Great find at Goodwill? Or just a cute purse?

[hrh_disney_queen]

I found this bag at Goodwill a few weeks ago and was looking for some opinions about the authenticity of it. It is red leather (I think), about 9"long by 4" diameter of the ends. It is very cute. It says ColeHaan on one end and on the inside. I have tried to take pictures, but they didn't turn out great. It is brand new whatever it is! The interior is a blue satin fabric. I wouldn't think it was authentic, but for the price tag (actually half a tag) that is attached to it that describes the bag! It is a ColeHaan tag (on the back is the logo) and on the front it says, "OLIVIA II:ROLL:BAG:RED. There is half the bar colde on the tg, too. Pretty much describes the bag. It is very well made, and ColeHaan is a great company with quality merchandise. There is a small tag inside that says, "Made In China", and no tag indicating the make-up of the bag-vinyl vs. leather.

I am not naiive, and I know there are many ways to copy handbags. I never saw a copy with a price tag on it. Just wondered what everyone thought?

Please - let's not start any arguments about the morals of knockoff bags. I just thought it might be fun to speculate.

Anyway, it's a really cute bag...oh yes, it was $.99 and in perfect condition.

 

[Mad4Mickey]

Sometimes you can buy them with tags on them out of the country . I have seen them on Scuba trips like that. The made made in China tag is the give away . It would be made in Italy if it were real , but shoot for that price you more then got your moneys worth

 

[NeverlandClub23]

I would agree that it's probably not real because of the "Made in China" tag. But it's a super cute purse!!

 

[pilesoflaundry]

It's a fake from what I know. It's cute though!

The china ones are very close and I've seen a lot of fakes at the flea market with tags.

 

[Handbag Lady]

Let's see:

Feel the leather. Leather on a designer bag has a very particular feel. It should be soft, smooth and supple. When you bend it the leather shouldn't crinkle. If the leather has a plastic-like feel or is hard, then it probably isn't Cole Haan.

Step 2 Check the credentials. If the bag doesn't come with a Cole Haan authenticity card, take a pass on it.

Step 3 Check for the Cole Haan signature-engraved charm on the bottom of the strap.

Step 4 Cole Haan bags cost around $300 to $12,000. If you are purchasing a new one for a deeply discounted price, such as $25, you are more than likely getting a fake.

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The above is from: http://www.ehow.com/how_4743323_spot-fake-cole-haan-purse.html

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I honestly do not know about Cole Haan personally. But sometimes the "made in China" doesn't mean anything. Sometimes high-end bags are made outside of the US and the UK, for example.

I would suggest lookin on Google for other sites that can help you determine authenticity.

 

[Handbag Lady]

Oh, and see if you can do any research on Olivia bags by the same designer.

 

[Handbag Lady]

Aha.

From the Cole Haan website:

Cole Haan luxury products are manufactured in the world's finest factories using the highest level of artisan craftsmanship and superior materials. Many products are handcrafted using time honored techniques. Presently, products are crafted in the United States, Italy, England, Brazil, India, Mexico and India.


So now we have prrof it is a fake. You jsut never know, really. If the tag had said Made in India or Mexico, I'm sure we all would have assumed it was fake, too.

 

[Mad4Mickey]

Aha.

From the Cole Haan website:

Cole Haan luxury products are manufactured in the world's finest factories using the highest level of artisan craftsmanship and superior materials. Many products are handcrafted using time honored techniques. Presently, products are crafted in the United States, Italy, England, Brazil, India, Mexico and India.


So now we have prrof it is a fake. You jsut never know, really. If the tag had said Made in India or Mexico, I'm sure we all would have assumed it was fake, too.

I would never have known this because I just checked all 19 pairs of my Cole Haan shoes and all my purses and wallets and they all say Italy. Even my Dh's shaving bad says Italy . I learn something new everyday on here

 

[hrh_disney_queen]

Well, I pretty much knew it was a fake, but for $.99, it's a cute little bag. I also forgot to mention that there are NO scratches or marks on it, so that probably means it's vinyl. After going through someone's closet and ending up in the back room of Goodwill, it would probably have some kind of mark.

I wasn't sure about the China tag, as now a lot of bags are made there. I have a couple of pairs of ColeHaan shoes, but no handbags. I wasn't aware that they would put a fake price tag on it, too. But I guess I am the kind of person they are looking for!

Thanks for the input y'all. No crushed dreams here, I suspected it was too good to be true. But it's still a cute little purse for a buck.

 

[MomPOM]

Yeah, pretty much any high-end designer doesn't make their stuff in China. It's really hard to tell these days and ultimately, if you like the bag then it doesn't really matter. I've bought the fake Prada in NYC and liked it just fine. Then again, I'm not really the type to go around acting like it's the real thing but still.

 

[3boymthr]

Well, I pretty much knew it was a fake, but for $.99, it's a cute little bag. I also forgot to mention that there are NO scratches or marks on it, so that probably means it's vinyl. After going through someone's closet and ending up in the back room of Goodwill, it would probably have some kind of mark.

I wasn't sure about the China tag, as now a lot of bags are made there. I have a couple of pairs of ColeHaan shoes, but no handbags. I wasn't aware that they would put a fake price tag on it, too. But I guess I am the kind of person they are looking for!

Thanks for the input y'all. No crushed dreams here, I suspected it was too good to be true. But it's still a cute little purse for a buck.

Really, with goodwill, you just never know what will show up there so you did the right thing in asking. I was at Antiques Road Show and the lady behind me had a painting she'd found at the Salvation Army Store - she paid $2 for it - it was worth $2,500

 

[Handbag Lady]

I think it is awesome just to know, either way.

I bought a Kate Spade handbag on eBay way back when, before I knew about asking questions to spot fakes. I spent less than $100 on it but it was used.

Years later, I tried to resell it on eBay and it got pulled since it was a fake. (Yeah, they can sell it to get my money but they wouldn't let me re-sell it! )

So, I've tried to educate myself since then, as much as I can. I also didn't know about Cole Haan bags having the engraved charm. I learned something new in this thread, too.

 

[bumbershoot]

The info from the website said that the items *presently* made are from those countries. Who knows what it might have been before?

I did a search for "cole haan china" and there are two, out of the two I've found, comments on different message boards that, at least, some of the CH shoes are made in China....


From their site's FAQs:

Who are the Cole Haan craftsmen?
Answer
Cole Haan maintains a sophisticated global sourcing network that allows us to achieve the best craftsmanship in the world, from the artisans of Italy to the skilled leather workers of Mexico, Brazil, India and China.


Now I know nothing much about leather bags (as a vegetarian) or high end bags (as someone who typically does NOT like the design of bags that cost more than, oh, $15), but it doesn't seem cut and dry if this is "real" or not.

It is, however, really cute (which for my taste adds credence to the "fake" factor, LOL).

 

[NYCDiane]

I think it's really cute! And you can't go wrong for the price whether it's real or fake!

 

[plummer925]

Yeah, pretty much any high-end designer doesn't make their stuff in China. It's really hard to tell these days and ultimately, if you like the bag then it doesn't really matter. I've bought the fake Prada in NYC and liked it just fine. Then again, I'm not really the type to go around acting like it's the real thing but still.

Coach has made in china bags, so SOME do make stuff in China.

 

[java]

The stitching makes it appear to be a fake.

But who cares? It's cute! Enjoy it! and for that price wow!

 

[usnuzuloose]

Usually high end bags , the stitching is perfect. I had walked into a Hermes shop , and no never bought one, just love looking at them. I was examining the bag, it was about 6-7 k price. And I noticed the stitching and pointed it out to the sales woman and her jaw dropped and couldn't figure out how it passed the inspection. If you think Hermes is expensive check out Goyard, they are really expensive. I almost fell over looking into that store and there is only 2 shops that I know of.

 

[aprilchem]

If you look on Facebook there should be a Cole Haan bag group. I belong to several Dooney groups and we authenticate purses all the time.

Goodwill is not supposed to sell counterfeit purses - technically they're all supposed to be authenticated before they go on the floor because it's illegal to sell counterfeit goods, although I've pointed out several counterfeit Dooneys at my local Goodwill so I know they don't always check. Don't try to sell it if you decide you don't want it, because technically you could be prosecuted (although it would not be likely). If you decide you don't want to keep it Goodwill should take it back.

 

[cijay]

I work at Goodwill and we just had this meeting, actually.

We're not SUPPOSED to sell them but they said they're not going to go after non-profit and if they do, it'll only be taken away. As long as we're not trying to pass them off as the real thing. They're just too busy concentrating on the people who are trying to pass them off. This goes for knock-off everything. We're charging $8 for a good knock off Hermes bag (one of them actually turned out to be the real deal...lucky lady!) and people are happy with it.

There are a lot of things that they don't go after non-profits for. Technically, you're not supposed to sell things with brand names or promo things (souvenir mugs/t-shirts, even cheap water bottles you get at the gate at football games) - nobody is supposed to sell them, even at yard sales but everyone agrees it's better than putting them in landfills. T-shirts that don't sell go to be turned into drying cloths a car washes, mugs go o the missions,, metal pots that are burned or bent go to metal recycle etc.

 

[supersnoop]

I'm not sure how much advice the OP really needs, since this is a SIX YEAR OLD thread.