards: they add trust, but they are copied too, so they never prove a bag alone.

Live listings on eBay

Gucci bags listed at $500 or more, United States: eBay's Authenticity Guarantee applies to eligible handbags at that price. Asking prices.

These checks help you spot a crude fake. They do not prove a bag is real: we do not authenticate anything, and we are not affiliated with Gucci or any other brand.

Sources: 1stDibs The Study, "How to Spot a Fake Gucci Bag" (November 16, 2023); eBay, "Authenticity Guarantee: handbags" (ebay.com/authenticity-guarantee/handbags), read October 14, 2026.