Some tips + FAKE BIRKIN ALERT!


I feel abandoned *coz my voice abandoned me hehehe*. I was back in- store today despite not having that voice (which makes it difficult to “work” actually). Anyway, I went back to work today for good reason. My partner and I were meeting our shop girls– one of whom was severely affected by the flood– her house in Rizal is still partly submerged in water (waist- deep).

She told us what had happened, and was very frustrated that no representative from the local government was present in her area to help. (Who is tasked from the local government to help anyway? Sorry but I honestly don’t know, so someone please enlighten me) Sad enough, this was a sentiment echoed by one of the other people who works for us, whose aunt’s house was likewise flooded with water, leaving little in acceptable condition. I have also gotten numerous comments (which I cannot publish here because there are names mentioned) from frustrated readers about how “help hasn’t trickled down to those who are in need of it.” These are the very words that came from flood victims in those areas, so there is definitely truth in what they say. I am hoping someone from the government can read this and do something about it. Why wasn’t there enough equipment to handle such a catastrophe? 🙁

So here are some suggestions to those who want to help flood victims whom they personally know, as we had done this for our girl, Margie.

1. Give them plastic bins (we got ours at True Value for Php 280– I’m sure if you have time to look, you can get them cheaper?) so when they go back to the flooded areas, they need not worry about soiling the relief goods you give them.

2. If you have used plastic bags (not new please), it might be a good idea to give it to them because they will be needing them to sort their things (whatever is left that can be salvaged)

3. Give them plenty snack foods like those individually packed crackers, sliced bread, or cupcakes (that have long shelf life still– make sure they’re nowhere near expiration) since they’re easier to eat (rip plastic off and eat), as opposed to instant noodles whereby you’d still need to boil water *if they can even get clean water easily*, plus what if they still don’t have electricity.

4. As for food, if you are sure to give to them directly, cooked food, especially cooked rice, is ok (as long as it’s to be eaten within a few hours) packed in plastic (no need for those plastic containers as they’re bulky) with a spoon. Also make sure to let them know to dispose of those properly.

5. Give them clothes they can already use immediately. If you have those very “fashionable” pieces of clothing, I’d suggest holding them off and sorting out the more practical ones first instead. The simpler the clothes the better. The more complicated looking pieces and frills can always be given for later, when their conditions improve (fashion will have to take a back seat for the moment).

6. Don’t give everything in one go if you’re giving to individuals you know personally affected by the flood. Best to ask them what they need first, so you can prioritize getting them the essentials. Ask them to regularly update you of the things they need. That way you can buy their necessities in tranches. Better that you give them things on a regular basis than doing it all in one go and just once. At least also you can allow them to clean out their places and make room for the new things.

I said a silent prayer for our girl as she left our shop today to go back to the flood stricken area where her home is. I’m glad that we have communication (there is cellphone signal there), so she can regularly update us. Anyway, after our meeting, I had to do some store work. Plus, I had to authenticate an Hermes birkin from someone who had purchased the bag from a local reseller. (proceeds of authentications will be used to buy more relief goods for Ondoy victims) The bag was already apparently looked at by a bag pawnshop and they had reservations about the authenticity, so the buyer asked to see me. I thought it was to be a routine authentication, but I was about to be shocked out of my seat once again.

From the initial looks of the said birkin in 35cm with black pebbled leather, palladium hardware, it looked authentic. Upon closer inspection, I became very alarmed. There were so many details that were not right. And yet, the details that almost everyone knows about in a birkin (i.e. zipper pull– yes, it has the SAME pull as an authentic one, heat stamp, blindstamp), were all in their proper place.

What made the birkin fake? Again, it was all in the details. The workmanship gave it away. For one, there was glue residue by the back spine of the flap (!!!)– and you will certainly never see Hermes bags with visible clumsily glued areas (they won’t pass quality control).

Even the hardware plate where the central twistlock is located, is off. The hardware was far too similar to the old fake black birkin I had once blogged about.The dustbags on the bag were fake as well, though they could’ve passed as the real thing if you have no point of comparison.

I will refrain from giving out all information about why I believe (150% believe) that this birkin is just a replica of an Hermes birkin because the counterfeiters are getting really good. and are using every information they can get to better their products. Sorry if the photos aren’t that good. Unfortunately I didn’t bring my camera with me today, as I really was not intending to “work” and was just going to the shop to meet with our girl. 🙁 I know what I saw, and I had scrutinized the bag heavily, making triply sure that my margin of error is practically nil. I am not saying I am an expert in Hermes, but I can say that over 8 years of experience looking at Hermes birkins had made me more knowledgeable. And this birkin that I saw, is really fake.

I will tell you now, there is MUCH reason to be alarmed. I have NEVER seen a birkin replicated THIS GOOD. This is really the first time I’ve seen a fake birkin that’s so close to perfect. The buyer paid a solid 6- figures for this bag. *Sigh* There are SO MANY good fakes floating around in the second hand bag market today, and are being sold off as the real thing– and sometimes, the sellers (who act as agents of the main sellers/ suppliers) might not even know about this (as is the case with this particular bag).

I have spoken to both seller and buyer of the said bag, and am willing to meet up with them, together with the “main supplier” of this birkin to identify the exact details that made me believe this is a fake Hermes bag. Because no matter which way you try to justify that its details are the same as those present in a store- bought Hermes bag, it still doesn’t make it authentic. Apparently, the main supplier refuses to accept the validity of the authentication and wants to have the buyer authenticate the birkin from Hermes. Hermes though, does not, and will not on record authenticate any birkins. But I have suggested some alternatives which would yield an answer that would suffice for the main supplier to refund the victim. Hopefully this main supplier will refund. 🙁 Because even if this birkin “looked” real, it’s still worth nowhere near the price the buyer paid for.

So peeps, another lesson is learned today. BUYERS, BEWARE. My end goal here really, more than anything, is to make sure that the people who have wanted to buy an authentic designer bag get exactly that authentic designer bag for the amount of money that they have paid for. This is the very reason why this blog exists now when it comes to bags (before it was just meant to be used as a poll to determine if I was to buy a couch, or a bag hahaha) . This blog has really evolved into an all- around blog of sorts, with the main focus still on designer bags (and then food, and then bling, and then all other things that matter in my life *cough, narcissistic bastaaaaahhhd hahaha* and etc, etc. Call me shallow, but hey, this is still MY blog the last time I checked 😀 And well, I am shallow!).

P.S. Thank you so much, IsabelC, for giving clothes to our shop girls. They are really grateful for the help. God bless!! Special thanks to Mrs.Commi Vic *hehehe* and also to super cool pediatrician Dr. Aye Nuguid— you both are my lifesavers tonight!!!!

P.P.S. Total Fabella fund channeled to Alay ng Puso has now reached Php 130,000 to buy food, milk, diapers, bottled water. (Our original collected amount of Php 668,500 is now sitting at Php 538,500). We have received word that Fabella’s first floor is flooded, and they are in need of relief goods for the hospital’s new moms, nurses, and employees whose families were directly affected by the flood. For those interested to donate in kind (crackers, noodles, bottled water, blankets, towels) please contact me via 0916 7580857 (text please– coz I have no voice!) or Rea 0917 8505766.

x
Mrs.T

No Comments Yet
  1. This would be the perfect time for the “fashion police” to intervene.

    But yes, consumers should get the value of what we pay for— or what we are made to believe we pay for.

  2. I do hope your SA’s are ok. Its rather difficult to get a decent place to stay in these times.

    Sill shocked with the fake Birkin thing btw. another reseller I know has also autheticated a fake one. (a white 30/35 cm Birkin If Im not mistaken.) Last time I went to Greehills. out of curiosity, I saw a stall selling a “7 star” Birkin. Curious me inspected it (I asked them to bring it out. I know shameless me. hehehe) and then went to another reseller (legit. all authentic as the store claims) at Vmall. Visually, IMHO, Both of the bags are super similar. an untrained eye WOULD NOT notice anything different AT ALL. So to anyone who plans to buy one, Be VERY VERY careful.

    God Bless!
    -PBB

  3. Some people really can’t get it can they. I don’t understand why there are still those who spend so much money now for birkins when there are so many victims. Im just saying now’s not the right time to go into a birkin buying spree. Things are not the same last week as they are this week. I think bag buyers should know that.

  4. @ James: Yes, exactly. It’s wrong to mislead people this way.

    @ Anonymous: I’m not publishing your comment because you obviously aren’t decent enough to word your comments in a more appropriate manner.

    Now this– You have to take this in whether you like it or not– THIS is what I had to do yesterday, to authenticate (and yes, it’s called a JOB– and I’m sure you have one too or you wouldn’t have the luxury of going online– so many people out there have no jobs, no houses, no money. So you should be so grateful and stop being so bitter— Gawd, you’re sooooo Negative! *shakes you off*).

    Now, Is it my fault someone brings in a birkin for authentication, for me to check?

    It’s still my responsibility to inform those people out there who may have the extra money one day to spend on a birkin (yes, yes, I agree wrong timing now to buy a birkin), that there are very good FAKES out there. You shouldn’t be so judgmental. If this was YOUR money, you’d know how PAINFUL it is to get gypped. Which is the reason why I am trying to inform people about it now– because there are still MANY people who are interested in buying birkins NOW– yes, even with the flooding scenario. It is sad, it’s wrong timing, but where do you get off telling everyone not to buy this or that if they want to anyway? You have to get off your high horse and realize not everyone thinks the way you think. Even if I think it’s seriously wrong timing, who am I to tell them off? I just subtly suggest that they should help those who are in need, that donations and relief goods are accepted. But I don’t outright bite their heads off because I too, think it’s so not the right time to discuss buying bags. I do that for myself, but not for others.

    So don’t freak out about it. And don’t lambast the person who brought in the bag. She too needed to check her investment. Wrong timing, yes. But it’s HER call, HER money. Now, if you can’t take my topics, then stay out of my blog forever. Don’t act uneducated by using foul language, and don’t be a coward by remaining anonymous.

    God be with you and I hope all your negative energy can be turned into something more productive.

  5. @ M: Just so you know though, this woman who wanted her bag authenticated, has been trying to set this whole thing up since last week– before the flooding. I don’t think you can fault her for wanting to check. It’s an expensive purchase. But yes, you are right. It is not the right time to spend on a very expensive bag right now. But again, bear in mind that we can’t be on our high horse and tell everyone what we think, i.e. “dont buy this, don’t buy that.” it’s not our money. It’s theirs. Don’t forget that. And if they want to donate it, great. If they don’t, there’s absolutely nothing we can do about it. We cannot be too self- righteous and impose all these rules on everyone. It’s not like we’re living in ancient times of master- slave.

  6. I don’t get the negative comments, this is a blog. Its a person’s choice to buy a bag or to help a victim.

    M: You obviously have money to go online, why don’t you give that luxury to the victims, convert it to food.

  7. Horrified at the fake Birkin and hoping the lady and people involved get refunds.

    Re: Your Girls
    Please tell me what I can do to help them, Ingrid. They are such nice ladies and am so sad that they are going through this. Do they need a place to stay for awhile? Please let me know.

  8. hi mrs.T, i’m quite alarmed by this fake birkin. may i know if the reseller is famous? i feel for the victim, i’m sure she didn’t pluck the money from trees.:( -li’l_eloise

  9. @ li’l_eloise: First of all, cute nick 🙂 *I Love Eloise from NY– is she the inspiration behind the nickname?* Second, at this point, info is still hazy as I was informed even the seller had no idea the bag was fake (that’s because it was really a GOOD one). I think it’s her supplier that has a problem. I don’t want to mention names because the seller is trying to do something about it, but I do know this– there are A LOT of resellers now who operate online, and I even get these forwarded text messages from them selling birkins. The thing is, I don’t know authenticity, and I never bother to find out unless they actually ask me to authenticate. It’s just really hard to trust people nowadays. Even your own friends can pull one over you. It has happened. i feel sad too because the money the buyer paid is a LOT, especially for a pre- owned birkin.

    @stella: Won’t publish your comment as you have your personal email account on it to protect you. I can’t divulge name of seller yet, in respect to how she has so far planned to refund money as soon as they can verify authenticity of the bag together with buyer and supplier. Hoping for the best at this point. If you plan in the future to get a birkin, I suggest just waiting for Hermes Makati to open in Nov- December and try your luck there. Birkins in the secondary market and black market are far too expensive.

    @ Aina Luna: Thanks so much for the offer! We have provided monetary donations as well as continued relief goods to our girls and also continue to let them know that they have our unconditional support at this time of need. One of our girls is salvaging whatever she can and is in the process of moving to another place, so she won’t be in-store for a bit until she settles, but we’re taking care of her as well. Hopefully it’s enough– we made sure to let them know not to be “hiya” to come up to us and ask for help. THANK YOU for your concern in asking if they have a place to stay. God bless you, Aina. I am so proud to know you.

  10. @ PBB: that is insane. AND scary! Yes, BUYER BEWARE!!!

    @ Khaz: I won’t mention the seller’s name, hopefully this person irons out the refund policy and give back money to buyer. I think this seller has also been selling birkins for some years now too. My biggest worry is, since this fake one “passed” with the seller as an authentic one, I worry that the other ones she has sold might have authenticity issues. I don’t want to ruin anyone as well, but then I worry about those who had gotten birkins from this person in the past. Major dilemma there.

  11. wow. so much negativity in the comments page lately.

    must we really dip our fingers in other peoples soup?

    we don’t live under a rock. people know what’s going on. if you want to splurge, then by all means, do it! it ends up feeding a family somewhere anyway.

  12. Re: Red tape post – hahahahaha. Thanks, Ingrid. Either way, I just wanted you to know my 2cents. Lol.

    Also, I asked if your girl/s needed a place to stay for a while because she/they can stay here if she/they need to. I know what it’s feels like to be homeless and the only thing you can cling to is a job you love doing. If they don’t mind an airbed in our condo unit’s livingroom, that is. 🙂

  13. ohh the seller is a “she” then. i just hope they iron it out.:( it’s one horror story for a reseller too, get your name dirty like that.

    ..and yes, got my nick from the girl who lives at The Plaza.:D fellow TPFer here.:D

  14. did this buyer or others who have questions about their authenticity get them from a re-seller? wudnt problems of authenticity be circumvented if people just buy straight from a real hermes store? it would stink to spend thousands and thousands of dollars and find out your bag is not authentic.

  15. @ mimi: I agree with you completely.

    @ Aina Luna: THANK YOU SO MUCH for your offer, I’m so grateful and honored to know you.

    @ thedownpayment: Totally agree with you. I think the downside to having sellers as your “Friends” is, you have the tendency to trust them unequivocally and without question. Unfortunately though, not all sellers know what they have in their hands also. Not saying it’s their fault too because as in the most recent case, the fake is SOOO real- looking. So something like this happens.

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