What is Fashionphile smoking?

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#76
Lvbabydoll said:
Geez...I wonder how they price things? This isn't even a rare item...
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We use a company called "Terapeak" to set our prices. (If you've never used it before, and buy and sell on eBay- check it out!) We use Terapeak to search the last 90 days of eBay auctions for a particular bag. We then set the "Buy it Now" price at around the best we've seen that bag sell for in the last 90 days, considering the age and condition.

While the Buy it Now is set at or about the Terapeak price, the reserve is always much less.

We wouldn't make it very long in the consignment business if we set our Buy it Now prices for less than other people were getting on similar pieces on eBay.

The bag posted above actually ended selling on eBay for $700 (retail). Our reserve was less... the BIN was higher. We basically sell our things for what we find to be the market price for that item- what people are willing to pay, based on their needs/wants and our clear pictures and accurate descriptions. (They may choose to buy from us because the item isn't available on eLux, there's no boutique in their area, they have bad credit, or want to use lay-away, they are part of our Bag Buy Back program or they know we honor a 100% return policy, etc.)

The reserve on many of our items is can be as much as 1/4 of the retail price... there are relative "bargains" to be had (just ask any of the LV resellers who buy from us :) )

Sarah
 
#77
jenniletv said:
I do think they are a legit reseller but they do overcharge. I purchased a black epi petit noe that they described as in great condition but when I got it was in much worse condition than described. I paid almost $600 for that bag and it really would not have gone for much more than $400 or even less.
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Jenniletv and princess_eab please email me at [email protected]. If you got a bag that is in worse condition than we described, we want to know about it and make it right.

Sarah
 
#78
fashionphile said:
Jenniletv and princess_eab please email me at [email protected]. If you got a bag that is in worse condition than we described, we want to know about it and make it right.

Sarah
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Sarah, thank you-- my bag was actually in great condition and I love it. :tup: I'm happy with it-- just noticed though that because fashionphile is so popular, I ended up paying more than I should have for this model. That is not the seller's fault!

Thanks for your offer, though!
 
#80
Not trying to seem like a brown noser here as I don't know the folks at Fashionphile and am unable to comment regarding these concerns from experience. However I am very impressed at these posts from Sarah.

To see your ebay id (and business name) splashed across TPF in a negative light has to be very difficult. I think the responses were very professional and non confrontational. Very Classy! :tup:
 
#82
BagAngel said:
I wouldn't take that bag for free!

Just saw on this thread that Fashionphile has sold a fake
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I just want to clarify before I even begin this explanation- that we have never sold a fake. Meaning (and I'm about to get into a really detailed explanation below) that we did make a couple obviously serious listing errors, that we quickly addressed. These bags were immediately removed from the market. No one has ever received a fake bag from FASHIONPHILE.

We are a much larger operation than we were in 1999, when I started selling as a one woman shop. So, let me explain in detail what happened with each of the items referenced above:

The first was a Fendi bag that we listed right when we first started accepting non-LV consignment. We had had the bag authenticated by an "expert" on Fendi. (We have been bringing in authenticators for all of our non-LV branded bags.) Within hours of it going up, we got emails saying that it looked wrong. We contacted eBay. We did not accept payment for nor did we ship the bag. We no longer use that authenticator. But more importantly, we re-adjusted our authentication system as a result and now require two authenticators to sign off on every bag we list. (In fact, we now have quite a few experts from here at TPF reviewing many of the non-LV brands that we sell.)

The other was a Louis Vuitton MC Speedy. We have an "Inventory Control Card" that is assigned to each item that comes into our office with a space where it has to be signed off on by an authenticator. This was a consignment bag that somehow made it through to photography (where it then gets listed) without having the IC card signed by an authenticator. Again, within hours- tons of emails came in. I took a look at the auction, and was horrified- (it wasn't even a tricky fake) and pulled it down immediately. Again, we dealt with the consignor on this bag- and did not sell it to anyone.

I know that there is no excuse for this... that it was sloppy and preventable, etc. All I can tell you is that we addressed it, learned from it and changed our policy to prevent it from ever happening again.

We have resolved this issue by having only an authenticator create the IC card in the first place. If an item has no card- it can't be pictured or listed, because it doesn't have the IC number (a number that stays with the bag through it's life here at FASHIONPHILE and is how we name it, pay consignees, keep track of it, etc.).

All I can add to this is that we offer a 100% plus shipping both ways guarantee on authenticity. We aren't trying to hide anything here... we take unique pictures of everything that is important for us for authentication- and post those for everyone to see.

We've sold over 8,000 authentic Louis Vuitton and other luxury handbags and accessories since I started doing this. We are hoping to continue to grow at the pace that we have in the past, and we are taking the necessary precautions to ensure that only authentic items are ever listed on our website or eBay. If there is anything else that you'd suggest- we're open to establishing even greater safeguards to protect our buyers and our reputation.

Sarah
 
#83
karman said:
I find that fashionphile always describes a bag as in better condition than it actually is. Plus, their stuff is usually overpriced too.
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We do take many, very clear pictures of each item that we list. We also include a written description, clarifying or elaborating on the pictures.

Again, if you get the bag and it isn't what we said it was... we offer a 100% refund. If we made a mistake in the listing, we'll refund plus shipping.

The fact is, we really do want to create a comfortable, safe, enjoyable and maybe even exciting experience for our buyers. If you buy from us, and we didn't describe the item well, or if we omitted obvious flaws- then you will not buy from us again, let alone, tell all her friends and family (and fellow PFers :smile1: ) about the fabulous new bag you got from FASHIONPHILE.

Not only are we decent people, and buyers too (who know how lousy it feels to get scammed)... but it makes much better (business) sense for us- to make you happy. You'll come back, maybe let us sell that bag if you ever get tired of it, and tell your friends etc.

If we've missed something in one of our listings, please let us know. We'll make it right. This isn't something new... it has always been our policy.

Sarah
 
#84
Tefhel said:
...their shipping rates are absolutely crazy - $75 for economy to Europe! :wtf: I could send MYSELF to them for less money.
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We actually lose money on shipping. Let's take the Papillon 26 we have listed currently for an example. We only ship FedEx, as the tracking on USPS is not reliable or detailed enough for what we ship. So, we ship FedEx standard. We'll be shipping a 2 pound box that is 10 inches by 10 inches by 12 inches from Beverly Hills, CA 90210 to Cambridge, UK CB8, using our own box and using a self service drop off for the pick-up. We'll value the bag at $400 and check FedEx for yourself... the total is $135.18 http://www.fedex.com/ratefinder/standalone?method=goToResultSummaryPage (I don't know if that link works... but enter the information in the rate calculator- and you'll come up with the same number I did). We'll only charge the buyer $75 (or roughly £37.50 to our British buyer).

We get a nice shipping discount from FedEx, since we ship so much, but still... we aren't making any money off shipping. I really wish we could get quality shipping/tracking for cheaper.

We lost 2 bags via USPS Global Express Mail, and could never track them down. We were insured, but making a claim is a nightmare, and that didn't make our buyers feel any better.

We have several regular international buyers who are fine with the added risk/ time/ lack of tracking with USPS, so we us it, and they get cheaper international mail.

Sarah
 
#85
missbanff said:
So far, I've heard more negatives about Fashionphile than positives; selling fakes, overpricing, items not as described, slow customer service. My question is, why are they still in business? Is it because it's a pretty niche market (authentic LV resellers)? Not being a wise-guy....just looking for opinions?
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:crybaby:This thread is a bit of a downer for us, but if you read around, you'll definitely find other more uplifting information on us. We've sold thousands and thousands of authentic bags to thousands of satisfied buyers... who are not only happy with their experience with us, but refer us to friends and family. All I can say suggest is, try us out :yes: It shouldn't be hard for us to totally exceed your expectations (considering how low they are)! You could be missing a great opportunity for getting a fab bag for below retail. (Sorry- I'm not really soliciting a sale here which I know is against TPF rules, just a lame attempt at being funny while making my point!)

Sarah Davis
 
#86
^^I give you alot of credit for defending yourself in a very non-confrontational way. It would be really easy to come on here and be very defensive. Well done.

ETA: While I have definitely done my research and have heard many different thoughts on you guys, I still peruse your site often and if I saw a bag I really had to have, I'd definitely buy from you and form my own opinion.
 
#87
Ha! Well, Missbanff, we posted at the same time :smile1:

Anyway, thanks all for the chance for me to express our side of the story.

Again, if anyone has any suggestions, problems with a purchase, questions about a listing etc. etc., please send us an email. We'd love to help sort it out.

And thanks for the nice words posted here as well...

Sarah
 
#88
Sarah,

I have never bought from you, but from your posts, you're more than impressive. I am sure you cleared up any concerns and confusion some of these posters may have had. Good luck and much success to you!!!!
 
#89
missbanff said:
^^I give you alot of credit for defending yourself in a very non-confrontational way. It would be really easy to come on here and be very defensive. Well done.

ETA: While I have definitely done my research and have heard many different thoughts on you guys, I still peruse your site often and if I saw a bag I really had to have, I'd definitely buy from you and form my own opinion.
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ITA!

I do peruse your site and auctions often. I've bid a couple of times in the past on Vernis items but always get outbid lol. :p

We on the authentication forum always refer new buyers to your guides as well since they seem to always ask "how do you tell a real bag from a fake bag" and it takes more than a single post to help describe it. Your guides are a great resource!
 
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