When it comes to shopping for women's handbags online, there are a lot of people that simply will not shop online for fear of being ripped off. Of course, this can happen, but there are very reputable dealers online that can save you a lot of time and often money by having the bag delivered directly to your home. There are several ways you can protect yourself while shopping online, and make sure you get the best handbag that you possibly have been eying for months.

Find out what designers offers their handbags online, which for the most part is just about all handbags, but many designers only allow specific retailers to sell their handbags, and you need to know this before you start shopping. You do not want to end up with a fake especially if the designer only authorizes one dealer and you end up buying is from another at half price, because chances are, you will end up getting a bag that is not authentic.

If you know what designers you are interested in, make a note of them before getting online. Moreover, make sure you know the type of handbag you want because this lessens your search by an hour or more. If you are only interested in totes, for example, you can narrow your search to the designer name + tote in the search engines. If you are open to designer totes, then you can do a quick search for "designer totes" and be presented with several online options.

Be especially careful with online auctions for designer handbags because more fakes come from auctions than any other type of online shopping. There are honest sellers out there, but unfortunately, there are also "bad apples" that have given the online auctions a bad name when it comes to buying handbags online. One of the best ways to know you are getting the real deal is to either shop on the designer website or at an authorized dealer, that way there is no question about the handbag's authenticity.

The price of the handbag is often a giveaway on its authenticity, if it is $100 and you know the bags retail for $1000, you are buying a fake. Moreover, if the handbag is made in China, you are definitely getting a fake because China doesn't produce designer handbags. There is one designer from Japan that does make her handbags in Japan, but for the most part, designer handbags are made in France, Italy, and some are made in the United States.

Avoid shopping at online stores that you have never heard of before, because if you have not heard of them, they probably are not authorized to sell authentic merchandise. When making a purchase online for women's handbags, make sure you pay using a credit card, if you end up getting a fake, you can report it as fraud to the credit card company and get your money back if the company refuses to refund.