- Published
A woman who bought what she thought was a genuine Prada handbag second-hand on Vinted for £400 later discovered it was a fake.
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it → publish → 400
Dani Bekyarova-Delev, of Stockport, Greater Manchester, said she had been confident the designer item, bought in 2024, had been genuine because she had used the platform's authentication service.
She said she had been left "angry and shocked" when she had taken it to a Prada store, only to be told it was counterfeit.
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it → say → store
Vinted - which has refunded Bekyarova-Delev since the BBC contacted it - said experts had looked at the items and that while "original documents may be reviewed, they do not automatically guarantee successful verification".
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they → refund → verification
Last year, the BBC reported bargain hunters were being warned that criminals could be selling fake versions of designer clothes, handbags, shoes for prices that suggested they were real on a number of online shopping platforms.
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they → report → platforms
Depop, eBay as well as Vinted have previously said they would suspend or ban users if they were caught selling counterfeit goods.
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they → say → goods
A bag of a similar style to the one Bekyarova-Delev bought retails for about £1,500 on the official Prada website.
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Delev → buy → website
Bekyarova-Delev told BBC North West Tonight when she first received the handbag she had no concerns, especially after paying £10 for its authentication service.
"I was absolutely 100% sure that it will be fine and because of buyers protection...
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it → tell → protection
it looks absolutely normal, nothing to worry [about].
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it → look → ?
In line with the platform's rules, she accepted the order, saying everything was OK with the item, and releasing the payment to the seller.
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everything → accept → seller
But she said when she had visited the Prada store at the Trafford Centre, she had been unable to find the same handbag among its range.
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she → say → range
She said the woman behind the counter had not recognised it, and that after that she "wasn't sure if the bag was real or not".
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bag → say → that
Bekyarova-Delev said she had then paid for an independent authentication, which had found the bag to be fake.
But because she had accepted the bag, she had been unable to get a refund, despite showing Vinted that it had verified it as genuine.
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it → say → it
"It was shocking to realise it was fake, and it was too late to do anything about it.
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it → realise → it
"I wasn't aware that things like this happened," she said.
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she → happen → this
Doubts
Vinted told the BBC it offered an optional verification service for selected designer items, during which specialist teams assessed their authenticity offline.
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teams → tell → authenticity
"Decisions, including whether an item is potentially counterfeit, are made by trained specialists based on objective criteria and specific brand or product characteristics, such as stitching, logos and materials used in the design.
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item → include → design
"Original documents may be reviewed, but they do not automatically guarantee successful verification."
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they → review → verification
It added all purchases, including those with item verification, were subject to its buyer protection policy.
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purchases → add → policy
Vinted added: "If the buyer still doubts the item's authenticity after our experts have checked it, they can raise an issue within two days of receiving the item."
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they → add → item
Customers who buy goods from what are known as "pro-sellers" have 14 days to raise an issue.
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what → buy → issue
Figures from Citizens Advice in 2025 showed a 30% rise in complaints about counterfeit goods being sold online over the previous year.
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Figures → show → year
An expert who authenticates designer goods said she was aware of issues regarding second-hand luxury items sold online.
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she → authenticate → items
Christine Colbert, owner of Dress Cheshire, said: "I've seen quite a big shift with people buying items on Vinted and other reputable marketplaces and asking us to authenticate the bags for them.
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people → say → them
We see a fair percentage of bags coming here that were verified by Vinted and our verification service says it's not a genuine bag."
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it → see → Vinted
In response, Vinted said: "We fully understand that members want to feel confident when making a purchase.
"
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members → say → purchase
Our optional item verification service provides an additional layer of confidence for members shopping for selected designer items on Vinted, and the vast majority have a positive experience.
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majority → provide → experience
You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
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You → send → 2230
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