How to Spot a Fake Disney Dooney and Bourke Bag

Counterfeiting is big business! According to Forbes, counterfeiting is the largest criminal enterprise in the world. Oftentimes, counterfeiters lure consumers into purchasing fake goods because the price points are just too good to pass up. Unbeknownst to them, these buyers do real damage to legitimate businesses. Like many other name brands, fake Dooney & Bourke bags can be found in the marketplace, including fake Disney Dooneys. Understanding how to avoid purchasing counterfeit accessories helps collectors to avoid disappointment.

Are Counterfeit Goods Really that Bad?

The availability of counterfeit products has grown over 10,000% in the last two decades.  The United States, Italy and France are among the countries most negatively affected by counterfeiting. These countries thrive on producing high-value products that are protected by intellectual property rights and trademarks. By 2017, the U.S. was estimated to be losing up to $600 billion each year. Buyers might see a “good deal” but not fully understand how their buying decisions have worldwide consequences. China is the major producer and supplier of counterfeit goods worldwide, while the United States is the largest consumer of fakes. Buyers also might find themselves with a cheap knockoff that falls apart after a few uses. Counterfeit goods are made using cheap and potentially hazardous materials that may be harmful to consumers and the environment.  

Video by Rose F.

Fake Disney Dooney and Bourke Bags

Dooney & Bourke, founded by Peter Dooney and Frederic Bourke, is renowned as a luxury handbag brand that exemplifies quality craftsmanship. Their meticulously designed bags reflect a commitment to durability and timeless style, earning them a prestigious place in the fashion industry.

In today’s market, even fake Disney Dooney and Bourke bags can be found for sale. Disney Dooney & Bourke fans should use caution when purchasing bags that seem to be priced low because they might be fakes. 

Currently, there are several known counterfeit Disney Dooney & Bourke handbags available on the market. These bags are produced illegally in China. Bags in the White Sketch print on coated cotton in two silhouettes: the letter carrier crossbody bag and the small satchel as well as the White Nylon Sketch Backpack are examples of counterfeit Disney Dooney and Bourke items that we found for sale. 

 

Make sure you are buying genuine Dooney & Bourke Disney products by purchasing directly from Disney Store.

Can You Tell the Difference?

Because the sale of counterfeit accessories is such a big moneymaker, it is getting more and more difficult to spot the real items from the fakes. Some bags are even produced in the same Chinese factories as the authentic goods without permission to do so.

Even with side by side comparisons of the authentic Dooney & Bourke x Disney White Sketch small satchel, it is hard to tell which one is fake and which one is genuine. Unfortunately, the prints look extremely similar, but there are a few ways to spot the fakes.  

Counterfeiters go to great lengths to make the copies look as similar as possible. Can you tell the difference between the counterfeit Disney Dooney bag and the authentic one? Even seasoned collectors have a hard time spotting a fake bag. 

Given that some counterfeit bags are made with the same materials in the same factory as the authentic ones, it can be hard to tell a real from a fake. 

How to Spot Differences Between the Real versus Fake White Sketch Print

With the help of our friends from Disney Dooney & Bourke Fans, we would like to share with you some of the ways you can spot the differences between authentic and counterfeit White Sketch Print bags. The differences are extremely subtle and require a close look to see them.

On the genuine print, the Walt Disney World and Disneyland banners show three large green lines and a fourth small green line above the banner. The copy has only three large green lines and is missing the fourth small one. 

Taking a closer look at the Cheshire Cat, you can see that his eyes are yellow on the real bag, but are white on the fake counterfeit version. 

A third difference is that the circles on the inside of the orange balloon should all be white. In the counterfeit version, they are not. 

Lastly, on the authentic print, the yellow lines surrounding Chip & Dale shouldn’t touch the bottom of the Disneyland banner. On the fake handbags, they do touch the bottom.

Fake White Nylon Sketch Backpack

Counterfeiters have taken two different authentic Disney Dooney & Bourke backpacks and combined them to make their own version of the White Nylon Sketch Backpack. The fake backpack is basically the Shanghai Disneyland Backpack silhouette with a counterfeit version of the U.S. Disney Parks Nylon Sketch design printed on it.

A few of the noticeable differences between the U.S. Disney Parks Nylon Sketch backpack and the fake Sketch backpack are that the authentic version has a rainbow zipper and no side pockets. The fake does not have a rainbow zipper and does have side pockets. Another sign is that the real version has a leather Dooney & Bourke label, while the fake has a metal Dooney & Bourke label. The genuine bag also does not have the leather trim piping on the top flap that the fake has. 

Lastly, the fake version of the bag features Q’araq the Shanghai Disneyland crocodile, who would not appear on the real version. 

Fake Bambi and Forest Friends Bags

Unfortunately, scammers have become rampant on Facebook, posting ads for Disney Dooney & Bourke bags that are priced way below retail price. However, the scammers’ methods may differ. Some scammers take your money and run, while others wind up sending extremely poor quality copies of the Disney Dooney and Bourke product that look nothing like the bag in the advertisement. 

Most recently, scammers have placed ads on Facebook advertising the Bambi and Forest Friends Collection at a deeply discounted price.

In contrast to some of the other counterfeit purses we have found, these bags are of terrible quality and material. With only a glance, any true Disney Dooney and Bourke collector can tell these are inauthentic knockoffs. 

We have found photographs of the fake Bambi satchel and wristlet. The material appears to be vinyl rather than coated cotton. The bag lacks the Dooney and Bourke metal emblem, and the hang tag is not embossed as it should be.  Additionally, the satchel is shapeless. 

Close-ups of the wristlet reveal poor quality stitching that is already fraying on the fake leather seam, and again the Dooney and Bourke metal label is missing from the front. 

The back of the wristlet is also printed upside-down. 

Fake Haunted Mansion 2020 Bags

We recently discovered fake versions of several silhouettes from the Haunted Mansion 2020 Collection being sold on ebay. Again, these knockoffs are horribly constructed and also do not bear the Dooney & Bourke logo.

The counterfeit version of the Haunted Mansion 2020 satchel has a metal plate on the front, but it does not bear the Dooney & Bourke label on it. 

The bag looks to be made out of a plastic or vinyl material and clearly is not a genuine article. 

Additionally, you can see the threads separating in the stitching. Any collector would recognize that this bag is a knockoff and not the real thing.  

The wristlet wallet from the Haunted Mansion 2020 Collection has also been counterfeited. This wallet also does not bear the metal Dooney and Bourke plate on the front. 

Again, the stitching and material are extremely poor and easily recognized as fake. 

Where to Buy Genuine Disney Dooney Bags

If you are looking to purchase the White Sketch Small Satchel or Letter Carrier or Bambi Collection, we strongly recommend that you purchase it directly from Disney Parks, Disney Store, or a trusted personal shopper. Buying these bags from a reseller or second hand is not advised. While fake bags can sell for $40-$50, the real thing retails between $178 and $198. If it is too good to be true, it probably is!

Did you find this post helpful? Subscribe to email updates on new posts below:

PLEASE share with your Disney purse friends so they don’t get scammed!