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According to MSNBC, as much as 7 percent of annual world trade -- about $600 billion -- involves pirated and counterfeit goods. Many of these goods are designed to look as much as possible like the luxury brands they are sold as, however, these goods are of much lower quality. Many of these counterfeits are even made by children forced to work under incredibly harsh conditions. Fake Burberry coats are just one kind of counterfeit good produced from this market. There are ways to find out if your vintage Burberry coat is the genuine item.

Check the signature "nova plaid" pattern inside the coat. The plaid is navy blue, black and red. If there are different colors, or the pattern is different, it is a fake.

Look for the Burberry logo inside the coat. The logo should be written "BURBERRY" in capital letters and have the small symbol of a knight on a horse. The buttons will also have "BURBERRY" written in the same font and in capital letters. If the logo inside the coat is different or it doesn't match the "BURBERRY" written on the buttons, it is a fake.

Examine the coat for messy stitching. Stitching on an authentic Burberry coat should be even and straight with each stitch nearly, if not exactly, the same. If the stitching is crooked, uneven, or full of gaps, it is a fake.

Research the seller from which you purchased the coat. Online sellers such as auction sites that only sell Burberry coats and sell them at very low prices are likely selling counterfeit coats. Sellers who offer a variety of vintage clothing and only have one Burberry coat in their store are more likely to be selling an authentic coat (however, they may be selling a secondhand fake without knowing it).

Tip

You can bring your Burberry coat to a Burberry store to ask the staff to check the authenticity of your coat, but be careful as your coat may be confiscated if it is found to be a fake.

Warning

If someone is selling a Burberry coat at a price so low it seems too good to be true, it might be a fake.