Melissa Kirk/Demand Media The Internet makes it easy to find deals on designer items, and eBay is an especially popular site for finding brand-name shoes, clothing and handbags at relatively low costs. If you're a fashionista looking for a Burberry bargain online, buyer beware! Many eBay sellers are honest, but some are trying to rip off less experienced shoppers with untrained eyes. The only way to be sure that you're getting the real thing is to buy from a certified Burberry retailer, but if you simply can't resist the thrill of a deal, be an informed buyer. Never buy a bag that you can't see, scrutinize pictures carefully and know what you're looking for to ensure that you don't buy a fake.

Purchase this authentic Men's Burberry Round Check Chronograph Watch at Gemnation.com. Solid with Burberry insignia, '50M/165 FEET', 'SWISS MADE', MODEL NUMBER AND SERIAL NUMBER Bezel Material: Stainless Steel, Polished. This watch is the Burberry Round Check Chronograph BU1850. View Other Watch Series by Burberry.

Melissa Kirk/Demand Media Know your Burberry patterns, and check the pattern on the bag against a photograph of a verified authentic Burberry. The two most popular Burberry patterns are the Classic Check and the Nova Check. The Classic Check pattern features a tan base background, decorated with black, white and red horizontal and vertical stripes and a faded knight insignia positioned at the intersection of two red lines. The Nova Check pattern is similar, with slight variations. The background has a light yellow undertone, and the lines that are red in the Classic Check pattern have a pinkish hue instead. The Nova Check pattern does not have the faded knight insignia.

Handbags-N-Guides warns that any 'creative' deviation from these well-known patterns may signal a fake. Avoid any bags that are missing pattern elements, or that include additions to these traditional patterns. Ensure that squares created by the intersecting lines are neat and even.

A sloppy pattern indicates a low-quality fake. Melissa Kirk/Demand Media Look at interior plaques and tags. The bag should have either a metal plaque engraved with the words 'Burberry - London,' or a leather tag with the same words embossed on it. If the bag has a leather tag, check the back of it. Many (but not all) Burberry bags have 'MADE IN ITALY' stamped on the back of the leather tag, along with a serial number. If the bag's tag does not say 'MADE IN ITALY' on the back, but all other signs show that you have a genuine Burberry, you're still looking at a real bag.

Today, Burberry makes some items in China, especially smaller bags and accessories--a 'MADE IN ITALY' stamp helps ensure authenticity, but a bag is not necessarily a fake if this feature is missing.