Some FAQs About Ordering from Smart Handbags

A reader, a client and most of all, a dear friend, Marie Hildebrand started to call herself a Smart Smoothie, indicating she is a fan of mine. Then she used this name and created a group to include all my readers and clients in so they can share their personal shopping experiences. Last September, she passed away. Today I renamed this page Smart Smoothies, just in memory of her. May you rest in peace, Marie.

In the meanwhile, I am updating most probably the last post here because this domain name (www.smartfashionspot.com) will be taken back, as I have no interest in paying some $300 just for a blog that I hardly update (for security reasons). Well, don't worry, a real Smart Smoothie knows for sure how to reach me, so...be it.

Here are some Frequently Asked Questions about ordering from Smart Handbags for your references, so you will have some basic understanding before you buy.

Q: Where can I view all your products?
A: You can find them on my Yupoo site: http://smarthandbags.v.yupoo.com/ There are more updates on Facebook, please friend Smart Smith.

Q: Do you take credit card payment?
A: Yes you can pay with credit cards on my Aliexpress store: http://www.aliexpress.com/store/228111

Q: How do I order the products that I find on Yupoo but are not listed on your Aliexpress store?
A: For items not listed on my Aliexpress store, you can order through this link: http://www.aliexpress.com/…/Smart-Ha…/228111_1010394109.html. Please email or message me for a price quotation for whatever you find on Smart Handbags Yupoo site (http://smarthandbags.v.yupoo.com/) that are not listed on my Aliexpress store, and pay through this link. Make sure you specify what you want in order comment, so I will know what to send. Just for the record, I don't own any other shopping site than my Aliexpress store.

Q: Can I get a discount for multiple purchases?
A: You can always get a discount for multiple purchases. The discount starts with 5% for 2 items, 10% for 3 items, 15% for 4 items and you can get a wholesale price (20% discount) for 5 or more items. 

Q: What is your return policy?
A: I don't accept returns unless the item(s) are delivered damaged or mistaken. If you are simply not happy with your purchase because of the color, the size, the shape, or minor inaccuracies to the authentic, I am really sorry but I have to say no.

Q: How does refund work?
A: All refund will come as a store credit. Most online stores are doing the same thing about refund. It's unconditional and non-negotiable.

Q: Do you provide preshipment pics?
A: I do not provide preshipment pics before you make payment. If you ask for preshipment pics, please place the order first. In case you decide to cancel your order after I make all the efforts to get you the pics, no matter what reasons, I will charge a 15% restocking fee.

When you are buying replicas, chances are they are not going to be 100% exact to the authentic, and it's always the case, no matter what quality you get. Based on that understanding, it's always gonna be easier for you to take your purchases lightly. If you are counting stitches, microscoping the engravings, measuring the length by 1mm, etc, it would be a lot easier for you to just buy the authentic, though even the authentic are reported to have unacceptable flaws here and there.

Balenciaga Hardware 101

I have recently done some research on Balenciaga, because this is a long-coveted brand by many handbag lovers. In the meantime, when I decided to take some pics of Balenciaga bags I got, I discovered an eternal truth:

The difference between a professional photographer and an amateur is that a pro always has a team behind to help him with lighting and positioning and taking care of his mess, but an amateur has to do all these things on his own.

Don't you believe that? I have proof here:

OK, go ahead if you want a good laugh. I officially hate photo-shooting, which means I may get mad at you when you are going to ask for preshipment pics. Don't even try!

Enough for the warm-up. I am going to share with you some really important information I obtained from the almighty Internet:

The abbreviations below are some of the common terminologies used by shoppers/boutiques and it'll be really useful to memorize them. People in the fashion forums and blogs also use this a lot. 

 Here are examples with an illustration:

    Flat brass hardware (2000-2002)                                  Pewter classic hardware (2003-2004)

The flat brass hardware was the type of hardware produced in this motorcycle line.

Aged brass hardware (2004)

Also called as RH or regular hardware. This is the only classic hardware that is still produced nowadays. The hardware is made of aged brass which has been oxidized in color, but over time it will wear off and show the true brass color (right picture).

Giant gold hardware and Giant silver hardware (2007)

Also known as GSH or GGH or Giant 21. Bigger than regular hardware and thus make the bag much heavier. In the new Spring/Summer 2012 collection Giant silver and Giant rose gold have been discontinued and replaced with the new "Mini" giant hardware or Giant 12.

Giant gunmetal hardware (2007)

Giant gunmetal hardware was produced only for 2007 limited edition bags. 

Classic covered hardware and Giant covered hardware (Fall/Winter 2008)

The classic covered hardware looks like regular hardware, but with a layer of matching leather over it. Only produced in Fall 2008 and discontinued not long after. Also covered with a layer of matching leather, the Giant covered hardware comes with perforated trim along the bag. It's still in production now.

Giant rose gold hard (2010)

Light pink gold hardware with a vintage look, achieved by darkening the grooves of the thimbles. In the early production, the zippers are not darkened so they are still in light pink gold color. But since Fall/Winter 2012 the zippers are also darkened to get the "aged" look. Now it's replaced by "Mini" giant rose gold hardware.

Classic hardware in nickel and gold (2010)

Produced to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the classic bag. Also used on various other styles such as animal print (right pic).

Giant covered hardware with "Brogues" trim (2011)

This is supposed to be the replacement of Giant covered hardware (right picture) because of its lack of popularity. The giant hardware is smaller in size and the perforations are larger, with a contrasting color underneath.

Mini rose gold and silver giant hardware (2012)

Since Spring/Summer 2012, Balenciaga replaces all its bags from using Giant hardware (Giant 21) to Mini Giant hardware (Giant 12). Rumours are many people complain that the Giant hardware bags are too heavy and this has prompted Balen management to resize the hardware. 

Mini giant hardware comes in two sizes: Slighty larger size for Balenciaga Day, Work, Weekender, and smaller size for Balenciaga Hip, Envelope, Mini Pompon, First, Town City, Velo, Part-time. Some said it's possible that the Giant hardware will be re-introduced as a boutique exclusive.

Giant rose gold V.S. Mini giant rose gold (Work)

Mini giant rose gold V.S.  Giant rose gold (Part-Time)

I hope I am not missing anything. You are welcome to add up in the comments, and I will re-edit the post. PS: Most of the information here is courtesy of the B-bags fanblog LoveBbags and PurseBlog.

Some Catching-up and Buying Tips

You know it's a little bit unfair when Chinese New Year is almost a whole month behind the new year in Gregorian calendar, as all businesses turn out to be suspended during the Chinese Spring Festival. You will see a notice like this "Closed for CNY" almost everywhere. It's like the Earth stops rotating when China is celebrating its most important festival.  Well you don't have to agree on that, coz even I myself do not.

CNY is partly the reason I haven't been updating my blog. I haven't been on Facebook for a while either. My store on Aliexpress was closed too. People could only reach me via email, which once in a while I would check. 

All companies open (back in business) at Feb. 9, however, it's almost the same case every year that most factories have been understaffed. This is the reason when you order a bag, which is out of stock, and you are informed to wait 10 or more days. A lot of seasonal colors have been sold out, and supplies are restricted. The regular permanent colors like black or red are good to go though. I guess what I am saying here is, when you are planning an order, please double or triple check with the sellers about the availability. 

There's some other information that I want to share with you in this post:

About AliExpress:

Some of you are still not familiar with how AliExpress works. It's a funny story that a client placed an order on AliExpress and emailed me the screenshot of this order, but I never received it. Her emails went on and on, and I then discovered that she thought I own AliExpress, and every payment she made on there goes to me. AliExpress, like eBay, is an open platform for Chinese sellers to sell internationally. Everyone with a Chinese IP can register with AliExpress and start selling. There are hundreds of thousands of independent sellers/stores on there.

Paying via AliExpress is safe. AliExpress holds the payment till the buyer confirms delivery of the order. This means when you place an order with AliExpress, the money does not go directly to the seller. Ali will not release the money before you confirm receipt of the goods. In the meantime, the seller has to pay an earnest money for each single order received, and Ali will hold this part for 2 good months. If you are buying from AliExpress, make sure you confirm delivery after you receive your goods. The deal is only closed after you hit the "Confirm Order" button and leave a review/rating on AliExpress.

About Shipping:  

Shipping details are only available on EMS/DHL website in at least 24 hours after the tracking number is updated to AliExpress. Some sellers update the tracking even before the packages are mailed out (to buy them time because Ali has a time limit for shipping), but some will wait till 24 hours later, so when you get the tracking number, you can already track it. Some buyers freak out when there seems to be no updates after they get the tracking number. This is totally unnecessary because, first of all, Ali protects the buyer like I said above; and secondly, it's perfectly normal that EMS doesn't show updates in 3-5 days (in cases even longer). For example, some shipping agents send the packages in Guangzhou, where the warehouse is located, but when there is a mailing rush and Guangzhou customs/airport is stuck with too many parcels, your order may either be transferred via other cities, which takes 1-2 days longer, or wait in line for its flight, which takes even longer, in some cases up to 10-15 days, especially during Christmas. If the parcel stays in China customs for 5-7 days, don't worry, EMS is ensured to clear. However, if the parcel stays in the customs of the destination country for more than 7 days, you should worry. You may either get a fine/ duty to get your packages, or nothing at all. This happens every 5 out of 100 orders according to my own experiences. 

About Quality:

People have been asking about the differences between 1:1 and original quality. You better refer to my previous post: Some ABCs About Replicas.

I would like to add something more:

Usually only leather bags have this kind of grading. 1:1 means comparable leather (made in China), while original leather means imported (almost identical to the real thing), but both are authentic leather to be sure. HOWEVER, all 1:1 quality replicas do not have genuine leather interior/lining, they are most likely leatherette, in some cases, just PU, which technically should only be used for AAA or Super A quality. So to summarize:

AAA: Leatherette outside + PU interior;
1:1: Authentic leather outside + Leatherette interior;
Original: Authentic imported leather inside out

However, this is not 100% absolutely the case, because some factories use original leather + leatherette interior for their so called "original grade", and some use authentic leather + PU lining for their "1:1 grade". What's worse, I even know of some trusted sellers who sell AAA as 1:1 and 1:1 as original. Now you can imagine why there is such a big price difference among replicas when they are just a copy of the authentic. The best way to test if a seller can be trusted is to inspect if the interior of the bag sold is leather or not when he/she claims it to be original quality. 

Too much to be said. I guess I have to shut up myself before somebody else shut me down.