You know the drill. You’re looking to buy a fantastic designer handbag from a secondhand store, but you keep asking yourself…is it real? Well now Entrupy, a company that started by authenticating art, says it has the solution.  

They’re the makers of a new device that can tell retailers whether an item is legit or counterfeit.

So far 400 online retailers and brick-and-mortar stores are using it. The company created a small machine that uses algorithms to detect fakes. The device is an iPod or iPhone set up with the Entrupy app and held inside a Mophie-like device (that’s a juice pack to power your iPhone or iPod). The app will walk you through how to set up the authentication process.

This involves taking pictures of the inside and outside of the item in question. Results are given quickly so you don’t have too long to wait to get your answer. Entrupy says the device has a 99.1% accuracy rating. 

So where did they get the info to set up the algorithm? They bought over 100,000 fake and real handbags to load up the device with data that can detect counterfeits.

The company’s director of business told Fashionista.com, “We spent a substantial amount of money on the best counterfeits and then also buying from the brands”.

They released a State of the Fake report June 6 that analyzed data from all of their clients for the last year which totaled 50 million dollars in sales.

Fashionista.com says the company reported that the “majority of fakes (or “unidentified” items as the company calls them) were “very good” to “super fake” quality”.

They add that sellers are more vigilant about finding fakes because they’re afraid of getting caught and facing the circumstances that come with it.

(Photo of Fake Chanel Courtesy: lollipuff.com)

Entrupy keeps their list of customers quiet but did reveal they have a partnership with Goodwill here in the States and the UK department store chain Selfridges which has a problem with fraudulent returns. Customers are buying handbags then returning fake ones in their place.  

While I appreciate there’s a device that can help sellers make sure their goods are real, there still needs to be more done to end counterfeiting.

(Photo of Fake Prada Courtesy: lollipuff.com)

It’s a 600 billion dollar a year business and as long as there’s a demand, there will be a supply. Counterfeiting benefits terrorism, crime and child labor. The quality of the product is sub par and believe me, you can tell.

So now tell me, is it really worth the price?

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