Christmas Orders - New Deadline November 30, 2010

Due to my own family issues, I have deliberately cut orders that I am taking for XMAS.  If I have not replied to your email or query, I'm not ignoring you.  I'm replying to hundreds of other emails and queries and trying to keep the number manageable.

I am sorry but I am swamped in my REAL LIFE and I don't want people to be disappointed with late deliveries.  Having said that, it was parent teacher interviews last night.  Man, that was fun...not.

Okay, all is good now.  Please, please, please write to me.  I have made amends with most of you.  The BUY TWO GET ONE FREE special has also been extended to December 5, 2010, but the absolute latest deadline for XMAS shopping is November 30, 2010.

I will be answering emails all night long tonight and hope to get through about 200 of them tonight.  Many thanks for everyone's patience.

Happy Shopping...at long last!!

OH MAN...Sorry doesn't even cut it...

Oh man.  You know when I go on and on and on and on (I could do that all day) about how busy I am?  Man, I'm not joking!

It's been an insane September October.  My son has been the most challenging that my kids could ever ever be.  More challenging than I could EVER imagine kids to be.  Something happened to the dear, sweet boy that was one day 7 and well behaved to the next day when he turned 8.  OMG!  It's like he looks for ways to get into trouble.

Needless to say that we've had to undergo some testing to see what the issue could be.  I know.  I know.  I'm with the mass of people that think he's growing, being precocious and just being a kid in general.  I don't look for medical remedies EVER.

But we didn't exactly have a choice.  His school wanted us to do the testing to ensure it was not a learning or behavioral disability of some sorts.  I'm condensing here since this is a blog about BAGS and not my son!!

Having said that, I'M FINALLY BACK.  I'm here to address all your concerns.  I currently have two customers, N in Toronto and C in New York, who are probably going to pee in my cornflakes.  Their bags are horribly delayed and don't worry ladies, I will make it up to you.  Canada Customs hasn't exactly been nice lately.

Having said that, I've noticed an ever increasing trend in Europe.  There were countries that were quite lackadaisical about replicas are now getting tough.

My findings are that Germany and Finland are no longer easy countries to ship to.  If you are buying bags and you live in Germany and Finland, please contact me first.  IF YOU DON'T CONTACT ME AND EITHER YOUR BAGS ARE SEIZED OR YOU GET FINED OR WORSE, BOTH, THEN PLEASE DON'T GET UPSET WITH ME. 

Contrary to popular belief, I do not make the laws in other countries and while this may sound mean (it's really not meant to be), it is YOUR responsibility to find out how your country behaves when confronted with replicas and what they will do.

I have customers in Denmark and Pakistan (C and S) and they contacted their local customs offices to find out what the repercussions would be, fines, duty, etc.  They knew exactly what to expect.  And that is good, smart shopping.

While I'd love to know all the customs information for every single country on Earth (I'm lying - no, I don't want to know), I don't have the time to keep up to date on such matters.   If you are not 100% sure, contact me first BEFORE you order.  It's really that simple. 


Lots of updates to come, including my new helper that will join us.  I can't do this alone anymore.  It's just too big, too time consuming and too much work!  I admit defeat!  I hate doing that.  Graham will be joining us soon however he won't do any advising (Pfftt - he's a totally NOT metrosexual male and has no clue) and he won't be writing updates here.  I'll still do that. 

I still travel to China twice a year and just got back in October.  It was a great trip but man, do I have good news for a lot of you.  Again, more updates to come very shortly.

Can you tell I'm a mountain of hyperactivity right now?  Yeah, thought so!

Happy Shopping!!

Swamped but Surviving

I am swamped with EVERYTHING personal, work and of course BUY TWO GET ONE FREE! specials.  Please be patient.  I will respond, just not my usual 30 second response.  I am just returning from a vacation and I am getting through over 1200 emails. 

I will be in touch.  In the meantime, the BUY TWO GET ONE FREE special is a MAJOR HIT again.  Please take advantage of it soon!

Happy Shopping...slow responses to emails!!

Show On The Road!! Let's Go!

Okay folks, let's get this show on the road!  I've been in and out of the office.  I am swamped in my "regular" life but I have customers to make happy, both male and female.  Here comes a doozy of a sale. 

I have been inundated with questions and orders about THE MOTHER OF ALL CHRISTMAS SALES!  I have mostly confused people.  When you offer that many options, it just confuses the beans out of people!  So here goes the simplest and the best sale of all:

1.  BUY TWO HANDBAGS ON THE AT ANY RETAIL PRICE AND GET THE THIRD BAG FREE.  Yup, it's the buy two get one free special again!!  Hooray.  I know just about EVERY SINGLE one of you have asked me for that dealio again.  Here it is.

The special starts TODAY November 6, 2010 and ends November 20, 2010.  The ABSOLUTE last day to order your bags IN TIME for Christmas delivery has also been extended to NOVEMBER 25, 2010.  

Here are some simple details about the special above:

1.  Buy two handbags for any retail value, get the third bag for free means that if you buy Bag A valued at $260 and Bag B valued at $100 and then choose Bag C valued for $325, you will pay for Bag C and Bag A and get Bag B for free.  I am not sure if people are trying to be smart here or just don't get that you pay for the two most expensive bags and get the least expensive bag for free.  In my frugal ways, I'd buy three bags that were as close in value as that is the best bet.

2.  If you liked the MOTHER OF ALL CHRISTMAS sale better than the BUY TWO GET ONE FREE special, AND YOU UNDERSTOOD THE MOTHER OF ALL CHRISTMAS SALES, then go ahead and take advantage of that sale.  You can find the details of that sale here.

Any questions, ASK!  

Happy Shopping...BUY TWO AWESOME BAGS GET THE THIRD ONE FOR FREE!!

Coats

I'm finally getting around to putting up winter coats today.  Man, there is some ugly shit out there.

Look at this:

I think of myself as an old chick and I wouldn't be caught dead in this.  And yes, because my husband would never stop making fun of me.  He'd have to get off the ground from laughing first and then he'd never stop making fun of me.  Good Lord.  That is UGLY.

And just to make it EVEN UGLIER let's add a tie up back bow.  Yuck.

If you're looking at this and thinking, OMG I love that coat, well, I'm sorry to make fun of it.  I just can't.  *Shaking head*.  Next!

Happy Shopping...for prettier things!

Love!!!

OMG!  Brand new Balenciaga bags.  I love them!!

I don't even care that I'd barely get my wallet in these bags.  I have to get one.  Balenciaga replicas are made SO SO well.  If you have purchased one from me, you know what I'm talking about.  They are FANTASTIC!!

Excellent lambskin leather, durable with amazing hardware! 

You cannot go wrong with a Balenciaga replica bag. 

They are very, very in demand and extremely in style. 

While the look may be a bit dressed down for formal meetings and board gatherings, rest assured that even in those settings you're going to be fine. For that setting however I'd stay away from the obvious hot pinks and lime greens.  Using the neutral tones for business meetings is totally fine and you can match them to any pant or skirt suit. 

The bags are so "IT" right now that you cannot go wrong!  All the bags above are on the website RIGHT NOW!!  $260USD includes shipping and inspection to Canada and the US. 

Happy Shopping!!

The Mother of all Christmas Sales

Okay, so let's get this party started.  I am going to have the MOTHER of all XMAS sales.  You guys, time and time again, have told me that you LOVE, LOVE, love these sales.   Some of you have even told me that you will not buy a thing until I have another sale.

Oh boy.  Big expectations to live up to.

Here is the GRANDDADDY, THE MOTHER, the best sale of the year.  And at my FAVOURITE time of the year:  XMAS!!

This might get complicated, but I'm here to help (for now - until the next emergency).  Don't worry my sales are always extended.  I don't believe in deadlines ;)  It's Christmas time and it's been a rough year economically for most of us.   I want to thank you all for giving me a FANTASTIC year!  And I want to make sure you can pick up some goodies for family and friends this year as well as some awesome bags for yourself!!

So here goes:


BUY ANY TWO BAGS FROM THE SITE, retailing $260usd EACH or more and take your choice of any ONE of the following bonuses:

1.  Get any ONE wallet FREE ; 

OR

2.  Get any 3 (yes, that's right THREE) Burberry cashmere scarves.  FREE!;

OR

3.  Get ONE SILK scarf (the 90x90cm ones - includes Hermes, Gucci, LV, Burberry) FREE;

 

OR

4.  Get 2 (yes, that's right TWO) pairs of ANY sunglasses;

OR

5.  Get ONE pair of ANY Louboutin, Jimmy Choo, Monolo Blahnik, Ferragamo, Salvatore Zanotti, YSL, Chanel, Tory Burch or Gucci shoes FREE;

OR

6.  Get ONE pair of UGG boots FREE;

OR

7.  Get any bracelet AND earrings FREE;

OR

8.  Get 3 (that's right THREE) T shirts FREE;

OR

 9.  Get A THIRD BAG FOR 50% OFF!!!

TAKE YOUR PICK FROM THE SITE!

There aren't too many rules but I do need to go through some things for clarification:

A.  There are NO exchanges or refunds on the FREE / BONUS items.  So if you take the 3 scarves option and order a brown, red and yellow one and later find that you don't really like the yellow one, there are no exchanges and returns.  GIFT IT TO A FRIEND.  She'll love a Burberry cashmere scarf!

B.  You can mix and match any sunglasses  that you want.  You can pick two of the same brands.  It does not matter.  Yes, you can even pick the higher end Tom Ford, Pucci, etc.  Go nuts!

C.  For the shoes, there are some VERY HIGH end brands going on the site this weekend that include Giomarco Lorenzi, Jeffrey Campbell,  Alexander McQueen, Alexander Wang, etc.  These brands are not part of the special.  Even in replica form, these brands are UBER expensive.  The free pair of shoes applies to any one of the following Louboutins, Jimmy Choos, UGGS, Manolo Bhalniks, YSL, and some other brands as well.  I will make a complete list for those who are interested in this option. 

D.  The free silk scarf special is limited to ONE 90x90 silk scarf and you can choose your favourite designer:  Hermes, LV, Gucci, Burberry, Paul Smith, Ferragamo, Loewe, Versace, etc.

E.  The jewelry option is really open.  Let me know what two pieces you're thinking and I'll try to see if it's doable.  The only exception here is that the big chunky Hermes bracelets would be excluded (or you would only get to choose one freebie as opposed to two).  Everything else, including Tiffany jewelry is fair game.  Please note that the jewelry is only silver coated.  It is not real silver.  It can't be at those prices ;)

F.  The 50% off the third bag is pretty straightforward.  BUY TWO BAGS at $260usd EACH and get a third bag for 50% off.  So if you buy one Hermes bag for $325usd and one LV for $200usd, and then want a third bag for $260usd, the LV at $200usd will only cost $100usd!  If I were you, I'd buy all three bags around the same cost.  That way if you buy three bags for $260usd each, you'll get three bags for $260usd plus $260usd plus $130usd or $650usd.  That is the way to get the most bang for your buck!

G.  The two bags you purchase MUST be a MINIMUM of $260usd each, and therefore the total must add up to $520usd.  If you purchase one bag that is $325usd and a second bag at $200usd, then you can have the special and get some bonuses listed above.  If however you purchase one LV Speedy bag for $200usd and one LV Eva clutch for $190usd, THEN YOU CANNOT take advantage of this special. 

H.  The sale starts on October 20th, 2010 and runs until November 20, 2010.  THAT IS ONE MONTH!  Please try to take advantage of this great special.  

 There are more details to add.  My brain is very foggy this morning.  I will have most of the merchandise that is included in this sale up by Wednesday October 20, 2010 when the sale starts.  If however you don't see a certain scarf, or a certain pair of shoes, PLEASE ASK.  I probably have them and just have not had enough time to get them up onto the site!

I love sales!!  But please remember that I am the ONLY person running this ship.  This sale is going to be MASSIVE and it will slow things down a bit in response times.  PLEASE BE PATIENT.  I will get to you and answer all your questions.  PROMISE!

Happy Shopping!!

Christmas Orders DEADLINE NOVEMBER 15, 2010

Folks, I'm not even half joking when I say that last year I was given the hardest time of MY LIFE by one customer because he thought he'd order gifts for his girlfriend on December 18th, 2009 and hope that they'd be delivered FROM CHINA during a busy XMAS SEASON by December 21st so that he could wrap them to give them to her.

At the same time, I had an awesome guy from the UK write to me about how he had lost his job but had promised his daughter he'd get her a Chloe bag.  I had the Chloe bag in my possession and so I sent it via overnight courier (something I NEVER EVER DO for international orders) and he got it in enough time to wrap and give to her.

Going back to the first guy, he was downright scary and called me DAILY as well as sending threatening emails about his shipment.  The funny thing is that I would NEVER EVER promise in time XMAS delivery to anyone ordering on the 18th of December!

To avoid that situation again, and even though I did it last year, I am making it clear to everyone that THE CUT OFF FOR ORDERS TO HAVE THEM DELIVERED IN TIME FOR XMAS IS NOVEMBER 15, 2010. 

If you order after this date, I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR PACKAGE BEING DELIVERED ON TIME.  I will however TRY MY DARNDEST TO TRY TO GET THE PACKAGE TO YOU but I cannot promise you that you will have it.

If you order December 18, 2010 and ask me for XMAS delivery, here's my response in advance:

No joke.

Please get your orders in by November 15, 2010.  I know I have been very delayed over the past 2 or 3 weeks but I will try to reply to everyone today and tomorrow.  Bear with me.  PLEASE.

Happy Shopping!!

I'm back

Yes, I am back.  I have had a VERY ROUGH month.

No, no medical issues (this time).  I have an 8 year old son that, from the get go, was being rambunctious and mouthy in his grade 3 class.  It was out of the blue because prior to this, while a chitty chatty little boy, he's been fine.  This school year, as of September, he's not listening to teachers, he's being lippy, he's not following instructions and he's not doing his homework.

Ahhh parenthood.  Gotta love it.

While I would love nothing more than talk shop and sell bags, I had to, as a diligent parent, address those issues with him.  They are by no means gone and we are working with him to ensure that he ships shapes up because I'm telling you all now, NO KID OF MINE IS GOING TO FAIL GRADE THREE!!

You know, if you're my age or older, I am amazed at how much parenting has changed in the past 25 years.  I am telling you now that if I pulled any of what my son is pulling with us and his teachers, I'd get a good, solid smack to the head and told to smarten up or there would be plenty more (smacks) where that first came from!

Parenting is not like that anymore (although I'd be lying if it didn't cross my mind *looks away and whistles*).  Parenting is a full time job.  It always has been and it's, at times a very, very trying job, but at the same time, somehow it's very rewarding. 

I know things will be okay but at the present time, my uploading bags and talking about Hermes this or LV that was not going to take care of the issue.  I had to address that and there is no doubt in my mind that I will have to take another hiatus and address it again.  I wish it was something as simple as taking 2 or 3 weeks off.  *SNORTS*.

For now we're going to monitor his behaviour, and use a simple reward system to ensure that he understands that treats like Halloween, Christmas are earned, not just assumed.  And they are only earned with good behaviour.  For now that has been working.  For now.  *starts praying in corner*

Okay, my friends, we have a lot of catching up to do.  I have to put up a sale and I have to get you guys your XMAS goodies!!

Let's get to work!

Happy Shopping!!

Kinks

I am ironing out some more kinks with the website but most importantly:

CHINA IS ON HOLIDAYS and just getting back to a swing of things.  Chinese folks are INCREDIBLY hard working and when they have holidays, the entire nation can and does shut down.  I am trying to get bags out and fix the site.  Bear with me as I take a few days to do this.  I will not be taking any new orders until all matters are resolved.  Should be about 3 days.  I will be back with an update later today.

Happy Shopping....in three days!!

Website Back Up...Kinda

Please note that the website is kinda sorta back up.  I am really having a hard time with a new server.  I have not been able to do ANYTHING due to server issues.


I will be now at www.jltrt-shopping.net.  Please update your browsers to reflect the change in web address.  I will be updating the blog shortly.  I am just bogged with work for the site and orders right now.


I will not be taking any new orders for the remainder of September. I cannot keep up!


Happy Shopping..in October, folks.  In October!

Domain Name Down for a Couple of Days

Please note that my website is having major issues.  I am trying to move a domain name.  It's taking forever.


Please visit the site at www.justliketherealthing.webs.com until the issue is resolved.

My apologies for any inconvenience.  

Research

So last week, I was feeling adventuresome and I thought I'd go out online and check out my competitors.  Recently I have had a surge of new wholesalers (people who buy large quantities of my stuff and then resell at house parties, to friends, etc.), and some of them told me they had been scammed, given poor quality items, promised one thing and got another, etc.

One guy called me and told me that he was dealing with a REALLY BIG online site and was told explicitly by their customer service people that the Hermes Crocodile Birkin replica was made with REAL CROCODILE skin.

I know this for a fact because I was on that site back in 2008 and got the exact same information.  I laughed it off at the time (folks, if you and I try to buy crocodile skin to sew our own bag, it costs about $1,000 per metre, if not more).  I was a bit surprised to hear that 2.5 years later, they are still claiming their bags are real crocodile or real ostrich or real snake.  I used the same customer service this past weekend and sure enough, the rep, with great confidence, told me that the bag was indeed made with real exotic skin.  This time, I didn't laugh it off.  I started my barrage of questions.  Asking him how that would be possible and how the bag is only retailing for $365.00usd online when indeed the cost of JUST THE SKIN would be more than that!  After about 5 minutes, his "supervisor" came on to tell me that indeed the bag is not real crocodile but rather embossed cowhide (yeah, no shit). 

A real Hermes Birkin in crocodile skin costs about $40,000 (actually more if it's a limited edition) but let's say $40,000 to keep costs low *smile*.  About 80-90%% of that is the Hermes name and the amazing craftsmanship that goes into making the bag.  The rest is the cost of the HIGH QUALITY skin that they use.  Crocodiles are not cows.  They are not bred the same way.  Their skin has to be a certain number of years old before its even usable for something like a bag and, because it's hard as nails, it needs to be conditioned, tanned and made pliable to be made into a bag.  THERE IS NO WAY A REPLICA FACTORY IN CHINA IS GOING TO USE REAL CROCODILE (or any exotic skin) FOR HANDBAGS.

While this may seem obvious, it's not a time to judge.  I have had about 25 people in the past year write to me to ask me if they purchased a crocodile skin bag from me would it indeed be real crocodile?  They all wrote to me after ordering a bag from some other site  that had convinced them that the bag they would receive would indeed be real exotic skin.

Folks, be careful.  In these tough economic times, and they really are tough, people will sell you the Brooklyn bridge and / or some awesome swamp land in Florida to make a buck.  Please ask questions and please make sure you know the ins and outs of replica items before you buy them.  When in doubt, always ask!

Please note that this post is IN NO WAY putting down the embossed leathers.  This post was written to ensure you understand that no replica item is going to be made with real exotic skins.  I actually don't think many people do a good job with the embossed leathers, BUT, I do wholeheartedly and honestly believe that the Hermes factory does the best job.  Many of you have bought a crocodile skin Birkin from me to write later on that the bag feels very real.  And it does.  I think that factory has done an impeccable job in making cowhide look and feel, as much as possible, to real crocodile skin.

Quick tip for you all.  If you absolutely must have the most REAL looking exotic skin bag.  Like you HAVE TO HAVE EXOTIC SKIN but you need it to look AS REAL AS POSSIBLE, always buy good quality embossed ostrich skin.  Again, I have seen many, many variations but the Hermes factory that I deal with has it spot on.  About 15 years ago, here in Canada, ostrich was supposed to be the new beef.  Everyone was opening up ostrich farms because the meat was supposed to be leaner, healthier and cheaper to harvest.  So around that same times, there was a lot of ostrich skin for sale and a lot of secondary businesses were buying the skins and making neat items out of them.

I remember getting a pair of gloves made of ostrich skin about 12 years ago.  I am not even joking when I say that I still have those gloves and they are used almost every winter.  Ostrich is a very, very good leather (and meat - yum).  My point in that digression is that I know what real ostrich skin looks like (I worked on an ostrich farm to go through university) and as far as replicas go, the ostrich skin seems to be the best replicated.

Long story short?  If you absolutely must have an exotic skin, and it must look as real as possible, buy Hermes ostrich skin bags.  If you absolutely must have a crocodile or alligator look and you need the best that the replica market can offer, buy Hermes products from a reputable reseller.  And lastly, never ever believe anyone that tells you that their bags are made with real exotic skins.  When a person says that to you, they lose all credibility on other counts.  Therefore:  RUN!!

Happy Shopping!!

Alexander McQueen

This past summer, I got some FANTASTIC Alexander McQueen clutches, the Skull Box and the Knuckle box from my factory rep.  He sent them to me and told me that I should enjoy them for myself as these bags are EXPENSIVE!  So, being cheap, I asked him how come McQueen bags were costing so bloody much?  I also went around the internet and found that NONE of the other major replica handbag sites were selling McQueen.  Gee, now I know why.

I thought I would leave Mr. McQueen be since he was way too expensive and, up until recently, I have not had a lot of people asking about the line. 

Lately, and mostly this September, I have been inundated with requests for Alexander McQueen. Folks, I have to tell you that this line is SUPER DUPER expensive.  It's not my doing.  No, I am not greedily counting all the money I make from this line.  I can honestly say that after all is said and done, due to the high price of these handbags, I am lucky if I get lunch money out of it.

I have put the McQueen bags on the site tonight.  They retail for, umm, are you sitting down?  Good.  $325usd and that includes a new home.. Just kidding!  That only includes shipping to Canada and the US.  Everywhere else is gonna be $20.00 extra for shipping.

So are they worth it?  Well, to be honest:  YES!!  If you want a really modern, contemporary and SUPER hip clutch, this is the bag to get.  No doubt.  I am amazed at how well the replica has been put together. 

I went to the US last weekend SPECIFICALLY to find a boutique that sells McQueen merchandise so that I could compare.  Okay, let me rephrase that.  I went the US last weekend SPECIFICALLY to find a boutique that sells McQueen merchandise, WITH VERY FEW SALES REPS, so that I could compare my replica to the real thing!  There.   Happy?

So here's me, taking in a replica bag, to see the McQueen merchandise.  I checked the following things:

1. Weight of the bag;
2. Closing strength of the clasp;
3. Close resemblance to the skull on real to replica;
4. Crystals versus python skin quality;
5. Quality of whole replica versus real.

This is what I found out.  To me, a bag like the Skull Box clutch needs to weigh about the same as the original bag.  A serious weight discrepancy would look and feel "cheap" to me.  The two clutches weighed the same.  I liked that a lot.  That was a big thing for me.

Next was the clasp.  I need to buy a bag that I know won't cheap me out in the clasp down the road.  Nothing is worse than a broken replica and / or a replica bag that won't close properly!  I hate that.  The clasp on the replica was very good.  Tight but not absurd that you need your husband or two girlfriends to open it.  It was normal and it stayed "clasped" even as I have dropped it to the floor to ensure that it can take some bump and grind.

The replica and the real bag look very much alike. I saw no differences from a distance at all.  I usually can spot something but in this case, I saw nothing.  Even the shape and cut out of the skull in the metal looked the same.  I checked that to be sure since I that too would be important to me. 

To me, the Skull and Knuckle Box with the crystals FAR OUTWEIGHED the embossed python.  Again, I have written this many times but if you want to give the impression that you're carrying a genuine bag, then don't buy replica bags with exotic skins.  In any replica, despite what some sites tell you *more on this in next post* all exotic skins are also replicated.  That means they are simply embossed with the pattern of the animal.  Crocodile is "mock croc", alligator is embossed alligator, python and snake and ostrich are simple embossed as well.  No replica on this planet, NONE, uses real exotic skins.  If you want a genuine looking McQueen clutch, go with the one with the crystals.  The real bag does have Swarovski crystals.  The replica I have DOES NOT.  I don't know why other sites lie about this stuff.  I guess they're hoping that either people buy their BS or that they don't question it. 

Alternatively, if you're like me and don't care about what other people think but dig exotic skins (yet have issues with exotic animals dying for my handbags - don't ask.  I'm complicated like this), then an exotic skin bag is fine.  Now, also keep in mind that only a small percentage of people in this world know the difference between embossed leather and real exotic skin.  Not every Tom, Dick and Harry that you meet will even know. 

This is the one I have in real life and used to compare to the genuine McQueen.

Quality of the whole bag versus the replica is VERY GOOD.  I would not hesitate to get the replica McQueen clutch.  In fact I'd prefer it.  The real bag sets you back about $2,000USD.  Yikes.  For a clutch!  For a bag that you're gonna use ONLY for nights out, not everyday!  Yikes.  Double Yikes. 

All Alexander McQueen clutches are on the site now and retail for, well, umm, *looks down and whispers* $325usd.

Happy Shopping!!