Pretend Shopgirl, Part 2

THE SWEET AND THE SOUR

I quickly sent off a mild complaint to Sweet. I reasoned that while the bag was priced at only PHP900 (US$21.50), she should have warned me that the metal was scratched in many places. Manage your customer's expectations, and all that.

Just as quickly, she replied that she had not checked the merchandise, because it was already wrapped in plastic when she got it from the warehouse. She further defended herself by saying that "in fairness," it was a good bag.

I did admit that the leather, while not model-appropriate, was very good. Rather than blame her for not performing quality control, I suggested that perhaps in the future, she should find a supplier who took better care of her inventory.

She replied indignantly that I should not "say bad abt it. fine f u ddnt lyk it." And--and!--she added that I shouldn't insult her partners because "they' r frm HK."

WTF?

Now, those of who know me personally can attest that (1) I can't abide by rude salespeople, (2) I don't suffer fools well, and (3) like the Incredible Hulk, no one likes me when I'm angry. Yet here I was, behaving like Mother Theresa.

WTF?

In her defense, Sweet saw that she had crossed the line. She apologized. She said that I was the first to ever complain, as if that was a good excuse.

After pointing out that, in the future, she should be on the lookout for the flaws that I spotted, she responded that she understood, but not all Quad A's were the same, and that by the way, they were not "orig."

Now, tell me something. Isn't the whole point of rating counterfeits Class B, A, AA, AAA, Quad A and Super A, so that you know how good a fake it is? So a Quad A bag is supposedly very, very good. I didn't realize there was a there was a range of quality levels within Quad A. So does that make my bag a Quad-A-that-should-really-be-just-a-regular-B?

Sigh. Against my better judgment, I give up and wish her a nice day.


IS THERE A MORAL IN SHOPPING FOR FAKES?

Actually, there is. Not that it's a sin to prefer a fake (I know, I know, I'm about to be banned from The Purse Blog for saying that), but this:

Multiply is no eBay. At least, eBay works on a system of buyer and seller ratings, so customer (and merchant) satisfaction is a must. Consequently, the people who have the best ratings are usually very professional. They may not all be "sweet" but most of them respect consumer rights.


If Sweet is typical of Multiply merchants--by that, I mean, irresponsible, unresponsive and seemingly out to make a quick buck--then she is no better than the poor shopgirl who sells fake bags in Shoppesville. But in Shoppesville, at least you can see first hand what you're paying for. That in itself makes up for the extra cost and the inconvenience of weaving through Greenhills traffic.

What I fear is that there are many Sweets in Multiply, young women who think that selling stuff online is easy, like playing with dolls. Pretend to sell pretend designer goods, pretend to be nice, and pretend to know what it takes to keep your customers happy. I honestly believe she thinks she behaved in the most professional manner possible.

Now, I'm not giving up on Multiply. I'm still hoping that Ara will prove to be typical of Multiply denizens--polite, quick, sensitive and sensible.

A few hours after the bag arrived, I decided to give it away. It's okay, but I can tell it's a fake. Worse, so can other fashionistas.

In the meantime, my advice to all you who want to shop on Multiply is this:

1. If you're after fakes, study the originals before you shop.
   
2. Authentic goods or not, never take photos at their face value.
   
3. If you're in the same geographical area, ask for a chance to see the merchandise in person.
   
4. Try to wrangle a return/refund guarantee before you pay up.
5. Finally, if you're still after fakes, know your A, AA, triple-, quad- and super A's. Remember that in the end, all these letters spell out one thing:
   

C-A-V-E-A-T E-M-P-T-O-R

Happy bargain hunting!

Pretend Shopgirl, Part 1

The Multiply merchant community is just amazing. There's a whole underground economy online that sells anything a girl could ever want--clothes, bags, lingerie, shoes, books, makeup, perfume--anything but men (for now, anyway). It's like eBay, only cheaper! And I wanted to see how well that system worked.

So I ordered a bag, a fake LV. Why a fake? It was cheap, so if my little foray into Multiply goes awry, it won't hurt too much.

I'm not ashamed to say I've dipped into the replica pool before. In fact, the first time netted me a fab fake from a little boutique in Bangkok, and no one was the wiser.


COMMUNING WITH THE "SIS"TERHOOD

I shopped around the Multiply for a couple of days. All of them have pics of their merchandise, although not all post close-up details. Practically every one rated their bag a class Quad A or a Super A.

When I asked what that meant, I was told that Quad A and Super A look and feel like the real deal on the outside, but Super A even had serial numbers and care cards, just like the original.

I contacted a couple of vendors by email and SMS. Both responded quickly and politely. This was my first introduction to the sisterhood, because apparently in the Philippine embassy of Multiply, everyone goes by the same name: Sis.


My first vendor--let's call her "Ara"--ran out of the model that I wanted. A few days later, she found a similar item from a different supplier, but it was a higher grade (Super A) counterfeit and therefore significantly more expensive. She immediately sensed that I was not ready to part with that much cash, and she was very apologetic.

The second vendor, I dubbed "Sweet". She nabbed me with a model that I also liked, a LV Mirage Exotic Delft in burgundy.

Her site showed the bag from four angles--front, side, top and inside. Photos were a little fuzzy but not bad. Her promise of Quad A quality, with signature padlock, dustbag and free one-day shipping, was a bargain for PHP900 (US$21.50). So I bit her bait.

A few SMS later, I deposited the payment over the counter at BPI. Once I notified her of the payment (and I assume she checked her balance online), she shipped the bag via Xend courier service.

The next day, the bag arrived. (Note to self: try shipping merchandise via Xend!)


THE UN-REAL DEAL

First thing I spotted was the threadbare dustbag. But who's going to see the dustbag anyway, right? So I was not deterred.

Upon close examination of the bag, I immediately noticed that the metal tabs on the bag were scratched. Hoping they were just adhesive residue, I polished them with a microfiber cloth; they were scratched alright. In the photos, the marks looked like the brand name stamped on metal. Serves me right.

More bad news, the "brass" clasp was in screaming gold tone. Also scuffed but not as badly.

The laminated monogram canvas was okay, but it was not an LV monogram mirage. This means it didn't have the "fade to black" that creeps from the edges. Unfortunately, this is not something that's easy to spot in photos, especially if it's taken with a small digital camera by an amateur.

Likewise, the burgundy patent croc trim was passable, but the metallic trim was a shiny yellow. To make matters worse, the manufacturer couldn't even be bothered to use same-colored stitching on the croc trims. For example, burgundy croc is stitched with burgundy thread; yellow croc, yellow thread. Not burgundy croc with yellow thread.The offending contrast stitching appeared on the back--a part that was not apparent on the website.



To be continued

Fashion on the Run

Some people read newspapers at breakfast. When I do remember to have breakfast, I surf fashion websites.

WhoWhatWearDaily is one of my latest discoveries. Hosted by fashion editors Katherine Power and Hillary Kerr, the site is a useful guide for working fashionistas on how to translate runway and celeb trends to real life applications. Basically, they discuss WHO (was seen wearing) WHAT and (how regular but fashionable women like us can ) WEAR (a similar look).


PROS:

• Simple, easy to understand
• Updated everyday
• Videos that can be viewed on their website, iTunes, or on your iPod
• Hillary is so cute!

CONS:

• Non-video stories could use better art direction
  
• Other features in the website are little more than subscription signups to email updates
  
• Ask a Stylist page is a great opportunity that's just abandoned on the wayside

CONCLUSION: A quick powerbar for the fashionista on the go


Oh, and many thanks to Hilda Kapauan-Abola, who wrote about Glam Exchange in Happy at Home!


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