Name Brand Handbags are one of a girl's best friends, so it's not surprising that women want the best of the best. Whether you are looking for a Gucci, Prada, Dior, YSL or a Fendi bag. A handbag is a very personal accessory for any woman.

There is a huge market for knock-off bags. Obviously, if you're getting a Gucci for $50, you can safely assume the bag is a fake. But if a cute Prada bag on eBay or the like for example, you may want to do some research before giving $200 (a bargain in terms of Prada merchandise) to an unauthorized seller.

A good guide is as follows. The main trademark of any designer bag is quality. Most designer handbags are handmade one reason why they are more expensive than other handbags. Telltale signs of a fake bag include uneven stitching, puckered seams or low-quality material. The thread from the stitching should be the same colour as the bag.

Authentic Designers have high quality control standards. They provide the best construction and materials for the money their customers spend. Name brands handbags are always made up of soft leather or suede which is heavier. Designer bags are never made from second-rate textile such as plastic or polyester. Also, designer bags are built to last. Authentic Designers would never sell a substandard product. If taken care of, a designer bag can last a lifetime. If the product looks cheap, it probably is.

If using eBay, beware of those sellers that have a large quantity of the same type of product. Fakes are easily mass-produced and are usually shipped from China. To give you a better idea of what to look for when purchasing an authentic bag follow the rules below.

1. Designers are big on the packaging of their handbags. No authentic designer bag would have its handles wrapped in plastic or tissue. The real thing will come with a dust bag and identification card.

2. While many fabricators can duplicate a designer's signature design or stamp, there are ways of telling the bona fide from the fake. For example, Louis Vuitton bags have "Louis Vuitton Paris, Made in France" stamped on it. Hermès bags say "Hermès Paris." Coach's stamp should have raised lettering versus imprinted. The identification numbers embossed onto the inside identification tag of a Coach bag should have the abbreviated "No.," followed by four numbers.

3. You should also scrutinize the smaller details such as zippers and press studs. Fabricators stamp "LV" onto zippers much like a real Louis Vuitton bag but the monograms should be clear and precise. Fakes have smudged monograms and tend to look gaudy. On Juicy Couture bags, look for the "J" heart shape to be all leather, making sure the leather is not shiny. Coach uses YKK zippers for their handbags, so make sure you look for that tiny detail.

4. Another way to differentiate a real handbag from a fake one is by visiting the designers' Web sites or stores to study the details. If the bag doesn't exist on the Web site, odds are the seller is trying pass off a fake bag for a real one. But a few authentic designer websites sell last year’s stock at discount prices.

5. Will the website give you a Guarantee of Authenticity for their name brand handbags? If not, then it is better not to buy from these websites.

In conclusion if using eBay feels like too much hard work, other Web sites like eLuxury.com (run by the company which owns Dior and Vuitton) and net-a-porter.com (in which Jimmy Choo is affiliated with) are both legitimate dealers of designer bags. You can trust these suppliers to provide you with an authentic handbag.

The price isn't always indicative of the quality, you should be suspicious of anyone offering a name brand handbag for too low a price. If you're unsure, don't buy it keep looking. Once you have built a relationship with an authentic designer handbag website then stick with that one.