Coach Rehab and Rescue Club

[valv54]

Sooo, it's dry, conditioned, and blackrocked. I found a big ink spot and it's a little splotchy but it looks a little better. It was painted or shoe polished with some thick navy colored stuff. I had to use acetone to get it off which was a mess but here it is.

 

[catthecurious]

I'm in your 'hood, and the most I ever spent was in the 130.00 CA range per bag
I purchased 2 bags - one beautiful, already rehabbed small geometric clutch and one manor that I dunked. The manor was black and in very good shape, but had lots of scuffing. I am happy with both purchases, but realize now that Etsy tends to be priced higher than ebay. It is also better curated, so you are often paying for someone to comb through some of the rougher stock.

The last 'expensive' dunking bag I bought was a Canterbury with lots of pen marks. About 85.00CA. Not so sure that was a wise purchase.

We pay such a premium in our part of the world, I'm thinking that it's worth it to pay an extra 20 or 30 dollars to get a bag in excellent shape. Perhaps it would benefit from a dunk, but doesn't NEED one, you know?

Oh yay! Hello neighbour!! =D

Ooosh, about having to ship and import, you get it. What a pain, but worth it (for the right purchases).

May I ask, $130 CA including shipping? And is that specifically for bags that need to be dunked, or have you spent more if it’s a bag that doesn’t need to be dunked?

About paying a premium, yes, I’ve been thinking the same. Even a $20 bag ends up getting expensive with shipping, taxes, and if it wasn’t made in the US, duty. It kind of doesn’t make sense to take a flyer on something in bad condition if the bag may or may not be improvable. I love the idea of doing that, but I think it ends up not being worthwhile for us. It’s made me quite selective.

Yes, on etsy, a lot of the bags are already beautiful, so you can tell what you’re getting. The rehab process is so fun, yet expensive for us.

I still sort of think of etsy as being for handmade goods, but maybe I’m wrong. (I realize it's for vintage, too.) I wonder how much sellers have fixed up the bags heavily, vs. selling bags in good, original condition. So if down the road, if I wear a bag heavily, I wonder how much I can rehab it, if it’s round two for the bag. Not sure how much I care though, if I’ve gotten a lot of use from the bag.

Is it just me, or are vintage Coach bags a rarity in Canada? Makes me curious about when Coach opened stores or sold through retailers in Canada. (Then again, relatively small population, but still.)

I noticed on many occasions the same bag could be posted on both, eBay and Etsy, with Etsy's price being significantly higher. That makes me wonder - do Etsy sellers expect their customers to be willing to pay more... or just less savvy?

 

[whateve]

I noticed on many occasions the same bag could be posted on both, eBay and Etsy, with Etsy's price being significantly higher. That makes me wonder - do Etsy sellers expect their customers to be willing to pay more... or just less savvy?

Probably. Aren't etsy's fees a lot less than ebay's? It should be cheaper on etsy for that reason. Another reason could be that more people on etsy ask for a discount. When I sell on Mercari, I usually price my items higher because hardly anyone pays the list price. Most buyers there expect sellers to accept an offer.

 

[catthecurious]

Probably. Aren't etsy's fees a lot less than ebay's? It should be cheaper on etsy for that reason. Another reason could be that more people on etsy ask for a discount. When I sell on Mercari, I usually price my items higher because hardly anyone pays the list price. Most buyers there expect sellers to accept an offer.

Yes, Etsy's fees are relatively low, and that's why that price difference looked annoying to me.

 

[Catbird9]

I noticed on many occasions the same bag could be posted on both, eBay and Etsy, with Etsy's price being significantly higher. That makes me wonder - do Etsy sellers expect their customers to be willing to pay more... or just less savvy?

I've noticed the same thing. I don't think it's that Etsy sellers think their buyers are less savvy. It's more that there's a boutique, niche, artsy dynamic on Etsy that attracts a certain audience who seem to be willing to pay more for special, "curated" items. On eBay, people are looking for bargains. Prices tend to be lower because sellers have more competition there.

 

[Lake Effect]

Has anyone ever dunked something like this with the silk stripes inside? Does the lining or the red bleed? It's dirty inside and scratched and dented a little outside. Also is the hardware not real brass? I'm thinking of leaving it tarnished.

Not exactly the same, I have the teal suede haversack with the satin anniversary lining, I ran it through the washer once, no problem. A year later I soaked it for about 10 minutes, ran it through the washer, a small amount of bleeding in one area. I’ll pull it out on Saturday again and look closer.

 

[Lake Effect]

I've noticed the same thing. I don't think it's that Etsy sellers think their buyers are less savvy. It's more that there's a boutique, niche, artsy dynamic on Etsy that attracts a certain audience who seem to be willing to pay more for special, "curated" items. On eBay, people are looking for bargains. Prices tend to be lower because sellers have more competition there.

This is almost exactly how my nephew described Etsy!

 

[Lake Effect]

Yes, Etsy's fees are relatively low, and that's why that price difference looked annoying to me.

That and the fact the fakes there are just as bad and priced higher. There was a fake willis listed for $160 once.

 

[Lake Effect]

View attachment 4433993 View attachment 4433994 View attachment 4433996 Please authenticate, at your convenience. Impulse buy, while I was working, no less!
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Coach-Vintage-Brown-Hobo-Shoulder-Bag-Gently-Used/233223438668?ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649
Seller: joko666
About 10 “ across , 8 “ high, 4 “ deep

Speaking of bargains , meet my latest hot mess . . .

 

[nursebetty]

Speaking of bargains , meet my latest hot mess . . .

She's pretty!

 

[mrk2014]

I've noticed the same thing. I don't think it's that Etsy sellers think their buyers are less savvy. It's more that there's a boutique, niche, artsy dynamic on Etsy that attracts a certain audience who seem to be willing to pay more for special, "curated" items. On eBay, people are looking for bargains. Prices tend to be lower because sellers have more competition there.

I agree with your assessment of Etsy, but I have to say that the fees now are similar to Ebay's fees. They have them broken down, a fee for the sale, a fee for the sale transaction and a fee for the shipping label transaction, then of course the listing fee still only 20 cents, (these are the basic fees).

 

[Ava_13579]

@Ava_13579



I don’t want to overwhelm you with a lot of product info, but I am really happy with a few Saphir recolorant products. While they are more expensive, they are created as leather conditions and recolorants, to enhance the leather. I get the impression cheaper products tend to have more acrylic content, which could have a sealant type effect on the leather.
A couple people here used Saphir products to help out and use on white bags, which I believe you asked about. Just do a search of this thread and Saphir.

Thank you *so* much! I'm going to search for Saphir!

 

[Ava_13579]

Do you like the hangtags? Initially, I thought I'd remove hangtags. Instead, they quickly grew on me, and now I like them a lot. I'd never decorated a bag before, and they are kind of like little decorations to me. It's also fun to hang charms on those loops made for the hangtags. Have fun finding your vintage red beauty! I look forward to seeing it too!

Yup, the hangtags are growing on me, too!
LOL I'm holding back on charms because that's another type of thing to shop for, and collect. I'm weary of going down the rabbit hole too quickly.

 

[Ava_13579]

I think my red courier was on eBay for a very long time, I remember drooling over it last summer if it is in fact the same bag. I was so happy to be able to buy it and it is not lost on me how lucky I am that it is in nearly perfect condition with the exception of an old basement type smell, hence the need for dunking. However I just realized that since I've had the bag for a few months now it doesn't smell as strong and I'm hoping I can get away with only a vinegar wipe and conditioner without having to risk a dunk. I think it's worth it to pay extra for a rare style or color in excellent condition, especially since there are additional costs for your purchases due to your location.

Oh the Coach plans I have for when I win the lottery....!!!!!

My house is really small so I asked my brother in law to build me a specially sized cabinet with glass doors so I can display my Coach collection and he agreed but after an almost imperceptible moment of silence that made me think I better keep a cap on that level of crazy. Who builds custom furniture for their purse collection? We have not discussed it since. But to have a whole room, or even a whole closet, just to display my bags would be amazing!! Some day......

Oh boy, I looove the idea of the glass cabinet.

 

[Ava_13579]

Hey right back!

I have only ever found one vintage Coach bag ( 90's) in 1 1\2 years of thrifting up here. It was in meh shape, and they were asking 60 bucks for it.

The 'expensive' bags I bought from Etsy were anout 130 each, CA, all in ( shipping, duty). The rehabbed bag was clearly sold as a ' rehab and the other bag had not been dunked at all. If in doubt, you can ask the seller what has been done to the bag. I'm not affiliated with either seller, but I can tell you thay I bought the non- rehabbed bag from Magnolia Vintage on Etsy. I had both bags authenticated here befire pulling the trigger. At the time, I felt more comfortable with a seller who had experience selling vintage bags, and who had a good seller rating. That was worth the extra cost to me at the time.

I still think even paying in the 150.00CA for a good bag is worth it. I have honestly yet to find a contemporary, well-made leather bag with close to that quality leather at a comparable price.

About contemporary bags, I totally agree. I was frustrated by the market for bags for a while. I was frustrated by things like scratch-prone hardware, edging that usually didn't match the bag, and design that seemed not very thoughtful or functional. Then, there's vintage Coach, with none of those negatives and so many other positives. I'm curious about what brands, including high-end, have comparable quality with vintage Coach.