As the owner of a studio specializing in luxury items appraisal, Li Weidong can tell authentic ones from copycats simply by looking at the photos of the products.

His business, based in Guangzhou, South China's Guangdong province, has appraised more than 150,000 luxury bags since establishing it in 2017 through a mobile phone app.

His store on e-commerce platform Taobao, on the other hand, has appraised 20,000 luxury items, mostly bags, since 2006. Meanwhile, together with his team, he has also partnered with a company as the provider of luxury products appraisal services and takes an average of 2,500 orders every month.

Growing up in a family that runs leatherwear processing business, Li was inspired to create a luxury brand in 2003. Late in 2004, however, his expertise in leather fabrics and craftsmanship led him to becoming a trainer for a Japanese company specializing in luxury item appraisal and he has since taught 28 sessions.

Luxury item appraisal based on pictures provided by clients not only saves the logistics cost, but also helps some to decide whether to purchase the item or not, Li said.