The news of Louis Vuitton’s most recent price hike sent shockwaves through the fashion industry and beyond as shoppers and stores alike were left holding the pricier than ever Speedy bag. And now that the dust has settled a bit, and the speculation has been confirmed, many consumers and store owners are wondering what’s next. While many designer consignment shop owners immediately hopped online to try and scoop up some last-minute bags and accessories before the official hike, shoppers rushed over to auction sites, Louis Vuitton’s website, and designer resale boutiques to stock up before it became official.

And while the prices still aren’t anywhere near Hermes or Chanel, price increases as high as 37% for some of the most-wanted bags (like the Pochette Accessoires) does make many question the future of luxury brands and the impact on the resale industry. Does this mean we’ll see a rise of the super fakes (extremely good counterfeit bags) or will consumers turn to slightly lesser expensive brands like Miu Miu and Burberry?

LOUIS VUITTON FIGHTS BACK AGAINST COUNTERFEITERS

One thing’s for sure, Louis Vuitton was a trailblazer in creating designs that made it more difficult for counterfeiters to replicate his bags, trunks, and small leather goods. In 1888, due to the sudden popularity of Louis Vuitton’s trunks, copycats and counterfeiters started to replicate his designs, so he created a beige- and brown-stripe canvas to protect his brand and dissuade fakes. Later as the plagiarism worsened, he was once again forced to create a new design, and in 1888 the Damier pattern was born.

When Louis Vuitton died in 1892, the brand was passed on to his son, Georges Vuitton, who wanted to expand the company globally to become world renowned. In 1896, Georges created the iconic monogram canvas which was designed in a brownish hue with Louis Vuitton’s initials, diamonds, circles and flowers and printed on coated canvas in tribute to his late father.

A BRIEF GUIDE TO LV AUTHENTICATION

We work with experts who have years of experience authenticating Louis Vuitton bags. And if you buy a Louis Vuitton bag from LePrix Wholesale, you’ve got immediate access to some of the industry’s best and most trusted authenticators, but sometimes you need to do a quick check yourself, and one of the quickest and easiest ways to check to see if your bag is real, or just a really good fake, is by comparing the bag’s date codes to our handy chart below.

But first, let’s quickly look at other telltale signs.

HEAT STAMP

All authentic LV bags have a heat stamp that can help with authentication. They used to say “Louis Vuitton Paris” but since the bags are made in many different countries, you might find Italy, America, Spain, and other countries listed there too. On a real LV bag, the L is a lot smaller than the O and the Ts almost look like the touch.

STITCHING

The number of stitches should always mirror one another on the symmetrical parts of the bag and experts are skilled at counting the stitches and using that as a way to tell you if it’s a real bag. Also, the stitching on a monogram bag is always a little on the yellow on the trim and brown on the leather. Always make sure the stitches are straight and even too.

HARDWARE

Always check the hardware, such as the zippers, the zipper pulls, the LV hardware on bags like the Twist, and the D-shaped hardware on the front of the inside pocket on the Neverfull.

LEATHER STRIPS

Closely examine the leather strips that run along the bag and the handles. Made of Vachetta leather, over time these straps and strips will start to darken and turn into a golden-brown shade. If the leather hasn’t darkened over time, it’s a good indication that the bag is a fake.

LOUIS VUITTON DATE CODES

Since the early 1980s, up until March 2021, Louis Vuitton has included date codes with their bags, small leather goods, and most accessories. Bags created March 1st, 2021, onward now have microchips. These date codes consist of letters and numbers that identify the date and location the bag was manufactured. The letters in the date code correspond to the country in which the bag was made, and the numbers correspond to the date.

DATE CODES

Before 1982 Louis Vuitton did not use date codes before 1982.

1982 – Mid 1980s Louis Vuitton began using 3- or 4-digit codes to show the year and month in which the product was made. The first two numbers show the year, and the last two numbers show the month.

Mid – Late 1980s Louis Vuitton began using letters in the date codes which represent the factory. The first two numbers show the year, and the last two numbers show the month, followed by the country.

1990 – 2006 LV moved the country code letters to the front of the date code. The first and third number indicates the month, and the second and fourth represent the year.

2007 – February 2021 Now the week is represented instead of the month of manufacturing. And after the country code letters, the first and third number indicate the week, and the second and fourth numbers indicate the year.

COUNTRY CODES

France: A0, A1, A2, AA, AAS (Special Order), AH, AN, AR, AS, BA, BE, BJ, BU, DR, DU, CO, CT, ET, FL, LM (2019 onwards), LA (2019 onwards) LW, MB, MI, NO, RA, RI, SA, SD, SF, SL, SN, SP, SR, TJ, TH, TR, TS, TY, VI, VX

Germany: LP

Italy: BC, BO, CE, FO, MA, PL, RC, RE, SA, TB, TD, NZ

Spain: BC (2015 onwards), CA, JJ (mostly straps), LO, LB, LM, LW, GI, UB

Switzerland: DI, FA

USA: FC, FH, LA, OS, SD, TX, FL

LEPRIX WHOLESALE

Meet LePrix Wholesale, the most trusted and largest online platform to source authentic, pre-owned luxury. With LePrix Wholesale at your service, you have immediate access to all the bestselling designer pieces for your resale business.

You’ll never again have to spend countless hours searching for the hottest Louis Vuitton pochette or the classic Chanel bag at a healthy margin. Or stress over currency conversions, the customs and shipping process, or the authenticity of your purchases. Every item on LePrix Wholesale is inspected and authenticated multiple times. You can easily add a Certificate of Authenticity with your order.

On our wholesale platform, every item comes with a description, condition, and letter grade for top brands. By leveraging deep data analytics and AI, our platform also shows you a suggested minimum resale price and estimated profit margin for top pre-owned brands like Chanel, Hermès and Dior. Every item is LePrix-vetted and inspected so you and your customers can rest assured knowing that each purchase is authentic.

If you’re a business, you may qualify for exclusive access to authentic, pre-owned designer bags, jewelry, and accessories at wholesale prices. Find out more here.

ABOUT LEPRIX

LePrix means “the price” and “the prize” in French, which captures the spirit of the hunt for pre-owned luxury. The thrill of the hunt sparked the launch of the world’s largest marketplace enabling access to shop over 600 designer consignment boutiques online. While working with hundreds of the world’s best consignment boutiques, we discovered that our store partners were wasting a lot of time and energy sourcing inventory to grow their businesses. They needed a convenient way to source more top-selling products like Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Gucci, etc. from other trusted resale businesses. And that is how LePrix Wholesale was born.

In 2018, LePrix launched LePrix Wholesale, which is the only marketplace in the U.S. unlocking access to pre-owned, pre-authenticated luxury from the world’s most trusted suppliers at deeply discounted prices. Our team of experts carefully select suppliers, curate the most desirable inventory and inspect your orders before shipment. You will be assigned a dedicated account manager to help you optimize your wholesale buying experience. We believe in empowering businesses like yours with the right tools (access to top sellers, inventory you need, or valuable resources) and support to help you grow your business.

*LePrix is not affiliated with any brands in any manner. All items are LePrix Vetted and Approved: LePrix’s team of specialists inspect every item before it’s listed and sold on LePrix Wholesale.