I am a seasoned op-shopper – I have been buying second-hand pieces since I was in high school and it is a hobby that has carried on into adulthood.

Op shopping or thrifting is a fantastic way to reduce textile and other waste, and there’s nothing quite like the thrill of the hunt when it comes to riffling through racks of clothes others have discarded, looking for that one piece that sparks joy.

However, I think some people belive that they’re going to walk into their local op shop and put their hand on exactly what they’re looking for, or on high-end designer pieces – and that’s just not the way it works.

Earlier this month a Canberra Times article was published about a pair of Manolo Blahnik heels that were found at a Vinnies in Belconnen and this got loads of attention on social media. People love a buried treasure story and this one really caught people’s imaginations. It’s not just the fact that a pair of designer shoes were found, or that their estimated value sits at around $2,000 AUD; but the fact that these are the blue satin pumps that Carrie Bradshaw wore to her wedding in the first Sex & the City movie.

Only, were they? I don’t mean to discredit the author or a fellow thrifter, but I am a bit sceptical about whether the shoes are authentic Manolo Blahniks – or whether it might be a case of mistaken (fraudulent) identity. For a start, that particular pair of heels are iconic and in high-demand, and as with all cult classics the real-deal are kept and coveted by those who bought them in the first place, until they escalate in value and are then sold through auction or consignment. They are also more likely to be copied and reproduced as either copy-cat versions (which is what I suspect we are dealing with here) or slightly altered to avoid direct copyright infringement.

The idea that someone who bought the Sex & the City Manolo Blahnik heels, held on to them for over a decade and then decided to just donate them to a charity shop does seem rather unlikely.

Whether they are real or just really-good knock-offs ultimately doesn’t matter – if they bring the new owner joy and they haven’t wound-up in landfill then it is a win all-around. But if you are tempted by the siren-call of hunting for second-hand designer gold in Australia’s op-shops, then I have prepared a bit of a check list for you to keep in mind.

When it comes to designer brands there’s a hierarchy based on cost and prestige of the brands, and that directly relates to how likely you are to find something authentic, as opposed to a fake or reproduction, in an op shop.