Authentication

Authentication and Quality Control Are Not the Same Thing

At CSD, authentication and quality control are treated as entirely separate processes, with separate teams, separate criteria and separate stages. This distinction matters because they answer different questions.

Authentication asks: is this item genuine? Quality control asks: is the item in the condition we say it is? Conflating the two is a common shortcut in the resale industry. At CSD, neither process substitutes for the other. A piece can be in excellent condition and still fail authentication. A piece can be genuinely authentic and still require careful condition-grading before it is listed accurately. Both must be completed before any item goes live on the site.

The quality control process at CSD runs to seven documented stages — covering initial logging, specialist assessment, photography, restoration where applicable, and a final check before dispatch. Authentication sits within that framework as its own dedicated stage, conducted by a separate team against its own stringent criteria. You can read about the full quality control process on our Quality Control page. This page focuses specifically on how we determine whether an item is genuine.

What Happens When an Item Arrives

Every item that enters our authentication centre — whether dropped off or delivered by the consignor at our store, shipped to us, or collected via our White Glove Pickup service — begins the same way. Our team is trained to identify fakes on arrival. That initial check happens before the item is even formally logged into the system.

Once accepted, each item is assigned a unique inventory code. That code follows the piece through every subsequent stage of the process and remains its identifier for the duration of its time with us. Nothing moves anonymously through our warehouse.

At this stage, our luxury fashion specialists perform an initial quality check using a strict pass-fail system. Items deemed unfit to proceed — whether due to condition concerns or preliminary authenticity questions — are returned to their consignor. They are not held, they are not listed at a reduced price, and they are not offered as a borderline case. This filter happens before any formal authentication work begins, which means the authentication team only works on items that have already passed an initial assessment.

In-House Specialist Inspection — Authentication for Bags and High-Value Items

Every item sold through CSD goes through at least two members of our team of Specialist Luxury Authenticators. This is not a single examiner with a second opinion sought informally — it is a structured multi-examiner process. No item is cleared on the assessment of one individual alone. However much experience one examiner has, every item is checked by at least two specialists.

Our authenticators work to brand-specific protocols. The checks applied to a pre-owned Chanel bag differ from those applied to a pre-owned Hermès piece, which differ again from those applied to used Louis Vuitton. A Dior Lady Dior and a Bottega Veneta require entirely different assessment criteria. A pre-owned Balenciaga City is not authenticated the same way as a second-hand Céline. Each house has its own construction signatures, hardware specifications, date code systems and material standards — and those standards have changed across decades of production. Applying a generic checklist to a 1990s Chanel Classic Flap and a 2020 version of the same bag is not adequate. Our protocols are built around those differences.

What our team examines during in-house inspection:

• Construction quality — seam alignment, structural integrity, stitching consistency
• Hardware finish — weight, engraving depth, plating quality, closure mechanism
• Date codes and serial numbers — format, placement and consistency with the production year
• Lining quality — material, stitching, label placement and font
• Material weight and texture — leather grain, canvas weave, fabric composition
• Font consistency — across stamps, labels, dust bags and hardware engravings
• Brand-specific markers — varying by house, product line and production era

In addition to the physical item, our team reviews provenance. We examine ownership history and any supporting documentation — receipts, dust bags, authenticity cards, prior authentication certificates — as part of the assessment. Documentation alone does not clear an item. The item itself must pass on its own merits. Supporting papers corroborate but do not replace physical inspection. We have seen genuinely well-documented items that fail on hardware or stitching, and items with minimal paperwork that clear every physical check without issue.

When Third-Party Authentication Is Mandatory

Third-party authentication through LegitGrails is not an optional upgrade at CSD. Third-party authentication services are not an optional upgrade at CSD. It is a mandatory requirement for specific categories, written into our buyer’s terms and conditions.

Third-party verification is required for:

• All bags with a consignment value above £400
• All Chanel pieces, regardless of value
• All Hermès pieces, regardless of value

These thresholds reflect where counterfeit risk is highest and where buyer confidence requires the strongest corroboration. A £600 Chanel wallet and a £12,000 Hermès Birkin both clear the same mandatory third-party stage. The same applies to a pre-owned Fendi, a Saint Laurent or a Givenchy bag above £400 — houses where counterfeits have become increasingly sophisticated. There is no Chanel or Hermès piece that bypasses it on the basis of price.

For buyers who want official authentication documentation — a formal certificate issued by our third-party partner, LegitGrails — this can be requested for any item it has authenticated. See our Buyer’s Terms and Conditions for full details.

LegitGrails — Authentication for Bags Over £400 and All Chanel and Hermès Pieces

For all bags over £400 and all Chanel and Hermès pieces, CSD uses LegitGrails for authentication. LegitGrails is a specialist luxury authentication service that assesses items using detailed analysis of their materials, construction, hardware, branding, stitching, serial numbers and other brand-specific characteristics.

LegitGrails is used by luxury businesses and authentication specialists globally. At CSD, authentication through LegitGrails is a mandatory step for every bag over £400 and every Chanel and Hermès piece that passes through our warehouse. It is not offered as an optional add-on. Every qualifying item goes through the process as part of our standard authentication procedure.

LegitGrails works alongside our in-house inspection, not instead of it. A qualifying item must clear both. A qualifying bag that passes our specialist team’s physical assessment is still submitted to LegitGrails for independent authentication. Likewise, a positive LegitGrails assessment does not replace our own in-house sign-off.

The combination of specialist in-house expertise and independent LegitGrails authentication provides an additional layer of verification, helping ensure that each qualifying item is thoroughly assessed before being approved for sale.

If an item does not clear every stage that applies to it — in-house inspection by at least two specialists, and LegitGrails verification where applicable — it does not get listed. There is no exceptions process for items that clear only part of the process. The standard is every applicable stage.

The CSD Authentication Centre

Authentication at CSD takes place at our dedicated authentication centre. Every item in our edit passes through the same London-based process before listing, regardless of where the consignor is based. Consignors can drop items at our Marylebone Lane store, ship them to our Head Office at their own cost, or, for 40+ items worth over £4,000, book our London White Glove Pickup. Our team handles the item from the point of collection through to authentication and listing.

There is no regional variation in the standard applied. An item consigned from Edinburgh goes through exactly the same process as one dropped off at our Marylebone Lane boutique.

Authentication and Item Acceptance

CSD is committed to preventing the sale of counterfeit and inauthentic goods. Every item submitted to us is subject to our authentication process, and we only list items that we are satisfied are suitable for sale.

If we are unable to confirm the authenticity of an item, we may decline to accept it for sale. Where an item is determined to be counterfeit or otherwise inauthentic, we will notify the consignor and, where appropriate, give them the opportunity to provide proof of purchase or other evidence of authenticity that CSD considers acceptable.

Our aim is to ensure that the items offered to customers have been properly assessed before being listed. Items that cannot be authenticated will therefore not be placed on sale or listed with a reduced price or a caveat.

Where an item is confirmed as counterfeit, the consignor may be responsible for the costs incurred by CSD in connection with the authentication, handling and return of the item, in accordance with our Consignment Terms. This includes the applicable £100 counterfeit fee per item. Once the applicable payment has been received, the counterfeit item can be returned to the consignor.

This process helps protect both our consignors and customers, while ensuring that the products available through CSD have been appropriately assessed before being offered for sale.

Authentication and Returns

When a return is received at CSD, it is checked by our sales team and an authentication supervisor before the return is accepted. The security tag must remain fully attached and the item must be in the same condition as at the point of sale. This check exists specifically to confirm that the item being returned is the same authenticated piece that left our warehouse.

For full details on our returns process, see our Returns Policy.