Authentications
We currently offer three main types of authentication for Alexander McQueen, Alexander Wang, Balenciaga, Bottega Veneta (BV), Burberry, Celine, Chanel, Chloé, Christian Louboutin, Coach, Dior, Fendi, Gucci, Hermès, Jimmy Choo, Louis Vuitton (LV), Marc Jacobs, Miu Miu, Mulberry, Prada and Tod's items and also, for designer fine jewelry (jewellery) and watches (virtually all houses/makes covered) and National Football League (NFL) jerseys:
email Authentications - where an item is inspected (normally via photos) and then a verdict regarding its authenticity (or lack of it) is reached and emailed to the buyer.
Statements of Authenticity/Non-Authenticity - where a comprehensive document is provided with all the factors detailed that helped the Designer Specialist Authenticator reach their conclusion. This is the service normally required for eBay/PayPal disputes and claims, credit card chargebacks and postal/mail fraud claims.
Photo Statements of Authenticity/Non-Authenticity - where an extremely comprehensive document is provided with all the factors detailed that helped the Designer Specialist Authenticator reach their conclusion, along with multiple photos of the item. This is the service normally most suited to Small Claims Court cases.
All of these services can be performed either via inspection via photographs (which is what happens in the vast majority of cases), or via a physical inspection (where the item is shipped to one of our DSAs).
eBay, PayPal and credit card companies normally only require inspection via photographs - as it is, usually, perfectly feasible to provide an accurate authentication in that way (providing the photos are sufficiently good, of course).
All authentications of Ready-To-Wear items are carried out by our Designer Specialist Authenticators who know their preferred brand inside-out. We do not attempt to rely on a few, general authenticators, trying to keep pace with a multitude of brands!
• email Authentications
• email Authentication Fees
• Statements of Authenticity/Non-Authenticity
• Fees for Statements
• Photo Statements of Authenticity/Non-Authenticity
• Fees for Photo Statements
• Physical Inspections
• How to Contract an Authentication
• Photos Required for Authentication
email Authentications
Extremely useful service if you are considering buying an item from an unauthorized source (e.g. an eBay auction, unauthorized online store etc.).
Also very useful to ascertain the authenticity of items already owned, although, in the case of eBay/PayPal disputes and claims, credit card chargebacks and postal/mail fraud claims etc., a Statement of Authenticity may also be required.
Prices are based upon one authentication per email - if you have several items to be authenticated at once, please send details of each one in separate emails.
email Authentications are normally provided within a maximum of 48 hours.
Please see; ‘How to Contract an Authentication’, near the bottom of this page, for more details on what to include and how to format your email(s).
email Authentication Fee:
• $45.00 USD / £30.00 GBP per email Authentication.*
* This fee assumes that the inspection is undertaken via photographs (as the vast majority will be).
Very occasionally, we may need to see the item, in person - please see Physical Inspections, below, for more details.
Payment in advance, please, via www.paypal.com to: payments@fakespotters.com.
Statements of Authenticity/Non-Authenticity
Extremely useful for eBay/PayPal disputes and claims (whether you are the buyer, or the seller), credit card chargebacks, postal/mail fraud claims and for any other time when you may need to demonstrate the authenticity/non-authenticity of an item, our Statements of Authenticity/Non-Authenticity are comprehensive documents (normally three, or four, pages long), written on notepaper (or virtual notepaper!) with the Fake Spotters letterhead.
In the interest of speed and economy, they can be forwarded to you, via email, in Adobe PDF format - ready for you to print, yourself, onto U.S. Letter size paper (with 94% magnification), or A4 paper. The Statement can then be faxed to eBay/PayPal, or your credit card company etc..
Alternatively, they can be printed out and sent to you via First Class Registered Post/Mail, if preferred (please note that this will, of course, incur extra time and a $15.00 USD / £9.00 GBP flat rate surcharge).
All authentications of Ready-To-Wear items are carried out by Designer Specialist Authenticators who know their preferred brand inside-out - we do not attempt to rely on a few, general, authenticators attempting to keep pace with a multitude of brands and the individual background of the DSA is detailed, in full, in all statements.
Statements of Non-Authenticity list all the main factors that demonstrate that the item is a counterfeit (fake) and Statements of Authenticity list all the main factors that led the brand specialist to believe that the item is an authentic example of an item of that style and brand; including any flaws, or quirks, the item may possess that are peculiar to that style/brand.
Even if you are the buyer in an eBay/Paypal dispute/claim, or credit card chargeback, a Statement of Authenticity can still be an extremely useful document to have, to help prove that the item you originally doubted the authenticity of is, in fact, authentic; especially if you were to ever consider selling the item in question, in future. However, if you only require a Statement of Non-Authenticity and are not, already, absolutely sure that the item in question is counterfeit (fake), it is highly recommended that you contract an email Authentication first, to ascertain authenticity.
The latter also applies, in reverse, if you are the seller.
Prices are based upon one authentication per statement (if you have several items to be authenticated at once, please send details of each one in a separate email) and also, the timeframe within which you require the Statement.
Full email support is included in the price, for all Statements contracted, throughout the duration of your dispute/claim/chargeback (if applicable).
Please see; ‘How to Contract an Authentication’, near the bottom of this page, for more details on what to include and how to format your email(s).
NB: Statements of Authenticity/Non-Authenticity are not considered to have been contracted, until the correct payment has been received by us, in full and the countdown of the number of calendar days/hours only begins at the exact time of payment.
Please be sure to select a timeframe that will ensure you receive the Statement in plenty of time to check the details you provided are correct and to submit it to eBay/PayPal/your credit card company (if applicable).
We recommend that you allow, at least, an extra 48 hours for this.
Fees for Statements:
• For fees for Statements in USD ($), please click here.
• For fees for Statements in GBP (£), please click here.
Payment in advance, please, via www.paypal.com to: payments@fakespotters.com.
Photo Statements of Authenticity/Non-Authenticity
This enhanced statement service, which employs the use of the seller’s and/or the buyer’s photos, to help demonstrate the authenticity (or lack of it) of the item, is ideal for use in Small Claims Court cases and also, for those who may wish to demonstrate that the item they possess is, without any doubt, the subject of our Statement.
Fake Spotters Photo Statements of Authenticity/Non-Authenticity are extremely comprehensive documents (normally eight, or nine, pages long, or more), written on notepaper (or virtual notepaper!) with the Fake Spotters letterhead.
Just like our regular Statements, Photo Statements of Non-Authenticity list all the main factors that demonstrate that the item is a counterfeit (fake) and Photo Statements of Authenticity list all the main factors that led the brand specialist to believe that the item is an authentic example of an item of that style and brand; including any flaws, or quirks, the item may possess that are peculiar to that style/brand.
However, in addition, photographic evidence, complete with notations, is supplied; to help clearly illustrate what all the factors listed are.
In the interest of speed and economy, Photo Statements can be forwarded to you, via email, in Adobe PDF format - ready for you to print, yourself, onto U.S. Letter size paper (with 94% magnification), or A4 paper.
Alternatively, they can be printed out and sent to you via First Class Registered Post/Mail, if preferred (please note that this will, of course, incur extra time and a $15.00 USD / £9.00 GBP flat rate surcharge).
All authentications of Ready-To-Wear items are carried out by Designer Specialist Authenticators who know their preferred brand inside-out - we do not attempt to rely on a few, general, authenticators attempting to keep pace with a multitude of brands and the individual background of the DSA is detailed, in full, in all Photo Statements.
Prices are based upon one authentication per statement (if you have several items to be authenticated at once, please send details of each one in a separate email) and also, the timeframe within which you require the Statement.
Full email support is included in the price, for all Photo Statements contracted.
Please see; ‘How to Contract an Authentication’, near the bottom of this page, for more details on what to include and how to format your email(s).
NB: Photo Statements of Authenticity/Non-Authenticity are not considered to have been contracted, until the correct payment has been received by us, in full and the countdown of the number of calendar days/hours only begins at the exact time of payment.
If you are working to any type of deadline (e.g. for court), please be sure to select a timeframe that will ensure you receive the Statement in plenty of time to check the details you provided are correct.
We recommend that you allow, at least, an extra 48 hours for this.
Fees for Photo Statements:
• For fees for Photo Statements in USD ($), please click here.
• For fees for Photo Statements in GBP (£), please cick here.
Payment in advance, please, via www.paypal.com to: payments@fakespotters.com.
Physical Inspections
This is what we call it when the designer item is shipped to us, or one of our DSAs, for an in-person inspection.
Physical Inspections are rarely necessary, in the case of most designer good authentications; but may, very occasionally, be required.
If you feel your item requires a Physical Inspection, or if we (or eBay/PayPal etc.) inform you that it does, please add the following to the Authentication fee, prior to shipping the item to us:
• $78.00 USD / £50.00 GBP flat rate physical examination surcharge.
In addition, the following will be charged, prior to the item being returned to the client (assuming the client requires the item to be returned):
• All fully tracked and insured return shipping costs.*
• Any unexpected additional costs incurred - such as costs incurred by Fake Spotters, or our Authenticators, due to additional/sturdier packaging being deemed to be necessary, for safe return shipping (for example, if the item wasn’t adequately packaged by the client and/or if packaging was badly damaged in transit).
* The client is, of course, also responsible for all costs incurred to initially ship the item to Fake Spotters - we highly recommend using a service that offers online tracking and insurance.
How to Contract an Authentication
After selecting your preferred service and time frame, if applicable (please see above) and sending the correct payment via www.paypal.com to: payments@fakespotters.com, please email authentications@fakespotters.com with the following information, provided in the following format (all, or part, of the following may be copied and pasted into your email and then completed by you):
Name:
Address:
Phone Number:
Brand of Item:
Style and color of item (if known):
Type of service required: (email Authentication and/or Statement/Photo Statement)
Date by which you require the authentication (if applicable):
Price of item (excluding shipping fee):
Price of service required:
If the item is/was an auction listing/purchase, please also include the following:
Item Name:
Item Number:
Seller ID:
Buyer ID:
Buyer or Seller(?): (please state whether you are the buyer or the seller)
Link to the auction:
Alternatively, if the item is/was not an auction listing/purchase, but was purchased online, please also include the following:
Item Name:
Link:
If the item is subject to an eBay/PayPal dispute/claim, please also include the following:
Claim Number:
In addition, please also include any photographs you may already have of the item and any further details about the item, or the transaction, which you feel may be relevant and helpful to us.
Once we have received your request, if we find we require any further information/photos, we will let you know in good time.
One item per email, please.
Photos Required for Authentication
The specific photos we require vary somewhat, according to the type of item and the brand and style in question.
However, generally speaking, we would normally need a photo of the entire item from every major angle (e.g. back, front, sides, top and bottom, in the case of a bag) and then close-ups showing the material/leather and any and all labels, logos, heatstamps, engravings, hardware, serial/datecode numbers and holograms etc., plus any other distinguishing features.
All photos should be in-focus and taken with the item/feature on a level plain and with the camera lens parallel to it (i.e. they should not be taken at oblique, or artistic, angles).
If you are very new to photography, you may find it helpful to consult this guide.
Please don’t worry, too much, though - if we need further photos we will get back to you.
DISCLAIMER: The opinions rendered in all discussions, authentications, appraisals and condition reports are based upon each Designer Specialist Authenticator/Appraiser’s extensive personal knowledge of the designer/design house/designer item in question and any other relevant resources they may have at their disposal. Although every effort is always made to ensure an accurate opinion is given and/or conclusion reached, please be aware that there will always remain an extremely small (normally, significantly less than one percent, in the case of authentications) margin of error.
Every effort has been made to ensure that the services detailed and prices quoted are accurate, at the time of writing; but please note that they may be subject to alteration, or withdrawal, without prior warning.
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