I just wanted to share my most recent authentication experience with everyone who reads this thread[emoji173]️ and sing glorious praises about our dear authenticator, Bababebi, who volunteers her time for free to help us (along with a small handful of other wonderful ladies who have also donated their time over the many years).
A few days ago I was looking at a bag online and even though I felt confident that it was authentic, I wanted a professional opinion from someone knowledgeable not only about authenticity, but also up to speed on current market value and price point for a bag that is no longer available from H. (I also thought it would be prudent to seek the opinion of someone neutral who has “no stake in the game”, so to speak because my fellow H gal-pals were chanting in the background “go,go, go!” to pull the trigger; I’m sure they have the best of intentions but sometimes I do wonder if enabling me to dip into my bank account helps relieve them of the temptation to dip into their own!)
I made my first contact with Bababebi through the “contact” link on her website and provided her with the link to the website where the bag was posted. For those who haven’t used a paid authentication service before, let me assure you that there is no charge for making the inquiry.
Within the hour, I received an email response from Babebi in which she confirmed that she had viewed the bag photos from the link I sent her and that the photos provided sufficient details of the bag for her to render an opinion on authenticity. (I really appreciated this step because as I’m sure you can imagine, there are less scrupulous authentication services that will take your money upfront only to tell you after the fact that they are unable to give an opinion on authenticity because the posted photos are insufficient, thereby putting the burden back on you to make contact with the seller to request additional photos with no guarantee that the seller will actually do so.)
After confirming that the available photos contained sufficient details for authentication, Bababebi provided a price list for her different services so I could select the one(s) that were most relevant to me — for example, was I looking for an authentication opinion by email from her versus a certificate of authenticity document? In addition to authentication, was I seeking her opinion on pricing and if so, for the purpose of helping me decide whether purchasing the bag would be a good buy or to help me establish replacement value for an insurance company? Was I seeking her authentication expertise to dispute a purchase already made? And, was I fine with a regular turnaround time for her opinion (which is 24hours from time of payment) or did I need an expedited turnaround (which is within 2 hours from time of payment)?
Everything I could possibly have wanted to know was clearly laid out for me in that initial email (something else I very much appreciated because it eliminated the need for any back-and-forth emails), and the calculation was simple: $70 for an email opinion on the authentication of the leather Kelly plus $25 for her opinion on market pricing so I paid $95 in total via PayPal. (I didn’t need “rush service” so I stuck with the regular turnaround time.)
Not even an hour later, I received Bababebi’s opinion on authenticity and market pricing!
The timeline in which all of this took place is was really quite amazing:
1:12 pm Email response from Bababebi to my initial inquiry using the “contact” link on her website complete with service and pricing details for the Kelly I was thinking about buying
3:12 pm I made a $95 payment to Bababebi via PayPal
3:50 pm I received Bababebi’s opinion on authenticity and market pricing of the Kelly
I really wish I could make my post into a “sticky” on this thread because there are so many times when people come here seeking a free authentication opinion under circumstances that don’t really jive with the spirit and purpose of this thread (for example, private sale, bag already purchased, auction no longer active) or with unrealistic expectations (for example, auction about to end, looking to make a buying decision on the eve of a holiday, request made by a member who has yet to contribute to the forum community). I say all of the above not to criticize or judge but really to highlight the ease and simplicity of using a paid authentication service.
Contrary to what you might think, it is not difficult or complicated, it does not take “too long”, and it isn’t “too expensive”.
I apologize if I am posting this in the wrong thread. [emoji253]
P.S. I say all of the above based on my own experience with Bababebi. I am not affiliated with her business or any authentication company.
