Has anyone bought a designed handbag off of e-bay?

[jellybean]

I think I know the answer to this, but was wondering if anyone has bought a handbag off of e-bay. I was looking at a Coach purse from a seller that has a "store". All her (at least I think it''s a her) handbags are new (still have tags on them), but I am leary of making such a purchase.

Anyone done this before?

 

[belle]

one of the most important things about buying things on ebay, especially if the originality is in question, is to understand the return policy. make sure you read it thoroughly and know for what reasons you can or can't send something back. of course, among many other things, you want to make sure the seller has a reasonable amount of legitimate feedback as well.
best of luck to you! i'm sure you'll find a great deal!

 

[jellybean]

Thanks Belle. The seller has an excellent record but I didn''t see the return policy (just that it is guaranteed 100% or money back) so I sent an e-mail asking for more details.

Part of me says just go buy it at the store.

Then I don''t have to worry about it.

I bought a Kate Spade bag once from a private seller. I knew it was "slightly used" when I bought it, and it was only $50 so it was a pretty good deal. It was in great shape. I just haven''t bought from one of these "stores" before.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Does the coach bag have a serial number? I sold a used coach last fall and didn't have any tags, but I took a close up photo of the inside serial number for the buyer to see. Maybe the seller can do this for you?

There's a lot of fakes out there, so unless you're buying a cheaper bag - like a Kate Spade - I think it's better to pay full price for a guarenteed authentic. Also. . . a relative gave me a Kate Spade after she went to NY and I tried to sell it on ebay since the interior had a leopard print pattern (not me) and it turned out to be fake. lol! I had no idea because the lady who gave me the bag is rather well off and buys designer stuff all the time, so I assumed it was real. . .

lol!!! The relative has since given out LV and other fakes to us gals. . .fakes are EVERYWHERE so watch out!

 

[thebanjodog]

where i shop the kate spade are in the same price range as the coach and dooney. am i going to the wrong places? banjo

 

[glaucomflecken]

I bought a LV purse on ebay earlier this year and love it love it love it. I did intense research beforehand on how to spot a fake LV, and also I asked for sales receipts, etc. I made sure it was a seller with a return policy, good feedback, and not someone who was selling 100 of the same purse. I asked plenty of questions and got lots of pictures. It was also "gently used" and the handle had already begun to oxidize to the darker color, but I paid 50% of what it would have cost new, and it looked pretty new. There are definitely fakes so you must be educated and do your homework!

 

[jellybean]

Speaking of handbags, I have a funny story not related to e-bay:

A few years ago my SIL was having a "Coach Purse" party. Y''know, kind of like a Pampered Chef party where the sales rep comes to your house and brings the products? She was going on and on about it and I told her "You know those are fake handbags, right?" She got really defensive and said no, no, the rep (who was a friend of her neighbor) said they were authentic!

I couldn''t go to the party b/c I had to work, but all I heard for the next few days from her and my MIL was how they got these awesome bags really cheap (we''re talking like $50 or so a bag).

Well, a couple of weeks later, one of the gals at my SIL''s party broke the handle on her "authentic" Coach bag. She brought the bag to Marshall Field''s to see where she could send it to be fixed. The sales gal said "where did you get this?!?!" The woman was very embarressed and said she got it as a gift (she lied). The sales lady called the store manager b/c she obviously knew it was a fake and was going to call security on my SIL''s friend. Once the manager came over, she explained that she bought it at my SILs party. Apparently the manager gave her an earfull on all the fakes out there. The woman got home and let my SIL have it! My SIL claimed dumb, saying she didn''t know they were not the real deal.

Um, hello? The dead giveaway was the tag had the Coach logo backwards! I really tried not to say "I told you so!", but I did.

 

[Blue824]

Date: 9/9/2005 8:00:31 AM
Author:jellybean
I think I know the answer to this, but was wondering if anyone has bought a handbag off of e-bay. I was looking at a Coach purse from a seller that has a ''store''. All her (at least I think it''s a her) handbags are new (still have tags on them), but I am leary of making such a purchase.

Anyone done this before?

You should as moremoremore - she seems to be the quee of finding handbag deals on ebay!

Oh, and as for that handbag party, that is a funny story! I''ve heard of the ones to sell fakes, but everyone I know who''s gone has always known upfront. Actually, one of my bf''s friends used to go to chinatown in nyc and buy a bunch and bring them back and hold parties to sell them. She said she made loads. Not really my style though.

 

[lilyinct]

I bought a coach purse off an ebay store last year- and it looked real, until it started fraying, and then the zipper broke....

 

[flutterby]

I bought an authentic coach jacket, an authentic coach bag and a not so authentic marc jacobs bag. I knew the marc jacobs bag wasnt going to be real, it was from a power seller in indonesia and it was only $250. But it is a beautiful leather bag. My friend who has 2 MJ bags still thinks mine is authentic even knowing how much I paid for it, so it is really close, but I feel so strongly that its not that I wont bring it to Neimans to ask!

Just be careful and find out as much as you can about the seller. The more bags they have, the better possibility they arent all real. (or they are ripping of delivery trucks outside of barneys!)

 

[moremoremore]

I have bought a few designer bags from ebay...but a stated above, you have to be very careful bc 90% are fake. First clue- the price. If it's too good to be true, it is. I don't like power sellers. I like individuals who give me a good vibe and show me receipts and tell me how and when they purchased it. It is SO easy to get a fake authenticity card with serial numbers. They sell "7 star replicas" which are DEAD ON. I have sold authentic items on ebay so I know they are out there!

 

[jellybean]

Thanks everyone! I sent the seller an e-mail asking exactly what the return policy was and they never responded to me! Forget that! I will just save my pennies and get the real thing.

I''m too lazy to try to figure out who a good seller is and who isn''t.

 

[pearcrazy]

Are there any Coach outlets in your area? I got a black leather large hobo bag on clearance in the outlet mall in Myrtle Beach, SC while on vacation last summer. It was marked 20% off the lowest price which was redlined at $110. It came to be about $88. I also bought a bone colored purse for about $120 on clearance. Better than anything I could find on Ebay and I am positive it''s the real thing. Even if you don''t find anything that cheap you''ll still save over the retail or online store.

 

[Mara]

Also, if you have a Loehmann's near you, they sell alot of designer stuff at low prices...the one near me has Kate Spade and Coach, and also Cynthia Rowley and Kenneth Cole stuff at almost 1/2 off sometimes depending on the style, season etc. I was so tempted to get a beautiful gray-blue Kate Spade laptop sleeve right around the time I got my new laptop this summer, but I hemmed and hawed and then 2 weeks later they were all gone. Drat!

eBay can be good for designer items at times but I hear the handbag thing on eBay is total hit or miss. I sold one of my LV bags on there but it had the receipt and everything from the store. Also, I bought a Fendi denim bag on there ~2 years ago for about 1/2 price off retail, and I'm 99% sure it's really but who REALLY knows, I never took it into the store to find out (a part of me was afraid they'd take it if it was fake!)...but I also never saw anyone else with that style though I had seen ONE in SF at some point, so I figured well who cares since I liked it.

I think it also depends on the designer you are looking for on eBay. Apparently LV rarely has sales or closeouts so alot of people say WHY would someone be able to sell it for so much less on eBay? But then some people actually get their stock from Italy (or so I hear) and things are cheaper over there.

Hard to say really!! But I wouldn't spend too much on eBay if it was just a bit more to get it from the store. Good luck!

 

[jellybean]

Yeah, I totally forgot that there is a new Coach outlet store not toooo far from me. It''s about a 45 minute drive. I did go to Marshall Field''s and look at several different Coach bags but decided I wasn''t crazy about any of them. They don''t have enough inside pockets for me.

Here''s one I really like from www.ebags.com. What do you think?

http://www.ebags.com/tignanello/one_touch_east_west_satchel/product_detail/index.cfm?modelid=49706 I would get it in camel.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

JB - Loehmann''s has a website and has a few Tignanello bags (that are available in camel color) for 1/2 price. . .
http://www.ebags.com/tignanello/one_touch_east_west_satchel/product_detail/index.cfm?modelid=49706