What D&B bags are still made in the USA?

[KiltyR45]

*I asked this in the Florentine thread before I was able to make my own post. Thought I would start a stand alone because now I can LOL, and also to get more feedback.

For reference, 95% of my collection are vintage D&B bags. The only newer bags of D&B I own are: 2 Florentine satchels, and 1 Florentine wallet.

When I first got my Florentine satchel, I was taken aback that it was made in China. I thought I bought a fake. Anyways, I’ve come to find out that D&B bags are now made in Italy, Mexico, China, Vietnam. And I know the letter on the serial code corresponds to where the bag was made. The serial number in mine starts with J (China).

Some have said straight from the D&B site and/or flagship store are US made. The Florentines that are made in the US, have a different colored leather inside (not the green). Honestly, the information is all conflicting. I’m hoping someone here can clarify this for me. Thanks!

 

[G.Allyn]

If lavenderjunkie sees this question, I think she will know the answers to your questions. She is a wealth of knowledge and very generous about sharing what she knows with people on PF.

 

[lavenderjunkie]

Here is one of my responses from the other thread:

Unless I've seen the bag in person with a Made in USA tag
I haven't seen any promotion of the fact that that particular bag
was Made in USA. The serial # usually starts with the letter B,
I think.

Over time they have done some capsule Made in USA collections....
the small Flo Satchel in Florentine leather, some in Ostrich,
and sometimes the same style fold over satchel style
in some other specialty leathers, like the Samba collection.

But I've never seen the Made in USA designation on ILD in any
item description. And I'm not sure I've seen it on Dooney.com
in the last few years. And it can be confusing, because some
styles, like the small Flo satchel was primarily made out of the
country, but sometimes a few were made here.

In the olden days, the All Weather Leather collection was Made in
the USA. I don't know when they stopped.

There may be styling differences if the same bag is made in both
the USA and out of the country.... like the interior collar or the
back of the tassels. And originally, the bottom of the
small Flo satchel was different on the 2 versions, but that is no
longer true. But I think the best way to tell is the serial #
and any sewn in tags regarding country of origin.

Whenever I had a choice, I always purchased a Made in USA bag.
Sometimes just that fact was justification for me.

 

[lavenderjunkie]

Here is my other related post

I bought a lot of my Florentine Satchels in the Dooney retail boutique (years ago). Most of them were not made in the USA. Very few, all small satchels, never other sizes, were
Made in USA. I always looked for the tag.

A number of years ago there was a line of small Flo satchel styles done in
Samba leather (a soft pebbled leather). They were available at the outlets and
on ILD. They were Made in USA.

There are no rules to tell by style or sales channel.
Only the serial # and country of origin tag are 'proof'.

For the Florentine small satchels, the ones I've seen Made in USA have
a red leather interior collar under the zipper and red leather backing
the tassels. The ones made in other countries have green suede in
these places.

 

[KiltyR45]

Here is a NWT (USA made) Flo satchel on ebay. Note the Made in America hang tag with the other tags.

 

[KiltyR45]

I do see some differences between this and my satchel. In this bag, there is red suede in the tassles, and the inside of this bag is red throughout. My satchel (made in China) has green suede in the tassles, and the green suede around the top of the inside of the bag.

Whenever I had a choice, I always purchased a Made in USA bag.
Sometimes just that fact was justification for me.

Same for me too. I do wonder what the price difference is between these satchels though.

 

[lavenderjunkie]

I do see some differences between this and my satchel. In this bag, there is red suede in the tassles, and the inside of this bag is red throughout. My satchel (made in China) has green suede in the tassles, and the green suede around the top of the inside of the bag.


Same for me too. I do wonder what the price difference is between these satchels though.

In the past, for the same size/style of Florentine small satchel, the list price
was the same for the bags made in USA and those not. If you ordered online from
Dooney/ILD, you often didn't know which you would get. Of course, over time,
the list prices of all the bags has gone up substantially. If the bags are in a unique
style or collection,/leather then there is no way to tell if there is a higher price on the made in USA collection. Between the timing and style differences, we would just be guessing.

And from a marketing standpoint, it might be risky for a brand to put an obvous premium on a made in USA bag. It would imply that the majority of their bags, which are made
in other countries, are somehow not as good. Overall, a very bad business decision.

And over the years, Dooney has taught the customers that having the green suede
under the zipper collar and lining the tassels is something to be desired.... that it's
lux and functional (softens the top so it will smile). Many customers prefer the green
suede to the red leather used on the made in USA bags. Some have even questioned.
whether the red leather is really leather!

As for the resale market.... that is quite a different thing. Sellers could be changing more
for the made in USA bags if they think there is a demand/market for them. Of course,
you have to factor in condition and availability of the color/style to try to assess this.

 

[G.Allyn]

In the past, for the same size/style of Florentine small satchel, the list price
was the same for the bags made in USA and those not. If you ordered online from
Dooney/ILD, you often didn't know which you would get. Of course, over time,
the list prices of all the bags has gone up substantially. If the bags are in a unique
style or collection,/leather then there is no way to tell if there is a higher price on the made in USA collection. Between the timing and style differences, we would just be guessing.

And from a marketing standpoint, it might be risky for a brand to put an obvous premium on a made in USA bag. It would imply that the majority of their bags, which are made
in other countries, are somehow not as good. Overall, a very bad business decision.

And over the years, Dooney has taught the customers that having the green suede
under the zipper collar and lining the tassels is something to be desired.... that it's
lux and functional (softens the top so it will smile). Many customers prefer the green
suede to the red leather used on the made in USA bags. Some have even questioned.
whether the red leather is really leather!

As for the resale market.... that is quite a different thing. Sellers could be changing more
for the made in USA bags if they think there is a demand/market for them. Of course,
you have to factor in condition and availability of the color/style to try to assess this.

I'm kind of pouting right now. I have the same navy florentine satchel as pictured above. Mine has red lining with the green suede by the zipper and the green suede underside on the tassels.
China! Who knew.

Off subject topic. I may be off base but it seems like D&B collectors have a very good eye for details. We get a new bag and can spot a scratch, a flaw in the leather and uneven stitching.
I mentioned selling some items to help pay for the crazy expensive shoes I ordered. Anyway, I sold a Barbour jacket (hybrid style) NWT's $180.00 for $34.00 and this gives me $27.20 for my pocket. I would never sell a flawed item. The buyer claimed it's NAD with a broken zipper. I thought back and forth about selling this never worn item. The photos show an intact zipper and all the tags.
I tried it on 2-3 times before I listed it for sale. Between inspection, photos, measurements and trying it on, it was probably zipped and unzipped at least eight times. It bugs me because I am not a dishonest person. It looks like she jammed the zipper and 1-2 of the teeth did not engage. I hope it is not ruined on return.
On a positive note, all the D&B bags I sold (I have sold out) went to nice, appreciative ladies that all gave me 5 stars.
Let's hear it for the lovely D&B collectors.

 

[lavenderjunkie]

G: reselling items is not easy. Those who claim success must be very lucky or
don't admit how little money they actually got. I think the concept is any
money earned is better than letting an unused item sit around when the
money can be put to a new treasure. I don't think that way. I'd sooner give
the item to someone I know and let them enjoy it if I can't get a decent amount
on a resale.

Don't apologize for being honest. It's the way it should be.
The world would be a far better place if more people were honest and
had ethics.

 

[G.Allyn]

G: reselling items is not easy. Those who claim success must be very lucky or
don't admit how little money they actually got. I think the concept is any
money earned is better than letting an unused item sit around when the
money can be put to a new treasure. I don't think that way. I'd sooner give
the item to someone I know and let them enjoy it if I can't get a decent amount
on a resale.

Don't apologize for being honest. It's the way it should be.
The world would be a far better place if more people were honest and
had ethics.

You are always so very kind. Reselling is not very fun. I can handle stress. I worked in cardiothoracic ICU, ICU and was on the team responding to cardiac and respiratory arrests. Selling does make anxious because some of these dishonest buy ers seem to know all the tricks.
I gave away 75% of what I had and sold the remainder. It does feel better to give it away. Like you stated, if you are not using something, it may be useful to someone else.
I think I'm down to 14 bags. I can hardly believe it. It is a basic collection. I thought buyers would not want a black bag. I listed two black Alto bags thinking I would keep the one that did not sell and they both sold within a half hour of listing.

 

[mushroomNgrass]

I'm kind of pouting right now. I have the same navy florentine satchel as pictured above. Mine has red lining with the green suede by the zipper and the green suede underside on the tassels.
China! Who knew.

Off subject topic. I may be off base but it seems like D&B collectors have a very good eye for details. We get a new bag and can spot a scratch, a flaw in the leather and uneven stitching.
I mentioned selling some items to help pay for the crazy expensive shoes I ordered. Anyway, I sold a Barbour jacket (hybrid style) NWT's $180.00 for $34.00 and this gives me $27.20 for my pocket. I would never sell a flawed item. The buyer claimed it's NAD with a broken zipper. I thought back and forth about selling this never worn item. The photos show an intact zipper and all the tags.
I tried it on 2-3 times before I listed it for sale. Between inspection, photos, measurements and trying it on, it was probably zipped and unzipped at least eight times. It bugs me because I am not a dishonest person. It looks like she jammed the zipper and 1-2 of the teeth did not engage. I hope it is not ruined on return.
On a positive note, all the D&B bags I sold (I have sold out) went to nice, appreciative ladies that all gave me 5 stars.
Let's hear it for the lovely D&B collectors.

Ughhhhh. I’m really sorry you had issues with that buyer. My goodness u practically gave that jacket away. It makes me sad that one person can really just darken a sunny day. I hope the item returns in the same condition that you shipped it.
I am always very appreciative when I have purchased my bags. Ive yet to encounter a problem with my dooney poshmark eBay or Mercari finds… Knock on wood. I always leave feedback and let the seller know that I love it and how much I love it. I hope you don’t encounter any more jerks…

 

[KiltyR45]

I may be off base but it seems like D&B collectors have a very good eye for details.

I agree. My very first post here was asking to authenticate a purse that caught my eye - in the sense that something was off about it. And my suspicions were confirmed by the mod that does the authenticating.

The buyer claimed it's NAD with a broken zipper. I thought back and forth about selling this never worn item. The photos show an intact zipper and all the tags.

This sounds like the buyer was trying to scam you. Did you or the buyer initiate return of the item?

*I see that the return is on it's way back to you. How was the buyer about sending it back?

 

[lavenderjunkie]

You are always so very kind. Reselling is not very fun. I can handle stress. I worked in cardiothoracic ICU, ICU and was on the team responding to cardiac and respiratory arrests. Selling does make anxious because some of these dishonest buy ers seem to know all the tricks.
I gave away 75% of what I had and sold the remainder. It does feel better to give it away. Like you stated, if you are not using something, it may be useful to someone else.
I think I'm down to 14 bags. I can hardly believe it. It is a basic collection. I thought buyers would not want a black bag. I listed two black Alto bags thinking I would keep the one that did not sell and they both sold within a half hour of listing.

Alto must have a following! And I'm guessing there aren't a lot out for resale.

 

[KiltyR45]

Ive yet to encounter a problem with my dooney poshmark

That is one website I have not ventured yet, and Mercari. I watch a guy on YT who buys luxury bags, and loves vintage Dooney. He tried to buy a vintage Dooney through Poshmark, and something very shady was going on with the seller. Again, I am not familiar with that platform.

 

[mushroomNgrass]

You look at the pictures, blow them up and really look. If it feels off don’t bother. There are plenty of unicorns just waiting to be caught out there.