Counterfeits have improved, but they still tend to fail in the same places: stitching, hardware, lining and paperwork.

Tiered rewards are designed to change how much you spend. Read as a customer, the question is whether the top tier is worth what it costs to reach.

A matched bonus or a gift with purchase is a discount with conditions attached. The conditions decide whether it is a discount at all.

The resale market is where the best value is, and where most of the fraud is. Three habits remove most of the risk.

Good leather outlasts its owner if it is kept clean, dry and conditioned. None of it takes long.

A returns policy is a promise about what happens when things go wrong. The useful ones answer six questions plainly.