Do you have any trusted, realiable eBay sellers?

[organicgal]

Hi ladies!

I was so excited to receive the Bonnie that I had bought on eBay a couple of days ago - but my excitement soon turned into disappointment when I realized it was fake. How do I know? Easy, because the extremely lightweight metallic material looks, smells, and 'behaves' like plastic!

I had other nice Koobas on my watch list - but after this experience, don't dare to buy from eBay sellers anymore!

Are there any reliable sellers that you could recommend? I would greatly appreciate any leads! :)

[ki b]

I too have been burned with a knock off. I only buy from authorized retailers now.
I had just bought my first kooba from http://www.emmysboutique.com. I got a 10% discount.

[RoyalQueen]

I have a Kooba Bonnie. It's very light patent leather. The plastic coating on the leather does have a slight smell, but I hadn't noticed it before.

[organicgal]

Hi ki b,
Thanks so much for the link, that's a great alternative! No tax, 10% off and free shipping (about $100 savings!) on the bag that I really wanted...which is...the Alex! Which one did you get?

[organicgal]

well, the Bonnie that I received is very cute, but it doesn't smell like leather at all, and the material looks very thin. I wonder if the metallic colors in particular are treated with a plastic coating for water repellence and that's the smell I perceive? Also, are all Koobas handcrafted in China (that's what the label says)?

[Lexie2000]

Originally Posted by organicgal

well, the Bonnie that I received is very cute, but it doesn't smell like leather at all, and the material looks very thin. I wonder if the metallic colors in particular are treated with a plastic coating for water repellence and that's the smell I perceive? Also, are all Koobas handcrafted in China (that's what the label says)?

Organic Gal....not entirely sure you got a fake. Do you know the Kooba leathers well or is this your first? The newer Koobas have thin leathers that seem ....well.....cheap (to me anyway). Nothing like the older rugged leathers. The Metallic bags are thin and do have a very odd smell that smells nothing like leather (but that is usually true for metallics of any brand). And ALL Koobas are made in China.

Can you post the auction for us to see. I wouldn't be too quick to say fake unless you know the brand very well. Unfortunately alot of the new Koobas look fake when compared to their older counterparts.

[RoyalQueen]

Another clue is the distinctive feel of the Kooba metallics. They're extremely soft, almost like foam rubber. It makes them very comfortable to carry. It shouldn't feel like hard or stiff plastic.

[organicgal]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...=STRK:MEWAX:IT

This is my first actually, but several comments from the more experienced ladies in this forum made reference to the 'nice leather smell that lasts for years' and also to the superb quality of the leather. This bag is extremely soft (not the feel of hard plastic at all), but so soft and light that it feels fragile, a little flimsy - I tend to associate quality with durability.

The other thing is that apparently, this bag was bought two years ago and kept in storage, but the metallic color suffered some discoloration (bronze turned silver) in an area right of the knot...again, to me, not a sign of great quality, but maybe is part of a natural patina of the metallic leather.

What I suspect now after reading your responses, is that it might be an authentic one, but not first quality, maybe purchased at an outlet or a floor model. The bag does have the embossed zipper pull that gets thicker at the end, the bronze Kooba plaques inside and outside and the hardware looks fine. Also the grain of the leather is not exactly the same everywhere....so I might have judged too quickly after all.

[Lexie2000]

I'm pretty sure that bag is real. Bonnies weren't widely faked. And the auction states it was a floor model. All of the metallics have been known to wear off. Not just on Kooba but most all bag designs. I had a Bonny in regular leather and it was fragile and very soft. But you have to keep in mind that a metallic bag is in a different league than it's leather counterparts. Quality is not going to be the same and with Koobas quality declining, it's even more of a problem.
It's not that the bag isn't first Quality....this is Koobas quality now. Not what it used to be. When you hear of us talking of the rugged lovely smelling leathers we are talking pre-2007 bags in regular leather.

[organicgal]

Lexie, I asked this question in a new thread, but which pre-2007 styles that have that more rugged leather would you recommend? I am more focused on the quality of the leather than a particular color (although my preference would be a medium brown like cognac)? Thanks so much in advance :)

[Lexie2000]

Organic...I looked through ebay and there is not alot available right now but here are some that are prime examples of past popular bags in good distressed leathers. You won't necessarily find these at bottom dollar since they are the most wanted koobas right now.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Kooba-Brynne-in-...d=p3286.c0.m14

http://cgi.ebay.com/Authentic-Kooba-...d=p3286.c0.m14

http://cgi.ebay.com/Kooba-Jessie-Bla...d=p3286.c0.m14

http://cgi.ebay.com/Kooba-Sienna-Bla...d=p3286.c0.m14

[organicgal]

Thank you Lexie!!!!!! That's exactly the idea!!! Love them all, but probably Brynne would be my favorite.

Other candidates that I had on my list are: Jillian (in bourbon), Talia, Ada (in terrain) and Lucy (in chestnut)

Would eBay be the best place to find those pre-2007 models?

[ejbfelton]

I think it's a shame to bypass Ebay sellers that have a history selling authentic Koobas.

There are several of us who work hard to list authentic bags at fair prices. Any questions about authenticity should be brought here for comments by those who know authenticity points and clues to authentic Koobas.

We work hard for our seller reputation and certainly do our best to help Ebay remove counterfeit sellers. I would never write off all sellers due to a few bad apples. There is lots of help available here when you have a question about a Kooba bag. It's free too!

[Lexie2000]

Originally Posted by organicgal

Thank you Lexie!!!!!! That's exactly the idea!!! Love them all, but probably Brynne would be my favorite. Other candidates that I had on my list are: Jillian (in bourbon), Talia, Ada (in terrain) and Lucy (in chestnut) Would eBay be the best place to find those pre-2007 models?

All those you mentioned are good specimens too. I would say ebay is about the oly place to find these bags now. Maybe Bonanzle too.

[ki b]

I bought the "Chase", my next bag will be "Alex" it is sooooo awsome! It will be part of my fall shopping spree!