Bought/rehabbed a bag from a Coach exec ... boy do I have a story for you!!!

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Daughter & Tim Gunn
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Aug 21, 2009
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So, I bought and rehabbed a bag, and boy do I have a stoy for you!

First the frustration of the purchase, then the kicker. ----

A few weeks ago, I was looking on ebay for a 2012-Legacy clutch in a certain color. Found one, in excellent condition, bought it, love it, wonderful seller!

In the process, I stumbled across another, poorly listed clutch, in a different color and at a very good price. Pictures did not show the inside, but the outside leather looked good. Pictures showed a missing hangtag (though this was not pointed out or listed in description), but I have a spare silver tag that will look lovely on it. Description said "only worn a couple times" "looks new" "no wear at all". So I figured what the hey, I'll get that bag too.

A week goes by, and there is no tracking info is posted to ebay; no communication from seller; nothing. So I was *just* about to email the seller, when she emails me saying that she had to take a trip out of town, and would send it on a certain day, in another week.

........ Ok, so we wait another week (we're now two weeks past the end of auction and the instant payment that my hubby did). Then the day she says she's going to ship passes, and we wait til the end of the next day as well. Still no tracking info. So I email again, asking if we could at least have the tracking info, or if she could load it into ebay's system. No response. Another day goes by, and suddenly we get an email with the tracking info. Obviously, she forgot to ship on the day she said she would, we reminded her, she did it a couple days later, then quick sent us the info. (And remember, this was over two weeks past the end of auction.)

Bag arrived today. Hangtag missing, but that's ok because I had discerned that fact from the pics. The leather is indeed in wonderful, even perfect condition. The inside, however, was filled with glitter and blusher. And I mean, as if a blush compact had exploded. (No, I did not take pictures. I have enough rehabbing experience that I knew I could get it out without issue, and my overwhelming drive was to pull the lining and wash wash wash!!! You'll just have to take my word for it, but I swear on the Bible, as a Sunday school teacher of tiny children, that it was covered with blush powder.)

Fortunately, 2012 Legacy is lined with a cottony fabric rather than satin. So I pulled the lining, hand-washed it (ahh, the good old rehabbing days), wiped the leather down with a damp towel, and now the lining is drying, inside out, near a light airflow. I'll post pics this evening (I want to use hubby's camera, but have not mastered getting the pics off by myself.) I have not left feedback ... not sure what, even, to say, if I do.


But before I give you the real kicker, let me quickly review:
  • 1) Missing hangtag ... not mentioned in description, had to determine from pics.
  • 2) No communication or shipment for a week.
  • 3) Then I get an email that she won't ship for yet a second week.
  • 4) Then she forgets to ship on that 2-week-point day that she claimed she would, and "apparently" had to be reminded.
  • 5) "Looks like new", "no wear at all", turns out to be filled with blush powder.

And now the kicker --- her username is also her real name, so while I was waiting those two weeks for shipment, I could not resist checking her out. (Hey, if you're going to make me wait so long, don't be surprised if I go wandering. And given that her username *is* her ebay name, it's not like it was a secret.) Easy to find. Name matches, home city matches, even the city she made that trip to, matches.

Turns out, she's a Coach executive. In fact, shout out to Hyacinth, I'd lay down money that this is one of the execs who authorized that 2012 Legacy video of women dragging their handbags through the grass. Oh yes, Hyacinth, I'm entirely serious. I remember how much you enjoyed that. ;)


And what is more, I now have action shots of this bag at a NYC Coach party. Here's one (I'm cutting faces out, but left the copyright since I obviously do not own it.) ...

picture.php


That would be Coach's party at the Danziger Gallery, NYC, to celebrate their "Sartorialist" project. That black clutch on the right? Yeah, that would be the one now drying in my dining room.

I'm really kind of amused by all of this. The leather is wonderful, the inside is now clean, and I'm amused that this clutch danced around the Coach NYC parties.

But I do have to say this ---- after the frustration of having it shipped, seeing the blusher explosion, and discovering who the seller really was .... well, suddenly all the pricing games, the pce/fos games, the outlet games, and yes, even Hyacinth's favorite video of handbags being drug on the ground ... it just all makes a little more sense today.

:lol: :lol:
 
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I wanted to throw that out there because Coach probably reads this forum. I know they used to mark their bags ES for employee sale. Maybe she no longer works there. Then I think they can sell their stuff.
 
I wanted to throw that out there because Coach probably reads this forum. I know they used to mark their bags ES for employee sale. Maybe she no longer works there. Then I think they can sell their stuff.

This one doesn't have a creed on it. I'm not sure where I'd look for an "ES" otherwise. ???

(And if the seller herself is reading ... what can I say ... I'm just too amused by the whole thing. :lol: )
 
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That's certainly an interesting backstory. I guess the whole "handbags dragged through the grass" video was a pretty good indication of how the folks who green-lighted that video treat their own bags since you got a bag full of powder. At least you were able to clean it up.
 
OMG I almost spit out my drink!! That is freakin hilarious. Oh I remember that "bag dragging" video too well and practically screaming at my computer screen like you would a child dragging your bag around. Ay-yi-yi. Glad you were able to do a successful rehab.


To address the sale issue. My company makes an expensive product that I am able to purchase very cheaply. If I were to re-sell at or near retail it would be a significant profit. We are allowed to sell - for example a buy one for a neighbor who then give the money - but only for EXACTLY what I paid. It is grounds for termination to sell for a profit. Totally NOT worth the risk. So maybe Coach has similar policies.
 
OMG I almost spit out my drink!! That is freakin hilarious. Oh I remember that "bag dragging" video too well and practically screaming at my computer screen like you would a child dragging your bag around. Ay-yi-yi. Glad you were able to do a successful rehab.


To address the sale issue. My company makes an expensive product that I am able to purchase very cheaply. If I were to re-sell at or near retail it would be a significant profit. We are allowed to sell - for example a buy one for a neighbor who then give the money - but only for EXACTLY what I paid. It is grounds for termination to sell for a profit. Totally NOT worth the risk. So maybe Coach has similar policies.

Stopping in very briefly ...

The lining is dry, blusher is gone ... like I said, good thing I have rehab practice because that part didn't really scare me. Still a few dots of glitter, but I'll take that as a reminder of this clutch's spin round the dance floor at the posh Coach parties. ;)

Regarding price ... It was originally $158, I got it at $40. It really was in perfect condition, except for the missing hangtag (easily fixed), and the explosion of the blush compact.

Regarding her level in the company ... director of a department (a department that I would certainly think involved videos like that on the website). The sites like linkedin, etc, still list her as there, so if she left during their big house cleaning recently, that info hasn't reached those sites. As of the end of 2012, she was still being featured in "online fashion magazines" for her position in the company.

Oh, and one more little quirk I forgot .... clutch came in a large postal box ... but no wrapping, no packing, nada. As if it was taken out of the closet, dropped directly into the large box, and off it went. :lol:

Don't get me wrong, I do love it. I had recently purchased a black Donegal Legacy clutch on FOS, plus I have a black Legacy Molly, so I already knew how nice the black Legacy leather was. And when I stumbled across it at that price, with leather in excellent condition ... the decision was easy.

Running out again, but will take pics when home and post them here. It really is a nice bag, I love the little gal. :biggrin: It's just that the route to actually receiving it, then the blusher explosion, combined with discovering who the seller actually was ...... like I said,suddenly all the crazy pricing schemes, pce/fos invites, outlet games .... it just all suddenly made sense. :lol:
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