[eucalyptic]

Backgrounder: As I have written on this forum many times than I can remember, I became obsessed with the Whiskey Tracy since first seeing it and regretfully not buying it in Paris back in November. My frustration escalated to a point where I called almost each and every store in the US that carried Chloé to find this bag and was almost successful had the SA not sold the bag that was on hold for me at Nordstrom in Washington DC.

Since then I've trawled eBay for every possible lead and eventually bought the Chocolate one thinking it would assuage my longing for the Whiskey but I was mistaken. While the Chocolate is gorgeous, I couldn't keep the Whiskey out of my mind. My husband eventually gifted me with the medium size Whiskey/Tan from LVR and althought it has now become one of my favourites, it wasn't THE ONE.

In between all these purchases, I stumbled upon this Medium Solid Whiskey Tracy with black trim from a seller in the UK. I normally do my homework before purchasing from untested eBay sellers but my frustration got the better of me and this time I clicked Buy It Now! before I had any chance to change my mind. I paid (what now seems to me a very low price for the Tracy) through Paypal and waited eagerly for the bag. In a week it was in my possession and when I got it I was so happy! The moment the bag came out of the sleeper bag I got a whiff of the yummy leather smell. I was so excited I used it right away and as is my usual, I immediately left a positive feedback for the seller even mentioning I got an authentic Chloé.

Just like most tPFers, I was still burning the dsl line for steep Chloé discounts and stumbled upon an iOffer link of a Chloé Tracy being sold for $175.00. I took a look at the pic and I was stunned. The bag being sold looked exactly like my medium Whisky. My gut told me the worst and I started to compare my Tracys from LVR and NM.com to the one I got from eBay and my conclusion sickened me. Although the eBay Tracy is beautiful, smelled of real leather, came packaged with the care card, sleeper bag and has all the right elements of a real Tracy, further inspection confirmed my fears that it was a fake.

I have to mention though that the fake bag I got is a VERY GOOD copy compared to some that are now in circulation on eBay. The replicator took pains to copy the small details and because of this I really felt bad that I was duped.

Anyway, I am sharing the following photos with you in the hopes that none of you will be conned as I was in my search for the bag I was desperate to find.

So what happened to this bag? Well, I figured it was going to be a long shot to try and get my money back through Paypal since I made the GRAVE mistake of leaving the seller a positive feedback that made references to the authenticity of the bag so I decided to contact the seller and hoped to appeal to her compassion and have her take the bag back. I wrote her to say that I had found out the bag was fake after I had left her feedback and would like to return it as the bag was not as described (she did say in the auction it was authentic). I even went to the extent of saying that I was willing to have her deduct all her eBay and Paypal fees for relisting the bag just so she'd give me the time of day but who was I kidding? It has been three weeks now and I have not heard a peep from her, she has not left me any feedback and yet she is still selling fake Chloés, Vivienne Westwood and other fake designer bags.

For now I have not made a decision what to do with the bag. It just serves as a reminder to me to always do my homework before making these kinds of purchases to save me from all this hassle.

And now, for the photos:



with flash



no flash

[eucalyptic]

More pics:



Notice the size difference with the fake and the authentic.



Rear photo. I have to mention that SOME medium size 2 front pocket Tracys have rear zipper pockets. I've seen it in Turquoise and the Noissette from Chloé Bahrain and North Web mall in Japan.

[eucalyptic]

[macbagger]

I am so bummed for you that this happened, especially for a bag that you really had been searching for high and low. Your Tracy bags are really lovely (even the evil Fake looks good) -- I hope you get lots of enjoyment out of them, and I think it's really nice of you to share the details so that maybe someone else down the line can avoid getting lured with a good copy.

[eucalyptic]

And lastly:












I hope this helps! To the mods, I wasn't sure if I should post this thread in General Discussion or the Reference section. Feel free to move it where it is most suited!

[chicky]

Thanks for all your effort, Eucalyptic - i reckon this thread would be great in the Chloe Reference section - it's certainly very useful in helping potential buyers to determine the real deal from the fakie bakie.

Nice job!

[nycmom]

oh i'm so sorry. it was very kind of you to post the photos and information. i am keeping my fingers crossed that your dream tracy will find its way to you soon!

[eucalyptic]

nycmom, I actually found it already! :) I posted it in my Tracy family thread.

chicky and macbagger, I hope it helps other people. interestingly enough, despite the fakie, I enjoyed creating this post. for once I don't feel like I'm just showing my collection but actually sharing something that might be useful.

[leanbeanee]

Thanks for posting eucalyptic!

There definitely is a lot of differences that isn't instantly obvious unless you have the real thing to compare it with. The authentic tracy is more structured than the fake, which is totally different to the paddy - I think that's where most of us paddy devotees would have been fooled. This should definitely be in the reference thread!

[green_eggs]

It is actually scary how good the fakes are now.

[lordguinny]

Wow. This thread is super helpful. I agree with Chicky that this thread should be moved to the Reference Section.

[susieserb]

Eucolyptic,

Your fake is a "worthy one" (measurable quality) and should get you some money on eBay. As a good Do-Be you advertise it as a Chloe inspired bag and try to get half of what you paid?

I love your pictures and comparisons. Quite frankly if it was in the reference section I would have NEVER read it. I'm glad you posted it here. What an eye opening education, wow.

[chodessa]

So informative.....
Scary how similar they are and only the finest of details reveal the truth!!

[pquiles]

Eucalyptic,

Sorry about what happened to you. I appreciate your efforts to encourage the rest of us to do our homework so that we won't be duped too. I purchased my Tracy from NM but believe you me, I'm still going to look at it closely using your photos as reference.

[pokus14]

Wow - this is really scary. I can see why you got fooled in the first place!

So sorry this happened to you.

Hanne