Serious buyer’s remorse on Celine bag. Return possible from bag purchased in Europe?

[S0nia]

Here are some photos. I understand uneven stitching in one place is fine. But I see that is multiple places all throughout. And uneven sealing all throughout too.
View attachment 5904229

Wow.
I cannot believe any brand would sell this kind of stitchwork for 3000 euros...

Unfortunately, pretty sure you are stuck with it. Just wear it down to the cord to get your cost per wear.
Then, you may want to assess your real reasons for buying the bag, and maybe explore other brands where the value for money proposition is more in line with your expectations.

 

[lilapot]

I agree with s0nia! And to those saying this is normal for a handmade bag, unfortunately, I have many handmade artisan leather bags with perfect stitching for less than 1k.
I see uneven stitchings on LVs too but my Balenciagas to me are perfect!
I wish you luck in returning it and if they won’t accept, try and resell. Because of the lower price (compared to the US price) you got it for, hopefully you wont lose much (maybe even make some $). 😽🙏💕

 

[lilapot]

Wow.
I cannot believe any brand would sell this kind of stitchwork for 3000 euros...

Unfortunately, pretty sure you are stuck with it. Just wear it down to the cord to get your cost per wear.
Then, you may want to assess your real reasons for buying the bag, and maybe explore other brands where the value for money proposition is more in line with your expectations.

Wow.
I cannot believe any brand would sell this kind of stitchwork for 3000 euros...

Unfortunately, pretty sure you are stuck with it. Just wear it down to the cord to get your cost per wear.
Then, you may want to assess your real reasons for buying the bag, and maybe explore other brands where the value for money proposition is more in line with your expectations.

I laughed out loud because thisis exactly what we are doing with the current house that we bought! Use it to the core as we’re stuck with it but it def is not worth the money we paid for due to horrific workmanship and materials used. And yes, people around tell us that’s the value of the houses in the area so I guess that’s it! 🤷‍♀️

 

[S0nia]

I agree with s0nia! And to those saying this is normal for a handmade bag, unfortunately, I have many handmade artisan leather bags with perfect stitching for less than 1k.
I see uneven stitchings on LVs too but my Balenciagas to me are perfect!
I wish you luck in returning it and if they won’t accept, try and resell. Because of the lower price (compared to the US price) you got it for, hopefully you wont lose much (maybe even make some $). 😽🙏💕

This!
But hey, these artisan bags do not possess brand mystique...

 

[S0nia]

I laughed out loud because thisis exactly what we are doing with the current house that we bought! Use it to the core as we’re stuck with it but it def is not worth the money we paid for due to horrific workmanship and materials used. And yes, people around tell us that’s the value of the houses in the area so I guess that’s it! 🤷‍♀️

Major difference though is that a house is a need, a bag is a want. Normally at least...

 

[Purseloco]

Got a Celine teen canvas triomphe while in Europe and the price got the bag with VAT return is great however I am back in the States and having some serious buyers remorse. I just feeling the craftsmanship is not up to par for a bag that’s 3000 euros. I found inconsistency in stitching and the way the leather is sealed on the side is not even. I tried to go to a store to exchange it while I was still in Europe and the SAs basically intimidated me saying if I want a perfect bag then I shouldn’t buy high-end luxury bags that are handmade. They showed me another bag they had and honestly it looked worst. I ended up just leaving without returning or exchanging.

Now I am back in the states and really felt like I should have return the bag. Am I just being paranoid? Are you folks familiar with returning a Celine bought in another country in the U.S.? At this point, I am kind of just not wanting to exchange for another one anymore

I do not know Celine bags; I have never owned one. But I looked at your post, and the bag is not up to standard for the price we are paying for high-end bags. I see what you are saying about the stitching. The stitching is subpar for what is supposed to be expert craftsmanship, and if we, the consumers, accept such work, we will continue to receive this. I would be persistent about returning the bag even if you must go to corporate. My advice in the future is not to be intimidated by flippant SAs. If you feel the work is not up to standard, stand your groud.

 

[S0nia]

I do not know Celine bags; I have never owned one. But I looked at your post, and the bag is not up to standard for the price we are paying for high-end bags. I see what you are saying about the stitching. The stitching is subpar for what is supposed to be expert craftsmanship, and if we, the consumers, accept such work, we will continue to receive this. I would be persistent about returning the bag even if you must go to corporate. My advice in the future is not to be intimidated by flippant SAs. If you feel the work is not up to standard, stand your groud.

This!

 

[Mushroomcloset]

Got a Celine teen canvas triomphe while in Europe and the price got the bag with VAT return is great however I am back in the States and having some serious buyers remorse. I just feeling the craftsmanship is not up to par for a bag that’s 3000 euros. I found inconsistency in stitching and the way the leather is sealed on the side is not even. I tried to go to a store to exchange it while I was still in Europe and the SAs basically intimidated me saying if I want a perfect bag then I shouldn’t buy high-end luxury bags that are handmade. They showed me another bag they had and honestly it looked worst. I ended up just leaving without returning or exchanging.

Now I am back in the states and really felt like I should have return the bag. Am I just being paranoid? Are you folks familiar with returning a Celine bought in another country in the U.S.? At this point, I am kind of just not wanting to exchange for another one anymore

My exact same experience with the Celine stores in Paris. I wanted a triomphe WoC but all of the ones they have on display and instock had visible marks or streaks on the box leather (after visiting 3 stores). I pointed out the manufacturing issue and the SA told me if you want a perfect bag, go somewhere else... I was so shocked to get such comments because i've been a celine client for a while and I know that with such quality, the price of the bag decreases dramatically in the resale market. Returning items bought instore is also a hassle in Europe. Unless you bring it in the next day and insist to to talk to the managers, they always tried to give you store credits or only accept exchanges (with the same quality issues).
Good luck with your return!

 

[S0nia]

My exact same experience with the Celine stores in Paris. I wanted a triomphe WoC but all of the ones they have on display and instock had visible marks or streaks on the box leather (after visiting 3 stores). I pointed out the manufacturing issue and the SA told me if you want a perfect bag, go somewhere else... I was so shocked to get such comments because i've been a celine client for a while and I know that with such quality, the price of the bag decreases dramatically in the resale market. Returning items bought instore is also a hassle in Europe. Unless you bring it in the next day and insist to to talk to the managers, they always tried to give you store credits or only accept exchanges (with the same quality issues).
Good luck with your return!

To this day I will never understand will the clients of such brands do not heed the advice of those SAs and indeed go somewhere else.
This kind of insolence is scandalous yet people subject themselves to this kind of insulting treatment for no reason... It's not like like there aren't other brands out there... The market is flooded with such bags; box bags, flap bags, WOC, armpit bags... All over the place!

 

[ann23]

I really understand your complains, though I’ve seen worse from LV (stitching, wonky flap) and Chanel (wonky flap). Honestly my much cheaper bags from APC and Tory Burch have neater stitching (because of machine made?).

Please update how you continue with this!

 

[Farkvam]

This is a bit late perhaps for the OP, but I agree that the craftsmanship in the photos is sub-par for the price, handmade or not. I am not an expert, only a fairly new appreciator with a few luxury bags, but the ones I own are all impeccable. Maybe it's because they are mostly vintage, or I just got lucky? I'm not sure. But I don't think I'd want to pay that price for that quality. I also have an artisanal hand-stitched Italian bag that cost less than $500 CAD and it's about that level of workmanship of your photos.

On a side note, after admiring Celine's designs for years I finally had the chance to see their bags in person the other day and I was also a tad disappointed in the quality of the stitching on one or two (certainly not all) of the bags. But it sounds like this is happening quite a bit across the houses. I did notice the wonky flaps on Chanel's display models as well, I guess poor QC is becoming the norm unfortunately.

 

[Ccho1087]

My Celine bag has the exact same uneven stitching. It actually doesn't bother me that much but I do have some complaints about the leather. I wore my bag ONCE for an hour of church service and I baby my bags but I already see something like peeling in the leather strap. It's small but it worries me. I am way out of the return window as I got the purse in November 2023. Should I be bothered? Is there anything Celine can do for me or do I just have to try and forget about it? Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you.

 

[Rui101]

Received my Teen Triomphe today that I ordered online and I have to return it because it has e few marks Now I'm scared to order a replacement because it will probably have marks as well..

 

[lovingmochi]

Wow! So sorry to hear about all your experiences. I got my Classic Triomphe in Canvas back in Sept 2023 and have used it many times and it still looks perfect. No peeling, no uneven stitching.

Definitely a quality control issue, and it's a shame since the bag has only gotten more expensive.

 

[Hyunhyun]

Got a Celine teen canvas triomphe while in Europe and the price got the bag with VAT return is great however I am back in the States and having some serious buyers remorse. I just feeling the craftsmanship is not up to par for a bag that’s 3000 euros. I found inconsistency in stitching and the way the leather is sealed on the side is not even. I tried to go to a store to exchange it while I was still in Europe and the SAs basically intimidated me saying if I want a perfect bag then I shouldn’t buy high-end luxury bags that are handmade. They showed me another bag they had and honestly it looked worst. I ended up just leaving without returning or exchanging.

Now I am back in the states and really felt like I should have return the bag. Am I just being paranoid? Are you folks familiar with returning a Celine bought in another country in the U.S.? At this point, I am kind of just not wanting to exchange for another one anymore

I am experiencing the same issue as you do. I got a Celine Folco mini backpack from Europe last week and today I found some issues with my bag. The leather in the front flap already peels/cracks and some stitchings are loose. I was shock when I found out about it because I did not even use the bag yet. I wouldn’t think I experienced quality issue with Celine. Was the store near you let you exchange or return your bag?