I'm a luxury handbag authenticator. Here's why you should avoid Chinese manufacturers on TikTok who try to sell 'real' Birkins for cheap.

Business Insider

28-04-2025

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Koyaana Redstar, the head of luxury buying at Luxe Du Jour, an online luxury boutique for vintage designer handbags. It has been edited for length and clarity.
I've worked for Rebag, The RealReal, and other vintage consignment stores and have 20 years of experience in the resale industry.
With tariffs a big concern now, my TikTok page is flooded with videos from Chinese manufacturers saying they produce luxury handbags for brands like Hermès and Louis Vuitton, urging US customers to buy directly from them.
And they're not just promoting them as dupes. Dupe culture involves finding a less expensive version of a highly desirable item, like the Walmart Birkin. Dupes are not specifically designed to replicate the luxury items.
Here's why I think people should think twice before buying from these TikTokers.
Hermès? Think again.
It's common knowledge that some brands make their products in China — no one's surprised by that.
But some Chinese TikTokers have gone further and claimed they make the high-end goods that luxury brands just slap their labels onto.
But that's not true. Hermès, for one, has clapped back at these claims.
Hermès has invested a lot of money in ateliers in France and other parts of Europe. The brand's items are also handmade by trained craftspeople.
Some people scroll on TikTok and Instagram and think that if something's been put online, it must be real. Don't believe everything you see on TikTok.
Don't expect comparable quality
If I look at these Chinese versions of these bags — and that's where my job expertise comes in — I can tell the Chinese TikTokers' versions are fake at a glance.
The handles are the wrong shape, and the proportions are off. The handles of fake bags are often a dead giveaway. They're either too tall or too round.
Some of the bags in the videos are way too wide at the bottom, and some are too narrow.
I saw a video where a girl was holding up what she said was a mini Kelly, saying she got it directly from the brand's manufacturer.
But it was fake. It didn't even have the right handle—a flat handle instead of a regular rolled handle, which immediately raised a major red flag. It also had a leather grain that I've never seen on a Hermès bag in my entire life.
Why not buy resale?
When you buy a resale or a new authentic item, you have the option to sell it. You don't have that opportunity with a fake.
I advise that if you're looking for a luxury handbag at a marked-down price, buy the bag secondhand instead of from people who claim to be the brand's Chinese manufacturer.
Cost may be an issue for some buyers. If luxury stores hike prices because of the tariffs, you may be looking at a bag that's out of your budget.
But you can also buy bags on resale platforms. People can usually find popular bags in excellent condition or even brand new, and prices will still be below retail.
Think about why you're buying a fake bag
If you're still dead set on buying a bag you see on TikTok from someone who says they're a luxury brand's Chinese manufacturer, I urge you to ask yourself why you want the item.
I won't look down on someone who decides, "I can't afford a $10,000 bag, but I like the shape and think it would fit my lifestyle."
If you like it, and you buy an inexpensive dupe because you can't afford $10,000, more power to you. You made that decision because that was best for you.
Don't buy a fake bag that's being passed off as a Hermès Birkin, label and all, just because of TikTok. And please don't go around with a counterfeit Birkin saying, "Look at my Hermès bag," when it's not, in fact, Hermès.