The COACH Report

The COACH® Report
© Ray Sherman 2007 revised 2008
All rights reserved. Unauthorized duplication
Or distribution is strictly prohibited.
Disclaimer
I am not affiliated with COACH® in any way. I do not represent, nor make any attempt to represent them. The content of this report is
generated from my own interpretations and experiences using eBay and COACH® products, and is intended to help enhance the readers
buying experience on eBay when seeking these products. Any decision to purchase is ultimately and solely the buyers. Neither I,
nor this report, can be held liable or responsible for any unsatisfactory results when purchasing products or services on eBay.
Uncle D's Signature C's
Authentic COACH ~ Super FAST Shipping ~Superior Customer Service!
Big Crumbs
The FREE program that gives you CA$H back on all of your eBay
purchases! Fast and Simple - What are you waiting for?
eBay
The World’s online Marketplace!
Not a member? Go now! Registration is Fast and Free!
The Ultimate Guide to Buying Authentic Coach on eBay
Proven methods that work or your money back!
This report contains excerpts from my book The Ultimate Guide to Buying Authentic Coach
on eBay along with some interesting and useful Coach tips. You will also be receiving
additional authenticity tips in your email within the next few days. I welcome comments or
suggestions on this report, my book or the Tips-n-Totes newsletter. Comments can be
submitted to: [email protected] While I may not be able to respond to each email, I
anticipate reading each and every one! I hope you find this report both helpful and
enjoyable. It has been a pleasure creating it for you.
=======================================================================
Authenticity Patch
“Is it Real?” This has to be one of the most frequently pondered questions when buying a
COACH® bag online! It is without a doubt the most frequently asked question I receive.
And well it should be. However with COACH® being as popular as it is, the authenticity
issues become inflated, thus bringing a lot of “hear say” and just outright panic
when, after a purchase, the item isn’t exactly the way Aunt Judy’s friend’s sister in law
“heard” it is supposed to be! One of the greatest misconceptions is that if a COACH® bag does
not have a patch on it; it’s got to be a fake. Another is that if a bag has a patch but
no “serial” numbers, it has to be a fake. Both ideas are false. A general rule of thumb, although
not 100% is:
 If COACH® deems the item an accessory, it will NOT have a patch with a creed
or numbers and probably won’t have a patch at all.
 If COACH® deems the item a handbag, it WILL have a patch with creed and
numbers.
The big leather patch you see in most handbags will almost always be embossed with
the COACH® creed and some letters and numbers at the bottom of the patch. Some are
penned on in a fancy cursive writing, usually in metallic or bright ink, but again, the vast
majorities are embossed. These letter/number combinations, contrary to popular belief,
are usually NOT serial numbers! A true serial number is a unique one of a kind number
and or letters, assigned to a product. While this applies to some COACH® bags, most of
those numbers/letters represent the style number and date of manufacture. There are usually
many bags, hundreds if not thousands, with the same letter/number combinations.
Another commonly seen leather patch is just a small rectangular piece that is usually
sewn to the outside of some accessories. This patch usually has an embossing that
says: COACH® LEATHERWARE EST. 1941. No numbers or letters. It is not unusual to
find a certain style bag in one color with this small patch yet a different color without.
Remember, you will almost never find a patch with numbers in accessory items.
Some examples would include Cosmetic Pouch Bags, Mini Skinny’s, Wristlets, Ipod Cases,
Card Holders and a variety of other small extras. Of course, there are exceptions, such as some
of the more expensive or larger wallets, but they are rare and with the smaller accessories and
you shouldn’t be overly concerned about it being patch less unless you are certain it should
have one.
One thing you can do for an authenticity check is examine the words of the creed
very carefully if the bag has one. If you see even ONE misspelled word you’ve found a
fake bag! This happens more than your might think with fake bags. While there is more
than one creed that can be found on patches, by and far the most common is this:
THIS IS A COACH BAG. IT WAS HANDCRAFTED IN CHINA
FROM THE FINEST MATERIALS TRIMMED WITH GENUINE
LEATHER. ITS SUPERIOR CRAFTSMANSHIP AND
ATTENTION TO DETAIL REFLECT OUR COMMITMENT TO
ENDURING QUALITY.
The embossed leather creed found on
most COACH® patches.
Cursive style writing inked on. Notice the
wording is different than the patch on the
left. Still, it is authentic.
The word China can be other countries. I have also seen Italy, Mexico The Philippines, Pakistan
and Turkey. I cover authenticity and how to spot fakes in much greater detail than this small
report can offer in my book, The Ultimate Guide to Buying Authentic Coach on eBay
Buying Safe
Buying with Confidence
On Ebay
There is no doubt that eBay is the worlds online market place! And COACH® is usually
in the top ten most searched items on their site! You can find a lot of nice COACH®
handbags and accessories on eBay, especially particular items you need for a match that
are difficult, if not impossible to find anywhere else! A few short years ago counterfeit
COACH® was out of control on eBay. Recently they have seriously cracked down on this
problem. Regardless of what you may hear, they have done a GREAT JOB! While dishonest
sellers will probably always find ways to sneak in you can bet they will not be in
business very long on eBay. I’m going to give you some very simple tips that you can use
to avoid potential dishonest sellers and bid with confidence. Some of these
tips may seem almost too simple but believe me they will work for you! Remember
Grandma’s old saying “An ounce of prevention”.....Grandma was right!
Feedback
Assuming the seller is offering primarily COACH® items (70% or more of items for sale
or auction are COACH®) take a look at the sellers Feedback Chart. First, make sure the
percentage (Positive Feedback) is at least 98.5%. Second, check the Feedback Score number.
The higher the Feedback Score number is, the more transactions the seller has
had. My personal buying comfort level is a seller with at least a Feedback Score of 500,
98.5% Positive Feedback Received and selling primarily COACH® products. Of course
there are exceptions! It is possible for a low Feedback score (say 300 or under) to have
less than 98.5% FOR NO GOOD REASON. How? Because if a disgruntled buyer decides
to “get them back” they can leave a negative Feedback and because the seller has so
few transactions it will drastically lower his percentage. So in a case like this you have to
take a good look at what each person is writing about the other in the comments of the
negative Feedbacks. Sometimes you can determine that the buyer is just being ridiculous or the
seller is dishonest from reading their comments and comments left for them by others. If after
reading you feel confident about the seller and just feel he (she) received undeserved
Negative Feedback, you can contact them and ask questions. Usually you can get a good
idea of what type of seller this is going to be through correspondence. Of course, you
should always ask questions if you have them, for any seller, even if they’ve got 10,000
Feedbacks and 99.9% Positive! But sellers with a solid track record and high numbers are
usually a very safe bet. They don’t get those big numbers just by luck! Know that a
seller with thousands of Feedbacks Received can and does get an occasional or even a
dozen or more undeserved Negative Feedbacks but because of all the good experiences
buyers have had those Negatives just get buried under the Positive Feedback and the percentage
remains high, as it should. (Above 98.5%) Using a combination of Positive Feedback Received
(the %) and the Feedback Score (number of times feedback was left) is a powerful
tool in avoiding a bad buying experience.
The Numbers Don’t Lie
In order to receive such high numbers a seller has to comply with a lot of eBay rules, execute
a lot of sales and make a lot of customers happy with their buying experience! If a
seller is reported selling knock offs of any brand eBay looks into the matter and takes
swift action. It is eBay’s call as to what measures are taken but more than a few incidents
from the same seller will almost certainly result in a suspension of the account. A dishonest
seller might get away with selling fakes for while, maybe even accumulate up to 200
or more Feedbacks, but will eventually be caught and out of business before getting any
more Feedback. On the other hand it is ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE to sell knock off
COACH® items on eBay and maintain a Feedback Score of over 300 if the seller is selling
PRIMARILY COACH® because you simply can’t get that far without being shut
down! It would be miraculous to make even 200. Too many upset buyers would leave too
many negatives and file complaints of fraud against that seller. When buying COACH®
on eBay, I recommend using this as your guide:
300 or more Feedback Received (500 if you are super paranoid!)
 98.5% or Higher
 Selling Primarily COACH© Products
 Got a question? ASK!!! (Before Bidding!)

In conclusion, remember that this should not be a steadfast rule. There are many honest
COACH® sellers on eBay who have a Feedback Score of less than 300. Everybody has to start
somewhere! I am only telling you that it has been my experience that if you follow
the above rules you pretty much can’t buy fake COACH® on eBay!
An example of a great Feedback Score for anyone selling anything on eBay!
(This happens to be an actual COACH® seller)
Feedback Score:
Positive Feedback:
Members who left a positive:
Members who left a negative:
All positive Feedback:
2535
99.9%
2537
2
2825
Look What I Can Do!
Everyone loves COACH® products for their style, quality, versatility and functionality!
Let’s take the Mini Skinny for example. What a great accessory! Sleek, functional and
practical. Most of them have at least one outside open pocket for your license, business or
credit cards. Inside is great for money as they have a zip top closure. There is also a key
chain attached to the inside and on top of all of these features they are just so darn cute!
Most of the wristlets have detachable straps on one end so you can form a loop for your
wrist or attach it to a larger bag. A lot of the large handbags have adjustable, detachable
straps, cell phone pockets, zippered and open pockets and inside D-Rings for keys! The
looped pull-tabs on the zippers are often large, strong and easy to grab. The steel rings are
solid and make a great spot for attaching a wristlet or just about anything extra you need
to carry with no worry of breakage. All of this and good looks too!
Here’s a neat little trick some of the Pouch Bags and Cosmetic Bags can do. It’s
simple but often overlooked. The handle simply unsnaps and can be looped and resnapped
for carrying around your wrist or for attaching to a larger bag or anything you
need to attach it to! If your Pouch or Cosmetic Bag’s handle has a little stud sticking out
on the underside, it is likely a functional snap and can probably loop. This is NOT the
end you want to un-snap though. It’s the other side that un-snaps. Then you connect the
male end to the female on the other side. See the pictures below.
Classic Pouch
This end un-snaps
Underside of strap
Pull through steel ring
Does not un-snap
Bring around forming
loop
Snap together….
Like this...
Carry around your wrist or
attach to a larger bag!
Is it Really Snake?
Have you noticed more & more snake skin items appearing in the COACH® listings?
These are from a special line called the Exotics Collection. And yes, it is genuine snakeskin!
Most of it is python. Other exotic leathers include lizard and alligator. Some of it is
quite nice! It is widely seen on handles, straps and hang tags of smaller bags and accessories
like Mini Skinny’s, Wristlets and MP3 cases. There is also a nice selection of larger
bags featuring these skins but these are rather expensive and not seen as often. These
leathers are often natural in color but they are also available in Pink, Yellow, Blue,
Bronze, Black and other colors.
Extra care is needed with these skins but not much. Most important, they should
not be exposed to water or moisture for any period of time. If they are, just wipe it off as
soon as possible and be sure to wipe in the direction of the scales (If any) to avoid loosening
them. For cleaning, COACH® does NOT recommend using their leather cleaner or
moisturizer on these skins but instead suggests the use of any commercial exotic leather
care product.
The Exotics Collection may or may not be for you. Either way this line offers a
unique and elegant selection of fine quality handbags and accessories to choose from. Enjoy
the pictures from a close up view. I’m sure we will be seeing a lot more of these exotic
leathers and skins!
Metallic Signature Pouch w/Snake Skin
Patchwork Pouch w/Pink Snake Skin
Patchwork Wristlet w/Blue Snake Skin
Ipod Mini w/Natural Snake Skin
Metallic Flap Purse w/Bronze Snakeskin
Style Change
One of COACH's most popular bags a few years ago was the Khaki Signature Soft Demi Style#
6044. In less than 6 months time I have seen this bag transform 3 times! The changes don’t
affect the main look or shape of the bag. But these changes could cause
someone to think they purchased a fake when they really didn’t. I have to say that the
first change I’m going to show you was disappointing to me. The pull-tabs on the zippers
where changed. The original bag had thick single pieces of leather for all of the pull-tabs.
The main compartment on the top pull-tab had a beautiful COACH® embossed enameled
steel decorative button attached. This was a very classy touch. But it is gone and life goes
on!
The second change on this bag has looped leather pull-tabs on the outside. The inside
pull-tab is now a steel chain. Everything else appears to be the same.
The third change is technically not really a change but for all practical purposes, it
is. I’ll explain. They changed the name to Classic Signature Soft Demi and changed the
style # to 11219. So technically, it’s not a change but rather a “new” bag. But technicalities
aside, this bag is the same Signature Soft Demi going through change number three!
The pull-tabs, believe it or not, have been changed once again! This time they are not looped,
but two pieces of leather stitched together at the end on the zipper leaving the
outer part as 2 open strips. The inside pull-tab is still a steel chain. Most important: No Creed
Patch
So there you have it on the Signature Soft Demi! Keep in mind when shopping for
these bags on eBay there is bound to be a mix of old and new. Many completely
honest sellers will overlook these slight changes and still use an old picture they had from
past years in their listings. The main purpose of showing this sytle change is to show you how
Coach does this from time to time and eBay sellers don't pick up on it and list with the “old”
style number. This can cause a buyer to think they are getting scammed when really it's an
innocent mistake and the new authentic bag is identical or very close to the outdated style
number. When this occurs usually a little research or a quick email will clear the air. If you
happen to see this bag listed as a 6044 it would be a good idea to double check with the seller if
you are truly seeking the original 6044 as the chances are good it's a listing error. If you happen
to come across one of these originals, which is possible, Good for you! You'll have an original
Coach classic to show off!
Signature Soft Demi 6044 “Style 1” w/ COACH®
embossed button and thick leather pull-tabs…inside and
out. Creed Patch.
Signature Soft Demi 6044 “Style 2” No embossed button.
Looped leather pulltabs outside only. Inside compartment
employs a steel chain for pull-tab. Still has a creed patch.
Signature Soft Demi 11219 “Style 3” No embossed button. Open end
leather pull-tabs outside only. Inside compartment employs a steel
chain for pull-tab. *NO CREED PATCH*
The Black Signature Soft Demi remains the same as the original 6044 Khaki with the nice
thick pull tabs and embossed steel button as of August 2008. Not sure why but it's a
beautiful bag!
Thank you for reading “The COACH® Report!”
ARE YOU SURE THAT COACH BAG IS AUTHENTIC?
The Ultimate Guide to Buying Authentic Coach on eBay
Proven methods that work or your money back!
Uncle D's Signature C's
Authentic COACH ~ Super FAST Shipping ~Superior Customer Service!
Big Crumbs
This FREE program gives you CA$H back on all of your eBay
purchases! Fast and Simple - What are you waiting for?
eBay
The World’s online Marketplace!
Sign up now and get in on the savings!
A Great Selection of Authentic Bags at Bargain Prices!