Is my Louis Vuitton bag real or fake?

Read the heat stamp and look at how the pattern meets the seams: copies often get those wrong. 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.
Heat stamp: clear capitals, even spacing, round O's; it reads "Louis Vuitton Paris" and "made in" France, or Spain, Italy, the USA or Switzerland.
Bags made before March 2021 usually carry a date code on an inside leather tab (letters for the workshop, numbers for the date). Many newer bags carry a hidden chip instead, which the public cannot read.
The monogram is symmetrical and runs on across seams. The Speedy is an exception: its pattern is upside down on one side.
Even, tight stitching, with the same number of stitches on matching parts such as the two handle tabs; on brown vintage bags the thread is typically mustard yellow.
Solid, heavy hardware with a sharp "LOUIS VUITTON" engraving; zippers glide.

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.
A date code in a format that does not match the year the seller claims.

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

Louis Vuitton 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 Louis Vuitton or any other brand.

Sources: Madison Avenue Couture, "How to Authenticate a Louis Vuitton Bag" (November 30, 2025); Lollipuff, "Louis Vuitton to Replace Datecodes with Microchips" (May 27, 2021); eBay, "Authenticity Guarantee: handbags" (ebay.com/authenticity-guarantee/handbags), read October 14, 2026.