Bought suspected fake at auction

[Traveltart]

I may have just bought a fake designer bag in an auction. I bid online ‘live’. It was a rural antiques auction so I couldn’t go in person. It wasn’t eBay or anywhere. The bag was described partially by its name. Let’s say it was Louis Vuitton, the bag was described as Vuitton.
The picture clearly shows the official ‘name’ and the usual monogram/logo.
Should I wait to receive the goods before rejecting them if it is indeed a fake? I uploaded a picture of the back of the flap to AI and it said it wasn’t an officially recognised serial number. Yes I should have done all this before but was swept away. I’m willing to stomach the cost (over £300) as an expensive lesson but wondered if I had any protection and if I should wait to receive the bag or dispute it now.

What did AI base its comment on? It can only use what is available to you on the internet. If you can't find a list of valid serial numbers, neither can AI. The bag might be fine.

It said for this bag the brand name should be etched on the back of the clasp rather than what it called a random selection of serial numbers/letters associated with knock off factories

From AI

If you bought a fake item at auction, you have legal rights to a refund, even if the auction house claimed "sold as seen" or "no returns," because selling counterfeit goods is a criminal offense. Immediately contact the auction house to demand a refund, document all evidence of the misrepresentation, and consider filing a report with Citizens Advice if they refuse. 1, 2]
Steps to Take Following a Counterfeit Purchase:
Contact the Auction House Directly: Formally notify them in writing that the item is counterfeit. Provide proof if possible (e.g., statements from brand experts). Even if they claim not to have known the item was fake, they are still obligated to provide a refund for misrepresentation.
Use Payment Protection: If you paid by credit card, submit a Section 75 claim for items costing over (£100). If you paid by debit card, ask your bank to use the "chargeback scheme". If you used PayPal, report the dispute through their Resolution Centre.
Report the Seller: If the auction house is unhelpful, report them to Trading Standards.

I would imagine that the 'makers' of the bag may be able to help you identify it or potentially assist with a claim

Yes you absolutely have protection, businesses have to sell goods that are genuine, otherwise you are entitled to a full refund under the consumer rights act. If it's a distance sale then you have a no quibble right to a refund anyway, although I don't personally know how auctions would fit into that.
You would also have recourse to chargeback, which is a contractual system from your card provider, and also credit cards have joint liability if you paid directly with one.
However personally I'd wait for it to arrive, find a way to authenticate it, ideally by contacting the purported manufacturer, and take the evidence back to the seller, at which point they must refund you regardless of whether any cooling off period has expired.

Don't trust AI for authentication. I have an authentic, limited edition Louis Vuitton bought from LV and it doesn't have the 'printed serial tag' which AI (and some luxury resellers) say it must have. I asked LV about it and the stamped numbers are to do with the date it was made not a serial number and was introduced after my bag was manufactured so it doesn't have one. You can get the bag authenticated online or take it to a store as they can sometimes help with authentication.

Thank you for all the tips and comments. I will wait for the bag to arrive. It was part of a lot for someone who worked on set in Hollywood so I’m hoping they probably didn’t need to go down the Temu route! I may have panicked but will get it authenticated when it arrives.

What auction house do you use OP? Interested in browsing!

AI is a language prediction tool, not a fact-finding tool.

Good luck OP - hope it's what you wanted!

Hmm apparently the problem is that the internal bit of the closure or clasp has a code that is akin to generic brassware and this is not what the high end labels would use.

There's no reason not to give them a heads up...they may have a preferred authenticator, or be able to get it done at their end if they haven't shipped it yet.

Thanks @Kimura. I have done and phoned them and they have my email so will get to responding soon. I haven’t paid yet. If it’s a fake, I think I will be covered. They’re also a reputable firm. I don’t think they did this on purpose it’s just likely that handbags are not their usual thing - and it was a slightly odd item amongst the African statues and Victorian brassware and Hollywood scripts… I would have also assumed it was real given the glamorous life the person led but this item obviously slipped through and perhaps the owner didn’t realise either.

Oh if you haven't paid then you should be fine asking for proof of authenticity.

I collect trainers and even sites like eBay have authentication services for anything over £100 or so.

They’re investigating and said of course they will put the sale on hold which is great. I wish it was real!