Shopping for genuine Gucci bags online isn’t always as simple as it should be. Counterfeiters are out there making cheap replica Gucci handbags, and consumers don’t always know the difference between replica Gucci and genuine Gucci, especially when pictures are the only representations on the website.

It happens all the time: someone is in the market for an authentic Gucci wallet, they look online, they see a nice website with high-quality pictures, and they give away their credit card information. Now if this consumer had made sure to order from the official Gucci website, there would be no reason to doubt the arrival of a well-made, genuine Gucci handbag.

Sadly, the website in this hypothetical scenario was selling replica Gucci bags. The consumer waited several weeks for her purchase, only to open the box and find a bag that looked nothing like the pictures: worn, frayed canvas; tarnished, rusty buckles; broken, ripped straps. The bag feels and looks cheap, and the jilted customer has lost money and is too embarrassed to carry the replica Gucci handbag outside.

When you type ‘Gucci bags’ when surfing the net, the search engine comes up with a lot of websites and images. Chances are you’ll find the official Gucci website at the top of the page. But your eyes are drawn to the images on fake Gucci sites. If you are net savvy, you’ll know about search engine optimization and stay away from such sites. If you aren’t, you’ll think the fake Gucci displayed in these websites are authentic. Don’t be fooled by words like 5 star replica Gucci. They are just a different way of describing a fake Gucci with the intention of taking gullible netizens for a ride.

This happens more often than you might think. Read on to learn more.