Why this forum is so quiet - a year later

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#2
I was thinking of doing a custom order with them but I took too long to decide what I wanted and now they don't even do it anymore. :sad:

I also feel like they're really overpriced, on the website they're almost a thousand dollars yet all the ones on ebay/bonanza are like $200.
 
#3
thenoob said:
I was thinking of doing a custom order with them but I took too long to decide what I wanted and now they don't even do it anymore. :sad:

I also feel like they're really overpriced, on the website they're almost a thousand dollars yet all the ones on ebay/bonanza are like $200.
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I'm sorry you did not have the option to bespoke your very own bag..

My take on why the second hand price is not higher is simply because this is not a well-known brand...as well as the overall economy.I have /had lots of different brands, but I always go back to my BEs simply because of the durablity.
 
#4
melissatrv said:
Rather than revive a 400 day old thread http://forum.purseblog.com/belen-echandia/thoughts-on-why-the-forum-so-quiet-now-712651.html

I honestly think the forum is even quieter than it was then. Any thoughts on this? Are people just not into BE? Has the novelty of the TPF worn off? Think the end of BEC may be a factor?
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I think we need to see some new bags as well as the fact that the bespoke bags no longer is an option :sad:..we need something to show..LOL..

I still have my BEs, but tend to hold on to them in case they are the last I can have!:cool:
 
#5
I also notice that not many are for sale on ebay or bonanza. On bonanza the same bags have been there forever. I know that used to generate a lot of buzz the "new to me bags". So I wonder if people are holding on to them like you are or just using other channels to sell

bonniekir said:
I think we need to see some new bags as well as the fact that the bespoke bags no longer is an option :sad:..we need something to show..LOL..

I still have my BEs, but tend to hold on to them in case they are the last I can have!:cool:
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#6
OMG I was exactly like you. Hemmed and hawed so long about doing another BEC. I was lucky I saw the email it was being discontinued and jumped on it. You are right they were expensive so I was hoping I could find something gently used. But I just was not seeing anything close to the bags I wanted on ebay or bonanza. I figured the only way to get what I wanted was via BEC.

I hope they find a way to bring this back. Another downside to that of course is that very few places carried BE bags so you could not see a style IRL. For example if I saw an actual Love Me Midi but not in my color I could know if the style or size worked and then order a BEC. I always thought they needed to show the bags on a mannequin of a woman of 5'6" so we could gauge the size. Of course the models in the lovely photos were probably 6'0 so not an accurate assessment :smile1:

thenoob said:
I was thinking of doing a custom order with them but I took too long to decide what I wanted and now they don't even do it anymore. :sad:

I also feel like they're really overpriced, on the website they're almost a thousand dollars yet all the ones on ebay/bonanza are like $200.
Click to expand...
 
#7
I too am fascinated by why the BE forum is so quiet. BE the company seems to be quiet. I don't see any movement on the website -- new blog posts, etc. No info about new styles.
 
#8
This forum has been quiet for a long time, before they discontinued BEC although that didn't help.

I can't understand why they dropped a lot of the leathers that made them popular (mattes, sheens etc). It almost felt like they were trying to force chevre at one point which does not suit everyone's lifestyle or pocket even if you can do instalments. They don't seem to do the colours they used to either.

Also, they seem to have lost their originality and now if totes are in fashion, they have totes. If satchels are in fashion, they do satchels. That's just my opinion of course but what I loved about BE when I first discovered them was that they made great bags in gorgeous leather for a good price and didn't concern themselves with logos/motifs/fashion trends etc.

I think only being an internet retailer does sometimes hurt them. You have one person who gets a style in a particular leather and raves about it but then someone else buys the same thing and the leather batch is not as good and they complain. If they had a store, customers could look at the stock (like the Bal girls do) and find the bags that have the distressing and colour saturation that they want. Without that, it can be a pretty expensive mistake and with low resale on the auction sites, I guess it puts a lot of people off.

I love the BE bags I have and like Bonnie, I'm holding on to what I have until there is some clarity about the direction BE is going in.
 
#9
I think there are a number of factors at play here. I do miss our conversations and I loved how innovative and interesting many of BE's designs were-and the leathers were second to none!

The fact that BE remained a lesser-known brand has certainly hurt them, I think,because people need to be familiar with a brand to spend that kind of money on a bag, even if it is made in Italy. I also think that not being able to see the bags easily in person played a role. And if something had to be returned, there was a substantial return shipping expense.

That said, I'm sad that the brand hasn't received more attention. I love the bags I own and enjoy them immensely. A few that i have--my LT midis and Barcelonas--are extremely special and I will carry them indefinitely. I always keep my eye out for bags on Bonanza and eBay but I noticed that there aren't that many anymore. I think that people will hold on to their favorite styles and think twice about selling them.

I think BE will remain a cult favorite of sorts--I miss the fabulous matte leathers and seeing the new styles Maybe some new things will come up in the fall. I do think that not having many things introduced over the last year makes it difficult to keep discussions and buzz going. People need to be excited about what's coming, what's new, what's on the designer's mind--if we had a regular stream of those communications, I think more people would be here and interested.
 
#10
I agree Tejas, with all of the above. Maybe Jackie's priorities have changed? Maybe she's deeply in babyland. Who knows. All I know is that I love the BE's that I own. My overnighter and weekender, my tan pebbled chevre Stroke Me, my purple pebbled Hold Me, my vermillion chevre Madrid, my black crash Clutch Me, my navy snakeprint London Tote. These are lifelong keepers.
 
#11
Yes it seems like the same old stock on the site. Yet they always have this "sample sale" items. They should include these on the site because they always have so many neutral bags now it totes galore. Wonder if there is a revitalization plan or they will be folding soon. The used to have so many nice pinks and purples and vivid colors.
 
#12
I definitely miss the older leathers....and the group bespokes...it was SO much fun when a group of us was waiting on our bags to be made and shipped....granted, my pocketbook does NOT miss that part so much!

I definitely am holding on to the bags I love, but I do wish BEC was an option, if the older leathers would be back like matte leathers...I for one dream of a yummy TMA midi in matte leather!:girlsigh:
 
#13
I have kind of a sad observation. BE has always made some wonderful bags, along with other mid tier indie designers, such as Kooba, Botkier, to name just a few. Over the past couple of years, ALL of these brands look like they have suffered a massive slowdown. Large brands have figured it all out. For many years, the bigger brands were sort of "sleeping"...They had their customers, their press and their security. When the "indie designers" came in and started to shake up the world of handbags..the sleeping giants took notice...and realized they could have the whole share of the handbag market. They have the money, the name, the resources and the marketing budgets...sad to say that it looks like it will be a cycle...nothing stays the same...and all of these little guys will make a comeback, or new kids on the block will come onto the scene...but when? That my dear friends, is a good question, right?
 
#14
What BE needs is a celebrity to carry some of their bags. Someone with mass appeal...though I can't stand her Kim Kardashian for example or one of the real housewives of East Tabongi. Someone who would be photographed to death carrying it. I know designers give away their bags to celebs for that purpose. I wonder if they tried that. Or that celeb, who probably has a huge twitter following could tweet it. Even if they had to pay the celeb in addition to the free bag it would probably be worth it. Look what Pippa Middleton has done for Modalu. Or provide bags for use on other TV shows like Dallas or even the soaps. I imagine there is a process to doing so but I think once you get that buy in it just takes off from there.
 
#15
melissatrv said:
What BE needs is a celebrity to carry some of their bags. Someone with mass appeal...though I can't stand her Kim Kardashian for example or one of the real housewives of East Tabongi. Someone who would be photographed to death carrying it. I know designers give away their bags to celebs for that purpose. I wonder if they tried that. Or that celeb, who probably has a huge twitter following could tweet it. Even if they had to pay the celeb in addition to the free bag it would probably be worth it. Look what Pippa Middleton has done for Modalu. Or provide bags for use on other TV shows like Dallas or even the soaps. I imagine there is a process to doing so but I think once you get that buy in it just takes off from there.
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Melissa,

I think that you're correct in that celebrity endorsement does help sell some bags, and BE has actually had several celebrities carry their bags, but I believe they are mostly more popular in Europe. They also have an impressive archive of their bags being featured in popular magazines. The trick is to get to the really A list celebrities, it takes A LOT OF MONEY. And there is no guarantee it will pay off. It's like throwing seven figures at Hollywood and then catching lightning in a bottle.

BE simply doesn't have that kind of budget as they have been clear that they are a small house and are driven by providing living wage luxury items. Unfortunately, like many other industries (organic foods, handmade textiles, etc), only a small percentage of people both care enough about the origin of manufacture and also have the money to pay more for it.

I love what they have attempted to do, but I also realize that they are a small fish in a very big pond with some highly monied brands. I don't think even having Angelina Jolie photographed with a BE bag on her arm can overcome that.
 
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