An Australian luxury retailer has been cleared over hundreds of allegations it sold fake designer handbags after an investigation found there was no evidence to support the claims.
Cosette, which is located in The Rocks in Sydney’s CBD and operates a website to sell to customers online, has built a reputation for selling luxury designer goods at discounted prices.
NSW Fair Trading received and assessed 1079 consumer complaints and worked directly with overseas luxury brands.
This included Prada, Burberry, YSL, Gucci and Balenciaga.
Investigations into suspected fakes are complex and can take months to complete, requiring interviews, gathering of documentation and advice from technical experts.
A NSW Fair Trading spokesperson said each item was tested and verified as authentic by the brand as opposed to third-party verifiers.
“In some instances, the luxury brand confirmed the authenticity of handbags that multiple online authenticators had advised customers were fake,” the spokesperson said.
“The investigation highlights that there are significant issues with the accuracy and reliability of online authenticators, who use AI and algorithms to provide authentications.
“Consumers should be aware of the limitations of using some online authenticators.”
The spokesperson said NSW Fair Trading would “continue to carefully assess any further complaints lodged”.
9news.com.au has contacted Cosette for comment.
In a statement issued to media last year, the company said “all products sold by Cosette are genuine and subject to quality control and third-party authentication”.
“If Cosette was not satisfied with the genuineness of any product, it would not be sold to customers,” the statement said.
Cosette said it “sources all handbags from reputable resellers, retailers, brokers and licensees” in Europe.
