You cannot handle a bag before you buy it online, so the photographs are the whole of your evidence. A seller who is confident in what they are selling shows you everything, including the parts that are not flattering. A seller who is not confident controls the angles. Here are the ten photo patterns our team in Japan treats as reasons to ask more questions.
1. Stock or borrowed images
Studio-perfect images with no visible wear, or the same photograph appearing across multiple listings, means you are not looking at the item you will receive. Pre-owned bags are individual objects and require individual photographs.
2. No photo of the base corners
Corners are where wear appears first and where structural failure starts. A listing that never shows all four corners, straight on, is hiding the most informative part of the bag. Ask for them and note how long the reply takes.
3. The interior is never shown open and flat
An open-mouth shot from above shows almost nothing. You want the lining pressed flat, the base of the interior, and each pocket individually. This is where sticky linings, staining and previous repairs live.
4. Handles photographed only from the top
Handle cracking happens at the fold, on the underside, where the leather bends. Top-down handle shots consistently conceal it. Ask for the handles bent and photographed from beneath.
5. Heavy filtering, warm lighting or hard shadow
- Yellow-warm light hides water tide lines on untreated leather
- Strong contrast hides scuffs and colour patchiness
- Deep shadow at the base hides corner wear entirely
- Soft focus on close-ups hides stitching condition
Natural daylight against a plain background is the honest standard. Anything else costs the seller nothing to provide, so ask.
6. Codes, stamps and serials shown at an angle or blurred
A date code, heat stamp or blind stamp photographed obliquely, out of focus, or cropped so tightly you cannot see the surrounding leather is a problem. You should be able to read the marking and see how it sits on the panel. Our date code guide explains what to look for once you can see it clearly.
7. Hardware never shown close up
Zipper pulls, engraved sliders, clasp faces and feet all carry markings and all show plating condition. If every hardware shot is from a metre away, you cannot assess either.
8. No photo of the bag standing on its own
A bag propped up, stuffed to bursting, or held by a hand is being shaped for the camera. One photograph of the bag standing unassisted tells you whether the base is sound and whether the body has collapsed.
9. Photo count that does not match the price
Six photographs for a four-figure bag is not enough. Twenty photographs that all show the front face from slightly different distances is also not enough. Count how many distinct areas of the bag are documented, not how many images there are.
10. Disclosed flaws that appear in no photograph
If the description mentions a stain, a repair or corner wear and no image shows it, the seller has legally covered themselves without letting you judge the severity. That is the most common way buyers end up disappointed with a technically accurate listing.
What good photography looks like
- Front, back, both sides, top and base, all in daylight
- All four corners individually
- Handles from beneath, at the folds
- Interior flat, plus every pocket
- Every marking legible and in focus
- Hardware close-ups including zipper pull and slider
- A dedicated photograph of each flaw named in the description
Photographs are evidence, not proof
Even a perfect image set has limits. No single marker in a photograph proves authenticity, counterfeits improve constantly, and professional in-hand authentication is what actually settles the question. Photographs tell you whether a seller is being straight with you and whether the bag is worth the price — that is a different job from verification, and both matter.
How we photograph
We shoot every piece in Japan in natural light, unretouched, including corners, handle undersides, interiors and every flaw we have described in words. If something looks worn in our photographs, it is because it is worn. Read how we grade condition to see how those images map to a grade, or start with new arrivals.