Okay, first off, I gotta say, the game was different then. You weren’t just hitting up some random AliExpress store and hoping for the best (though, let’s be real, some of us *totally* did that, lol). You were actually relying on these blogs to like, GUIDE you through the minefield of super-sus sellers.
I remember one in particular, thepursesqueen.com – she was all about the sneak peeks and the “OMG look what I just got!” hauls. It was kinda addictive, ngl. You’d be scrolling through her pics, drooling over a “Chanel” that looked suspiciously good, and then you’d be down the rabbit hole, researching “1:1 mirror image” quality and all that jazz.
And then there was the whole “bragmybags.to” thing. I mean, the name alone screamed “I’m probably a little sketchy, but also, maybe I have the hookup on a bomb Bottega?” It was a gamble, for sure. The descriptions were always hilarious, like “high quality replica handbags, shoes and wallets from the world’s designers.” Uh huh, *high quality*. Sure, Jan. But you know, sometimes the risk was worth it! (Sometimes not, obvi).
I also remember stumbling across r/LuxuryReps on Reddit. That was a whole different beast. It was less blog-y and more like a support group/forum for people obsessed with finding the perfect fake. People would post reviews, compare different sellers, and generally just geek out over stitching and hardware. Honestly, it was kinda intense, but also super helpful. You could actually learn a lot about the different factories and qualities just by lurking there.
But here’s the thing, and this is just my personal opinion: it was ALL a bit of a crapshoot. You’d read these “MUST READ: Good Fakes VS. Bad Ones: Louis Vuitton” posts, thinking you were armed with all the knowledge you needed, and then you’d get your bag and… it would be, like, made of plastic. Or smell vaguely of fish. Or have the LV logo upside down. You just never knew!
Also, you gotta remember, back then, the whole rep game was shrouded in a bit more secrecy. People were less likely to openly admit they were buying fakes. It was like a dirty little secret we all shared. Now, it seems like it’s way more accepted, or at least talked about more openly.
