If you want to make a lady happy one of the best ways is to buy her a new handbag. And you won’t go far wrong if the one that you choose for her is a Prada handbag.

Prada make very fashionable handbags and they aren’t cheap. So as well as being a pleasure to use, they are also often bought for their value as a status symbol.

Often times, although not rightfully so, women can be jealous over things such as handbags. But this jealousy is what women want others to experience when they see that they are carrying a Prada handbag. The name itself makes someone think about money. And everyone wants to have a lot of that and if they can’t, they at least want to look like they do even if it means getting something of lesser quality.

But due to the fact that not everyone can afford to throw money around, many people end up looking for bargains when they are shopping. The problem with this, when shopping online for example, is that one has to take care not to end up paying a lot of money out for a fake item.

Of course, it is unlikely that you will end up buying a fake item if you purchase offline from the official Prada stockists or from their official website online. But that doesn’t mean that aren’t many genuine items sold on sites such as eBay - but one just has to do some double-checking of the item and the buyer before making their purchase.

Some people will not care that their handbag is a fake as long as they save some money. But there are many things to consider - by having this kind of status symbol, what kind of status are you really giving yourself? And would you be happy to think that by buying it you have contributed to the rise of unethical sweatshops in some third world country?

Obviously, it’s down to the individual to decide. But if you are buying the handbag for someone else, you should be aware of the consequences if you try and fool them into thinking that their prize posession is genuine, when it isn’t!

If you decide to buy a Prada handbag online, take your time and do a little investigation of your seller before purchasing. After all, part of a handbag’s job is to help to keep your money safe!