Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know you aren’t a Scam?
You have to trust me. That is a hard one, I know, but my bags and myself are real! I am based in Richmond, Virginia and started getting into this from an Aunt of mine who showed me..Well read about me on my ABOUT page! You can count my typos to know I am just a real person!
How do I know your bags are real?
REFAIRE LUXURY has every single bag authenticated by a third party before I even begin to restore it. Designer bags have been adding serial numbers to their bags as long as they have been making them because of unscrupulous counterfeiters. From the very beginning of what we consider a designer bag, they have kept track of their original bags this way. Every bag I sell has been authenticated as a genuine designer bag. Although the zipper or a strap may be secondary market, I always have this written clearly in the description. Counterfeit bags are easy for me to spot after years of doing this, trust me, but again we have another unbiased authenticator we pay for to authenticate, not just my eyes.
What is meant by Refurbish?
When we get a bag it is usually in need of cleaning, polishing and in some cases replacing zippers, etc., although sometimes they arrive ready to go! It is the nature of this business. Bags that can be cleaned and made to look as good as they can are sold as whole vintage, authenticated bags. Ones that are beyond saving are used for keychains, small fun wallets and things we like to make with them. None of the bags are used that are not authenticated so even the keychain print is authentic.
Some of what we have to do fairly regularly is remove the inner original lining of the bags. This is because the original material used was many times a satiny lightweight material and our bags being vintage, it is usually beyond saving. Instead of trying to put a lining inside the bag that isn’t real, we just leave the original cotton lining in the bag, cleaned as much as possible.
We also will touch up gold hardware, resew leather that has loosened and occasionally even paint leather with special leather paint! . Occasionally a bag will be missing a piece and we can salvage it from another bag that is not able to be saved but they will all be authentic from the designer.
If a bag is faded and cannot be salvaged but that is the only issue, we occasionally will dye them. This happens more often with nylon bags because they are just not as hearty as the coated canvas or even leather bags. When they are dyed no one should be able to tell that it was not the original color. Took a long time to figure all this out!
What if I get my Bag and Hate it?
Please look at our Returns Policy. But the basic idea here is not to have you get a bag you don’t love! But should it happen, you can return it as long as the tags are not taken off. We put the tag on the bag so that it can only be cut off to avoid the rent the bag for a specific event idea. It rarely happens (but it has, sadly) and although there are some great rental bag sites, we hope our bags become heirlooms. But any bag, with tags, can be returned within 15 days for a full refund. You simply return the bag to us, insured for its value and we will refund.
Can you Fix my Bag that needs Repair?
The short answer is no. My love is restoring bags that are not already with their forever home, not becoming a handbag fixer. It actually takes a long time to repair these things! .I can give you some advice however. If your bag is a true designer bag, you can often contact them and they will, for a price, repair most bags. I also worry about something happening to your bag when I am trying to repair it. So for now, I am just selling refurbished ones!
Lastly, WHERE do you find these bags???
Alas, that is my secret but the short answer is all over! I am always on the prowl for a bag that is needing to be refurbished and over the years have found enough that here we are. Lucky you!
More Questions? Email me at info@refaireluxury.com