Authenticate This Kooba

[helpl!!! slush]

i would email the seller of the 3rd one and ask if they can show you the zipper from a side view and the stamped area

if the zipper is on point then i would say that one for sure :)


*****but i dunno about the other 2 lexie will tell you when she comes on here!!!

[faydra]

I have emailed all three sellers and each said they would send me pictures tonight but I haven't received any yet.

[Lexie2000]

Faydra, The 2nd and 3rd ones are good. No problems there. The 1st one I wouldn't even bother with. If you can't get to 45 feedback without Negs, it's a shame. Plus the pics are awful, the bag looks worn, and you can't see the side view of the zipper. I'd deal with the other two and get a new bag.

[Rosenpetals]

Babygirl's Ada is still bugging me, then Lexie posted that website on the fake thread and it hit me that the tags look the same. Flat, hole in the middle, Could it be? I can't get a good look at the zipper pulls on the fake website, but it could be that the counterfeiters are getting wise to that method of detection.
The pics of the Ada are eerily similar:

http://kooba.en.ecplaza.net/8.asp

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...3D50%26fvi%3D1

[Lexie2000]

I agree Rose. After seeing those good fakes, it's amost like you have to have the bag in hand to tell and if you've never been around Koobas, you may think your bag is real. That whole BabyGirl Auction seems off. I hope she got back to the seller. That tag was too weird.

[iluvmybags]

**WARNING** A little lengthy - I apologize in advance!

hi Ladies. I'm back & I hope you will help me make a final decision. I posted earlier this week about an older style Sienna bag that I won on ebay (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...2381&rd=1&rd=1)

I know that there's been a lot of back & forth about whether or not this bag is authentic or not. The majority seem to think it is authentic (including ChristiD who maintains a Kooba page on ebay), if for no other reason than these older bags w/fabric lining just weren't faked as much, and certainly not as well, as today's counterfeit styles are.

I spoke with the seller, who has been very kind during my whole "dilemma." She had originally told me that this had been a Xmas gift from her husband, but that she had bought herself another one, and decided to sell this one on ebay. I questioned which Xmas becuz if this bag is authentic, it is an older style that couldn't have been bought brand new for at least 2 yrs now. I spoke w/her again yesterday and she says that she spoke to her husband a little bit more about this - this is what she told me happened: Her husband admitted to her (embarrassed) that he bought the bag on ebay & gave it to her for Xmas. In the meantime, she had already bought herself a new one (w/suede lining). She kept both bags for a while (it was a gift from her husband after all), but decided that she really wanted the one w/suede lining & decided to sell this one on ebay. As she told me this, I genuinely believe her & it doesn't seem like she's making it up (she almost seemed too embarrassed to tell me all this even though I told her it really helps). She swears that the bag is authentic, and that's it's almost exactly like her other one, but if I'm really not happy w/it, she will take it back and give me back my money.

The thing is, if the bag is authentic, I really want to keep it. I don't want to return an authentic bag becuz I'm paranoid, but I also don't want to keep (and potentially carry) a fake bag.

Here's what I know for sure and why I'm leaning towards authentic: One of the original colors of Sienna bags was Luggage (it was the original color I wanted) - this is the color of the bag according to the hang tag and the Kitson sticker inside the pocket, Kooba was embossed on the end of the bag (now replaced w/a metal plate) as it is on this bag, the original bags were lined with brown fabric w/Kooba's original signature lining just like this bag, the zipper pull inside is leather, consistent w/earlier bags. There is also a Made in China tag inside the bag (which I missed upon initial inspection) - it is a folded tag along the seam near the bottom of the bag w/a greenish-yellowish print. Inside the pocket is a white square with a 4-digit code, similar to what you'd find inside a new bag (an inspection code?). I also see that the snap is correctly stamped with the numbers/letters that are commonly found on Kooba/Sienna bags.

The two things that "bother" me about this bag are (1) the leather. I've been told (by some) that the leather on this bag looks correct - it's distressed and has some "scuffing" consistent with authentic bags. I also find that the ends of the handles curl up, also consistent w/authentic bags. It's just that the leather didn't WOW! me when I first opened it, and it doesn't have that "yummy" new leather smell. Granted, if the bag is 2 yrs old, that could explain that - as well as where the bag may have been stored. There's nothing wrong with it, it just isn't as great as I imagined it to be after hearing so many raves about it. Could be that the earlier bags weren't as nice as today's bags - opposite of what I initially believed (I thought as is true w/many designers, the earlier bags would be some of the best, setting off the popularity).

The other thing that bothers me is the inner zipper. I know these older bags had leather zipper pulls, but I am surprised at the lack of quality of the actual zipper. it's just a simple gold ring, very thin, with no print (brand) printed anywhere. If the bag is authentic, I'm just surprised that they would use such an inexpensive zipper on a $500+ bag.

That's it really - everything else is spot on perfect, which is why I tend to think it could be authentic. The fake bags weren't so mirror-image in the beginning, and if this is fake, it would have had to been made at least 2 yrs ago (why would anyone make a fake bag nowadays w/fabric lining???). I can't find anything else "wrong" with this bag. The stitching is even & nearly perfect, the lining sewn properly, nothing looks like it is poorly done (as early fakes appeared), and the bag is a good weight on my shoulder, and doesn't feel "cheap." Again, it just didn't WOW! me and it could just be that my expectations were higher considering all the raves I've heard about Kooba bags.

I promise I won't bug any of you again about this bag, if you would so kindly take in consideration all that I've said, and give me your honest opinions. As I said earlier, I don't return an authentic bag - it wouldn't be fair to the seller, and I really would like to use this bag, it's just that IF the bag is a fake, I definitely DON'T want to me caught wearing and/or using it - even if no one else could tell!

here are some pics that might help (I'm sorry, but I cannot get a better pic of the zipper. I must have taken at least 20 of them, and this is the best that can get)

[KoobaLover]

Thanks for the update luvmybags... Does your camera have a macro setting? It's the little icon that looks like a flower, and it will allow you to focus close-up and get a better pic of the zipper.

[iluvmybags]

Originally Posted by KoobaLover

Thanks for the update luvmybags... Does your camera have a macro setting? It's the little icon that looks like a flower, and it will allow you to focus close-up and get a better pic of the zipper.

No it doesn't - maybe I'll try taking it outside to get a better pic, but I can't do it right now.

here are a couple more I took - maybe these are better?

[iluvmybags]

Oh yea - I forgot..I mentioned earlier that I thought that the leather on the handles had a sort of "cracked" appearance & the lacings were harder than the leather on the rest of the bag. ChristiD (from ebay) told me this: And the "cracked" appearance in the straps is actually something to look for in a real one!!

The other thing I notice (which I really like) is that the braided tassels on the ends are extremely soft. Almost like a raw leather feel to them. They definitely feel different that the lacings and the leather on the body. I really like how the braided tassels feel!

[Lexie2000]

This bag remains in my Iffy catagory. The leather zipper pull and nylon zipper looks correct for older bags but the Kooba tag attched by white string is wrong, and I am not 100% positive with the fact that the Sienna had an embossed Logo. You seemed to say you knew this for a fact but had you ever seen the very first Siennas? I thought by the time the Sienna came out metal plates were used in and out. Can you verify how you know this is true? Have you seen one of the first Siennas and it was an embossed Logo? This would be interesting to know. I just know that if I had that bag in hand I could tell but by you never having had a Kooba it would be hard. Sometimes in the Triple A fakes you aren't going to be able to tell unless you have the bag in and and have experience with Koobas.
Sorry...my hesitancy with this bag still stands.

[iluvmybags]

Originally Posted by Lexie2000

I am not 100% positive with the fact that the Sienna had an embossed Logo.

Yes - I know absolutely that the very first Sienna's were embossed on the ends. When I first learned of Sienna bags, I was in love with the Luggage color. I remember all the details - the brown fabric lining, the embossed name, the hook & eye clip across the top, the lacings on the strap. I started looking for one, but found Luggage sold out everywhere. This was because the new season (f/w 2005) bags were coming out, the colors had changed and they were now lined w/suede (or suede-like material) and had a metal plate on the outside that said Kooba. I didn't like that feature so much (I'm not a big fan of "advertising" on the outside of bags, which is why I'm not a fan of LV). So yea, I distinctly remember the embossed Sienna.

In fact, right before I bought this bag - this bag was listed on ebay http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...0%3D%26fvi%3D1
I dont remember the Sienna having a white signature lining - the brown I remember (I really liked the brown) & the white I've seen in other bags but never a Sienna. The other thing that threw me about that bag was the plain zipper inside the bag (no leather pull - just a plain white pull). This was when I first contacted christiD (on ebay).

She agreed w/me about the zipper inside the white lined bag - but she also said that she knew that Kooba bags were not so highly faked back when fabric linings were used. I believe the same thing, which is why I'm tending to lean towards authentic.

I'm not worried about the embossing - I'm more concerned about the leather & the inner zipper. Everything else, as far as I can tell, screams authentic.

[iluvmybags]

Oh yea, I found this interesting...considering that this bag has got a Kitson sticker inside w/the color Luggage
http://bagcrazy.blogspot.com/2005/05...ba-sienna.html

check out the date - - 5/12/2005

[faydra]

Alright ladies after reading several posts I have decided not to get the Ada due to the weight issue. I am now looking at the Jillian. Here is the one I am looking to purchase let me know what you think about it -please.

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-KOOBA-Bourbon-JILLIAN-Leather-Handbag-Tote-595_W0QQitemZ200103722254QQihZ010QQcategoryZ63852Q QssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Also, anyones likes/dislikes about the Jillian would be greatly appreciated?
Thanks

[KoobaLover]

Faydra, it looks good to me. I don't own a Jillian, but it is certainly a beautiful bag. Good luck!

[white flowers]

Hi ladies! Could you authenticate this Kooba Paige? I haven't seen many Koobas so I have no clue whether or not it's a fake... Thanks sooo much!