First Balenciaga (Hamilton) Arrived Crumpled - Return?

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serenityneow

serenityneow

O.G.
Mar 31, 2009
1,239
1,663
#1
Hi ladies,

I was so excited about this bag, which I bought on eBay. It is my first Balenciaga and is a Hamilton (goatskin) in Gris Ciment. I do love the leather, color and hardware, however, I am concerned about how crumpled it is. I know that Bal bags are generally soft and squishy, but the pictures I've seen of the Hamilton bags are generally much more structured. The described condition was NWT. The seller took a while to ship it, and used an inefficient method, so I received it about three weeks after I bought it, and it was not packed well. I am a little gun shy here because I had a bad experience with another eBay bag purchase (not a Bal) that arrived very crumpled and never really smoothed out. So, I need your Bal expertise here. Do I have reason to be concerned here, or am I overreacting? How does this bag look to you? And in general, are there places (handbag repair shops or specialists?) one can take crumpled bags for TLC/fixing? I asked my dry cleaner today, but they had no idea. FYI, the other bag I had this issue with was a lambskin Marc Jacobs bag.

TIA!
 

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#2
serenityneow said:
Hi ladies,

I was so excited about this bag, which I bought on eBay. It is my first Balenciaga and is a Hamilton (goatskin) in Gris Ciment. I do love the leather, color and hardware, however, I am concerned about how crumpled it is. I know that Bal bags are generally soft and squishy, but the pictures I've seen of the Hamilton bags are generally much more structured. The described condition was NWT. The seller took a while to ship it, and used an inefficient method, so I received it about three weeks after I bought it, and it was not packed well. I am a little gun shy here because I had a bad experience with another eBay bag purchase (not a Bal) that arrived very crumpled and never really smoothed out. So, I need your Bal expertise here. Do I have reason to be concerned here, or am I overreacting? How does this bag look to you? And in general, are there places (handbag repair shops or specialists?) one can take crumpled bags for TLC/fixing? I asked my dry cleaner today, but they had no idea. FYI, the other bag I had this issue with was a lambskin Marc Jacobs bag.

TIA!
Click to expand...

nice bag, great choice, what I do with my bags is to stuff them tightly with bath towels, not too much that you will push the shape out though. I find this works with my bags and this is how I store them also, to keep the shape.
 
#4
Congrats on the bag first off as it is gorgeous.

The other reveal you referenced to looks like the bag has been stuffed for it to be able to sit up like that. I have a Gris Poive in a Velo in the Hamilton Leather and when I took the stuffing out of it when I first received it, it didn't stand up.

Yes the hamilton leather is stiffer than the normal Bal leather, but it's not a structured bag like say what a Celine Mini luggage would be or a Prada Saffiano tote. The leather of the Hamilton is not that stiff and does become softer over time.

I honestly would not have anything to worry about, but that's just my opinion. Overtime with use, I think the crumples will come out as the bag softens. As the seller has listed it as NWT the leather is probably still quite stiff and the poor packaging and handling is showing more because of this.

I would suggest stuffing it when you store it away. All my Bals are stuffed with whatever I can find, like old clothes, big chunky scarves or even old sheets.
 
#5
The bag looks fine to me. Bals are not supposed to be structured bags, they are supposed to be a bit droopy and slouchy. I wouldn't be worried, thru normal wear it will look like this anyway as it gets broken in.
 
#8
Congrats on your Hamilton Gris Poivre; I had the mGSH Part-Time but decided to sell it because the color was a little to light for me.

Anyhow .. don't worry over the 'wrinkles', the bag will get softer & softer over time and I agree with the idea of putting some stuffing inside for a time being. I generally don't store my bags with any stuffing, but I do store each bag with tissue paper (non-acid) between them so that they don't get hardware marks.

Enjoy your bag; the Hamilton leather is super durable .. I think you will really enjoy this bag!
 
#9
sunspark said:
The bag looks fine to me. Bals are not supposed to be structured bags, they are supposed to be a bit droopy and slouchy. I wouldn't be worried, thru normal wear it will look like this anyway as it gets broken in.
Click to expand...

+2. Your bag looks completely fine and normal to me too. Just enjoy it!
 
#12
serenityneow said:
Hi ladies,

I was so excited about this bag, which I bought on eBay. It is my first Balenciaga and is a Hamilton (goatskin) in Gris Ciment. I do love the leather, color and hardware, however, I am concerned about how crumpled it is. I know that Bal bags are generally soft and squishy, but the pictures I've seen of the Hamilton bags are generally much more structured. The described condition was NWT. The seller took a while to ship it, and used an inefficient method, so I received it about three weeks after I bought it, and it was not packed well. I am a little gun shy here because I had a bad experience with another eBay bag purchase (not a Bal) that arrived very crumpled and never really smoothed out. So, I need your Bal expertise here. Do I have reason to be concerned here, or am I overreacting? How does this bag look to you? And in general, are there places (handbag repair shops or specialists?) one can take crumpled bags for TLC/fixing? I asked my dry cleaner today, but they had no idea. FYI, the other bag I had this issue with was a lambskin Marc Jacobs bag.

TIA!
Click to expand...

That bag is gorgeous and looks like most Bals!

When you mentioned inferior packaging do you mean a flat box??? That is how most Bals are shipped - NOT stuffed but lying flat. I would hate for you to ding the sellers stars for something you are not aware of.

If you get a chance please let us know what you mean by inefficient packaging!
 
#13
MAGJES said:
That bag is gorgeous and looks like most Bals!

When you mentioned inferior packaging do you mean a flat box??? That is how most Bals are shipped - NOT stuffed but lying flat. I would hate for you to ding the sellers stars for something you are not aware of.

If you get a chance please let us know what you mean by inefficient packaging!
Click to expand...

Yes please do let us know about this packaging-ITA with Magjes!!!
 
#14
Susan Lee said:
Yes please do let us know about this packaging-ITA with Magjes!!!
Click to expand...

Thanks ladies, you've completely alleviated my concerns, and I've also authenticated the bag in the "authenticate this" forum, so I'm definitely going to keep it, and I'll also give the seller positive feedback. I just didn't know and, like I said, I had another bad experience with a different brand. And FYI, the bag was shipped sort of half-stuffed with tissue paper. I'd guess it was 1/3 to 1/2 full, which seemed very odd to me. So, you say that Bals are normally shipped without any stuffing whatsoever? That is surprising, but now I know. Is that the case even from ******? I bought my YSL from ******, and it came to me stuffed and in perfect shape. I thought of that as perfect packaging, and assumed all bags should be sent the same way. Lesson learned, and thank you, I do love this bag.

Also, FYI, I have stuffed it, and it looks very good. I'll keep her that way until I'm ready to take her out for spring!
 
#15
serenityneow said:
Thanks ladies, you've completely alleviated my concerns, and I've also authenticated the bag in the "authenticate this" forum, so I'm definitely going to keep it, and I'll also give the seller positive feedback. I just didn't know and, like I said, I had another bad experience with a different brand. And FYI, the bag was shipped sort of half-stuffed with tissue paper. I'd guess it was 1/3 to 1/2 full, which seemed very odd to me. So, you say that Bals are normally shipped without any stuffing whatsoever? That is surprising, but now I know. Is that the case even from ******? I bought my YSL from ******, and it came to me stuffed and in perfect shape. I thought of that as perfect packaging, and assumed all bags should be sent the same way. Lesson learned, and thank you, I do love this bag.

Also, FYI, I have stuffed it, and it looks very good. I'll keep her that way until I'm ready to take her out for spring!
Click to expand...

The Chloes I have received from ****** come stuffed but Balenciaga bags do not....even from Bal boutiques and Bal.com. They arrive lying flat with the bottom folded under.
 
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