So, there's an auction in which you're interested... follow this checklist to see if you should bid.

PRELIMINARY QUESTION: Does the seller explicitly guarantee authenticity?  If yes, proceed to question #1. If no, DO NOT BID!

1. Is the bag nylon? If No, Proceed to Question #4. If yes, proceed to Question #2.

2. Does the bag have metal feet on it? If no, proceed to question #4. If yes, proceed to question #3.

3. Is the bag in the style of a Sam, Claire, Chloe, Messenger bag, Amy, Diaper bag, or Basket (mini-Sam)? If yes, DO NOT BID! Is the bag in the style of a Sydney, Lenore, Finn, Quinn, Small tote or nylon luggage? If yes, proceed to Question #4.

4. Does the bag have a country of origin tag? If yes, proceed to Question #5. If no, proceed to Question #6.

5. Does the country of origin tag look EXACTLY like one of the ones on the top half of this page, from authentic bags: Kate Spade Labels? If yes, proceed to Question #8. Does the country of origin tag look like one of the ones on the bottom half of the kate spade labels page, from fake bags? DO NOT BID!

6. Is the bag a Kate Spade for Lilly Pulitzer bag, looking like one of the ones on this page: Lilly Collection? Does it have a Kate Spade for Lilly Pulitzer label shown on the page in Question #5? If yes, BID! It's a collector's item! If not, proceed to Question #7.

7. Is it possible that your bag is a "vintage" Kate Spade bag? (I put vintage in quotation marks because an 8 year old bag is not really vintage). The first KS collections were made with no country of origin tags. Check out the Early Collections Page. Does it look like any of those? If yes, proceed to question #8. If no (i.e. the seller describes it as "this season" - "just out in stores" - "just bought this at Nordstrom") DO NOT BID.

8. Does the seller provide a close-up picture of the Kate Spade label? If yes, Proceed to Question #10. If no, proceed to Question #9.

9. Email the seller and ask for a close-up of the label. Make sure that the picture they send you is from the SAME BAG. Some unscrupulous people will steal pictures from authentic auctions and email them to you. Do a quick search of similar bags on eBay to make sure the photo isn't stolen. If you're reasonably sure it's the same bag, proceed to Question #10. If you're not sure it's the same bag, obviously, do not bid. :-)

10. Inspect the label VERY closely. Some counterfeit bags have very realistic looking labels on them, with basically the right font and spacing. Compare them STITCH BY STITCH. Look at where the NEW YORK is placed. Does the W in NEW fall between kate and spade, or is it too far to the left or right? Is the stitching of the entire label too far to the left or right? Are the letters too tall, too squashed together? Does the k have a little tail on it at the top, or no? If the label looks EXACTLY like one of the authentic labels on this page: Kate Spade Labels proceed to Question #11. If it does not, either do not bid, or email me for a second opinion.

11. Is the seller someone who has a reputation for selling authentic merchandise? Do they have lots of feedback for selling authentic designer items? If yes, proceed to Question #12. Is the seller a newbie, or someone who has high feedback but sells some other kind of widget, rather than authentic designer items (because yes, power sellers sell fakes too!) do not bid unless you are a) absolutely SURE that the item is authentic (not based on the representations of the seller, but based on your own research) or b) email me for a second opinion.

12. Are you certain, based on this checklist and your own research (rather than the representations of the seller) that the item is definitely authentic? If so, GO FOR IT!! If not, email me. Click here for more information on the email services I provide. Good luck and happy hunting!