Owning designer handbags purses used to be as elusive as becoming the next big thing in Hollywood. With various thrift stores and Internet shops selling secondhand bags like Coach handbags at discount prices, owning your own designer handbags purses has become much easier and more affordable. There are, however, things that you have to take into consideration when purchasing designer bags online. Below are just some of these considerations.

Look for sites that offer the best price and value. Various Internet sites offer a variety of designer bags and chances are, each site may offer certain bags at higher or lower prices. Research and find out which sites offer the best deals. It’s important that you bookmark sites that offer the best bargains so you won’t have a difficult time going back to these sites later on. It’s also good to wait for sales–most online shops offer sales and special discounts (such as free shipping) every week.

Go for trusted sites. Most trusted sites have contact details that you can use to reach a customer service representative for questions or clarifications. And although some sites may offer designer handbags at lower prices, be wary of sites that sell designer handbags purses at unbelievably low prices; chances are, those handbags are replicas. Coach handbags, for instance, selling at $100 are probably fake designer handbags.

Read the terms and conditions and FAQs. Trust-worthy sites have terms and conditions and FAQs that tell you how your items will be shipped, how to pay for these items and how to ask for returns or exchanges. Terms and conditions also tell you the criteria on which they base returns and exchanges (like a damaged zipper or lining, for instance, may warrant an approved return or exchange).

Check their modes of payment. Be wary of sites that only accept money transfer as a mode of payment, since you cannot dispute or ask for chargebacks once you have your money transferred to the site’s account. Make sure also that the site accepts credit cards from other countries. Some US sites, for instance, only accepts credit cards from the US.

Check the photos of the bags carefully. Be skeptical of sites that use promotional photos in place of real photos of the bags they sell. You can tell if the photos of Coach handbags, for instance, are promotional photos if you see these same photos plastered on the website of Coach and around the Internet. If the site only has promotional photos of the bags, request that you be sent real photos of the items they are selling.

Start communicating with the site’s CSR. Email the site’s customer service representative (CSR) and ask different questions, such as how long it will take for them to ship the handbags purses or how often they change bag styles. This is a good way to determine whether the site is the real deal or if they’re just out to scam some money from you. Most trust-worthy sites have CSRs who answer promptly and politely.

There are many websites that sell designer handbags purses and even Coach handbags at very affordable prices. Some even have the latest styles out and ready to ship. You have to be careful when shopping for designer bags online, though. Keep the above tips in mind to help you get the best designer bag deal online.