Clothes and bag reps - other dealers

[T-MAN]

Over on repgeek, they recommend thehandbagbuzz.com and fabaaa.com for rep bags and diystorm.com amongst others for clothes.

I had a look at diystorm.com and the prices are much much cheaper than Ken's (even when you add shipping at diystorm) and the items seem to be the same and much more variety. Apparently customer service is great according to members on repgeek... So what am I missing? Is the quality the same? Why is Ken so much more expensive. I will order from him if there is a justifiable reason. Have people tried the other places out? Apparently thehandbagbuzz.com is supposed to have gen-like quality.

[KB]

Ok usually I have very little time for bargain hunters because they don't see quality only the dollars.

However since you have posted this openly on the forum I think I should make some observations which, as you did ask, you have missed.

First if you take a look at the first site you will see that they are cheap, way to cheap, in fact at least half the price of any other Chinese seller and thats without me even coming into the picture.

I had a look through their bag sections and I am willing to bet they are all gen pic's, I am also willing to bet the bags you receive will not be anywhere near the same quality.

There is a process many replica makers use call PU, this is basically a synthetic leather, cheap and nasty stuff and thats what you would get from that first site.

Now you say the second site has gen like bags, have you read my reviews?

I noticed the second site has Birkins for over $400 mine are $250 so no contest there.

Now here's the real point you need to think of, I have a customer in Belgium who had a $600 order seized, I have not only reshipped the entire order but paid an extra 60 bucks out of my pocket to try and get it there in a more costly manner, another customer had a $250 Birkin seized in another country and that was reshipped.

I truly doubt you will find a seller with my quality goods cheaper than me but if you do I can guarantee he wont offer the service I do.

Ken

[offshore]

I can guarantee he wont offer the service I do.

Ken

No contest on that one!

O/S

[vootzilla]

I bought a couple things from handbagbuzz and they are all gen-like. A lot better than what ive bought in the past. Good stuffs!

[T-MAN]

Ok usually I have very little time for bargain hunters because they don't see quality only the dollars.

However since you have posted this openly on the forum I think I should make some observations which, as you did ask, you have missed.

First if you take a look at the first site you will see that they are cheap, way to cheap, in fact at least half the price of any other Chinese seller and thats without me even coming into the picture.

I had a look through their bag sections and I am willing to bet they are all gen pic's, I am also willing to bet the bags you receive will not be anywhere near the same quality.

There is a process many replica makers use call PU, this is basically a synthetic leather, cheap and nasty stuff and thats what you would get from that first site.

Now you say the second site has gen like bags, have you read my reviews?

I noticed the second site has Birkins for over $400 mine are $250 so no contest there.

Now here's the real point you need to think of, I have a customer in Belgium who had a $600 order seized, I have not only reshipped the entire order but paid an extra 60 bucks out of my pocket to try and get it there in a more costly manner, another customer had a $250 Birkin seized in another country and that was reshipped.

I truly doubt you will find a seller with my quality goods cheaper than me but if you do I can guarantee he wont offer the service I do.

Ken

Ken,

It's great to see you reply as I am interested in buying several things off you - so please do not take what I am saying here in the wrong way. I know you have great quality and equally great service

However, your reply seems to indicate that discussing other dealers on this forum means we are 'bargain hunters' and thus you have very little time for people like me. This is not really what I would have liked to read. By definition, all your customers are 'bargain hunters' otherwise they/we would have all gone out and bought gens at full price. I said in my first post that I would be willing and would like to deal with you if your prices were justifiable over other dealers of SIMILAR QUALITY. This is a perfectly reasonable topic to discuss on these forums as this is the point of them otherwise we may as well just call it a monopoly and accept it for what it is.

The fact is that some members here on RWG and many many members on repgeek have bought from the 'first website' that you refer to (thehandbagbuzz.com or referred to sometimes as highreplica on repgeek) which you claim their items are not real leather and of poor quality. Do you have proof of this? All the reviews over on repgeek and the post above seem to say otherwise and claim its of the highest quality (with photos indicating they are similar to the ones on their website) http://www.repgeek.com/showthread.php?t=105105 . They also replace free of charge items seized at customs etc (http://www.repgeek.com/showthread.php?t=121487). So please if you are going to make statements about your competition, it should have some substance.

I agree that I probably won't find better customer service than what you provide, although again most members on repgeek are happy with the other three sites I quoted. I probably will order from you (if you have time for me!) and I am not looking for the cheapest quality at the lowest dollar... I will find this in my local rep market which is very poor and I would never consider. I am looking for high quality and then the next natural consideration will be cost and service.

Again please do not take this post in the wrong way. A healthy discussion is always a good thing and is what these forums are set up for and as a moderator, I am sure you already know this and more. I have still a lot to learn and this is why I am asking. I would like to hear from other people as well if they have experiences eitherway.

[KB]

@ T-MAN what I mean by bargain hunters are people who will contact me and say "I see the same items you sell for far less on iOffer" or some other site, but they are not the same and a little research will prove this.

Look up the threads from members who have actually visited Gaungzhou and bought directly from the markets, that first site had prices below what they paid.

You say there are many good reviews, how is that surprising very few people actually know what quality replica goods look like because they have no idea what the genuine items look like.

I often see ladies where I live walking around proudly with a LV/Gucci/Chanel bag under the arms that are quite frankly laughable, but then there are no genuine AD's for LV/Gucci?Chanel etc where I live so they just don't know.

I see vootzilla says he has bought gen like stuff from the handbagbuzz, I don't question their quality are all but they are priced far more than mine and as I have already pointed out a quick read of my reviews will show that mine are considered gen like too.

What everyone needs to remember (and I have mentioned this on RG) that when you buy off your board dealers you have a very large community to make sure they look after you, when you buy off site you're on your own.

Ken

A quick edit; I apologise I was refering to diystorm.com as the el cheapo not handbagbuzz

[Jkay]

I have to agree with Ken on the Birkin .. how can you say HandBagBuzz is cheaper when KB's price is *** hundreds *** less for the same bag? Handbagbuzz has a gorgeous web site, any fool can see that .. so USE it to find what you like then ask Ken for a price on that item. Send him the photo from the web site, even ...

My wife is fairly high up the ladder at the largest insurance company in the world. She carries her orange KB Birkin there proudly, and all the women stare and stare. I am not exaggerating.

As for service .. Ken's factory rep forgot to send the fun paper and plastic "extras" (rain poncho for the purse etc) with the Birkin. When I mentioned it to Ken, he shipped the whole accessories package *** EMS *** (not crap airmail) at his own cost. So please ... wake up and discover who's the top dog in the replica soft goods game.

You'll notice that KB refuses to sell replica Coach goods, even tho they are wildly popular .. why? He hasn't seen one yet that comes up to his standards for quality. What does this tell you.

[T-MAN]

OK.. Please read carefully:

I do NOT want this thread to turn into something that it's not meant to be. This thread is not meant to be an attack or defense of Ken's business. So please let's not go down this route. I will be the FIRST person to say that I am sure that Ken is a stand up guy with great quality products and great service and will be a joy to order from. I will stand by this statement so no 'waking up' is needed.

What I am trying to discuss here is what everyone else is discussing about rep watches. Just as there is Andrew, Josh, Mary, Trevor, and others who will provide similar good service for watches and just as there is Armani, Louis Vuitton, Boss, etc as different quality brands, it should also be acceptable to discuss in a healthy manner good rep clothes/bag dealers without everyone getting so defensive.

thehandbagbuzz.com does have expensive prices which is on the other spectrum of fabaaa and diystorm. However if you order a minimum of any 5 items, you get their 'wholesale' price and this is about half the original price and becomes similar to Ken's prices if not cheaper in some cases. Many over on repgeek say that fabaaa are slightly less in quality than handbagbuzz although others say the opposite on some items. Some even say that Ken and fabaaa use the same supplier. I do not know the accuracy of these statement but it would be interesting to find out and this is the point of this thread. Again this is not an attack. Just like watches we have similar factories (MBW, noobfactory, etc) and different dealers use these same sources so it is not a bad thing to identify which dealers use what sources. I am here to do research on the best quality/best service at best prices and I am surprised to see a discussion like this met so defensively.

What I have learnt already from this discussion is that I may be able to source all the items on the other websites through Ken, which I didn't know about before as I thought he only offered what was in his section. So we are getting good stuff from this discussion. Please let's not turn it to something else.

[FxrAndy]

I would rather put it this way, even if i can get the same product from shop A as shop B but shop B costa a little more but i have always got good service from there and i know the owner then shop B will always get my custom.

I have bought from Ken, it is a loverly suit that gets worn quite a bit and it is now over 3 years old and still as good as the day i got it. That to me is a good product, I dont need a new suit yet but when i do i know where i am getting it from.

[KB]

@ T-MAN not trying to back you into a corner here but all my customers will tell you that I give discounts for bulk orders.

To say the Handbagbuzz gives wholesale prices (a little) lower than mine is hardly fair without asking me what price I would give for 5 bags.

I should also add this is not really a question about my sales alone as all the dealers, not only here but on all the boards, sell replica items other than watches.

At the end of the day it really is a case of do members want the security of buying within our community or do they want to risk the lot to try and save a few dollars.

Ken

[rek001]

Right, let's put it this way - would you rather give your money to some stranger named Sally, or from someone who's been a contributing member of this board for a very long time and is easily accessible?

[ArkoN]

I^m going to make a "testorder" on http://diystorm.com from diffrent brands like Lacoste, Edhardy, A&F, Ralph Lauren and will report the quality :-)

[vootzilla]

I'd say try order some and u'll see... Ive bought LV wallet from fabaaa before and after i got the same wallet from handbagbuzz, i can really see the difference. But thats just me. U gotta try for urself. If ken can also get the same products with the same quality then i assume u'll get his service as a big plus.

[T-MAN]

I^m going to make a "testorder" on http://diystorm.com from diffrent brands like Lacoste, Edhardy, A&F, Ralph Lauren and will report the quality :-)

Great! Now we're talking.. Let's do this the right way round. I look forward to your report on quality and service.. Hope you have lots of pics too!

I'd say try order some and u'll see... Ive bought LV wallet from fabaaa before and after i got the same wallet from handbagbuzz, i can really see the difference. But thats just me. U gotta try for urself. If ken can also get the same products with the same quality then i assume u'll get his service as a big plus.

It looks like I may have to do that and do a test run. Maybe order from all three (handbagbuzz/fabaaa/ken) the same/similar test item and compare. Can you tell us what was the difference you saw vootzilla between the wallets from handbagbuzz and fabaaa. Do you have pics?

[KB]

Guys I have been replying in this thread only because of this quote in the first post...

Why is Ken so much more expensive.

I think I have shown that to be false, if someone has read through this entire thread and is still willing to throw money at diystorm.com then all I can say is more the fool him.

Now I just want to point out that I am not the major replica soft goods seller on these boards, I do have a reputation for being the quality man but my sales are in fact small so except for the above quote I don't see this thread aimed at me at all.

Of the 3 of you (ArkoN, vootzilla and T-MAN) only T-MANs test buy would show any accurate results as he is the only one who says he will compare the other goods against mine.

Then of course there would be the 'return faulty' and 'Seized goods' and 'Incorrect order' tests.

Now I am just going to put my mod cap on for a second...

Every seller on this board must be approved by the Admin team, if you have a seller that you believe will pass our scrutiny (and diystorm.com will not) then ask that seller to submit an application to our Admin.

RWG is not the board to conduct these types of experiments as we are here to try and protect our members.

You say many members on RG buy from diystorm.com, well most of our members populated both boards and they are perfectly capable of making their own decisions, however if transactions go pear shaped we don't want it to happen here.

Ken

[Jkay]

A funny Bergie Birkin story which I only heard for the first time last night .. earlier in the week, my wife was at the annual Christmas luncheon her company provides. When she returned to her table after getting a drink for herself, the V.P. sitting next to her said "Oh it's you, xxxx (my wife's name) .. when I saw the orange Hermes bag (she had left it on the table), I knew someone with excellent taste was sitting next to me."

Now these are men who's wives have jewelers come by the house to let them browse the latest styles .. it's a convincing replica bag.

Oh and please don't mistake my enthusiasm for anger. I'm just cheering you on to make the right choices, not condemning you angrily. So much sub-context is lost in the written word. Enjoy whatever articles you end up buying.

[T-MAN]

@Ken... Thanks for your words and contribution to this thread (as both seller and mod). For the record, I too am a bit sceptical about diystorm. Anyhow I will probably be contacting you over the next couple of days to order from you a test run. I hope and expect to be very satisfied and will report on here objectively and honestly my experience.

[KB]

T-MAN I give you the same undertaking that I give all my customers...I will do my utmost to make a happy customer of you.

Ken

[vootzilla]

Way to go!!

For me, i cant do the comparo coz i sold my fabaaa item long ago. The differences to me are the leather itself and the edge cote being top notch. Also the stitching is very neat on HBZz's. Its LV damier graphite marco wallet.

Pls do the comparison review for us when u get ur items.

[ArkoN]

(diystorm.com)

I made the order and did the payment with WU, they offer "insurance" for 15 % on the prize. I used that option, and we will see how fast they ship. Email contact was fast and good.

[T-MAN]

Thanks ArkoN... I look forward to your review! Just a quick update from my side... Have contacted all three bag/wallet sellers (Ken, handbagbuzz, and fabaaa) Ken has been amazing so far with very quick and patient responses (sometimes instant responses). Trying to source a few items at the moment. I will be ordering from all three as promised within the next two days and will report here my findings in detail. For the record, Sally from the handbagbuzz has been very polite and courteous although not as quick to reply (within usually around 12 hours so far) and I just sent out an email to fabaaa a couple of hours ago and still waiting for a response.

[Prsist]

I would rather put it this way, even if i can get the same product from shop A as shop B but shop B costa a little more but i have always got good service from there and i know the owner then shop B will always get my custom.

I have bought from Ken, it is a loverly suit that gets worn quite a bit and it is now over 3 years old and still as good as the day i got it. That to me is a good product, I dont need a new suit yet but when i do i know where i am getting it from.

Well put, one must factor the known (Ken's quality and service) into the equation. as a longtime member who has looked around and bought and sold (online and locally) rep goods Ken is who i will turn to when my gf sees an overpriced gen LV handbag she says she must have.

[ArkoN]

my package was sent out, I will get it next week and will make a little review with pictures about it.

I own also some original items to compare^^

[ArkoN]

ive got the items one hour ago, and I have holidays, pictures taken, report comes soon :-)

[xelorrolex]

ive got the items one hour ago, and I have holidays, pictures taken, report comes soon :-)

... never saw your pictures !