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Advice and tips on buying and selling between private individuals

Fendi First bag: How to identify a counterfeit?

An Italian brand founded in 1918, Fendi is now one of the world's leading luxury brands. Renowned for its high-quality designs, Fendi has created a number of iconic models in both leather goods and ready-to-wear. Among them is the First bag. Its original design and unrivalled elegance have made it a huge success. Available in a range of colours, it fits perfectly with any style. However, due to its success, Fendi has become the target of counterfeiters who are quick to replicate the brand's most iconic models. The First bag is no exception. That's why, if you decide to buy the First bag second-hand or outside an official shop, here's a real guide to help you spot an authentic Fendi bag from a counterfeit.

Bag lining :

First of all, pay particular attention to the Fendi lining on the inside of your luxury bag. It speaks volumes about its authenticity. The lining is made from the brand's distinctive Jacquard fabric with classic FF logos.

Check that the fabric is sufficiently held and stretched inside the bag. It is not uncommon to see counterfeit First bags where the lining is not sufficiently taut and the weave is much looser, giving the "FF" logos a fragmented appearance.

On replicas, the size of the letters for the 'FF' logo is not respected either; they are much larger and thicker than they should be.

Left: authentic Fendi lining, right: counterfeit lining

Hardware :

Also look carefully at the hardware on your Fendi First bag. The quality of the hardware is one of the ways to tell the difference between genuine and fake bags. Fendi places particular importance on the quality of the materials it uses.

Fendi hardware is shiny and flawless, with no scratches or other blemishes. It is also reflective and vibrant. The hardware used by crooks is much duller and also looks much less defined. They also very rarely respect the sizes of the pieces, as you can see from the photo below.

On the left, a real First bag by Fendi, on the right, a fake bag.

The "Fendi" inscription:

Let's move on to the Fendi inscription on the metal part. The Fendi engraving is much thicker than that on the counterfeit bag. This defect is visible on replicas because the lettering is placed too superficially in the metal, making the lines of the engraving much too fine.

Replica factories sometimes forget to put the word 'ROMA' under 'FENDI'. If this is the case with your bag, you can be sure that it is a counterfeit.

Curious to find out more about counterfeit Fendi products? See our article on the baguette bag.

The buckle on the shoulder strap :

The final point to pay attention to is the size adjustment buckle on the shoulder strap. This is where you need to look more closely at the quality of the fabric. Fendi uses beautiful, high-quality genuine leather.

The fake shoulder strap, meanwhile, looks like it could detach from its top layer at any moment. The fake material seems much more plastic. The seams have also been botched by the forgers.

On the left, an authentic Fendi buckle, on the right, the same buckle but replicated.

Secure the purchase of your second-hand Fendi bag with Obvy :

To make transactions, sales and/or purchases, between private individuals in complete security, choose Obvy. Obvy is a secure payment platform designed to eradicate online scams between individuals.

When you make a transaction on Obvy, the funds are only credited to your seller when the buyer certifies the conformity of the property purchased.

In the event of a counterfeiting scam, you can quickly and easily return the product to the seller and get your money back. What's more, you'll have all the information you need about the seller in the event of legal action.