Are all leather bags crap?

[Chocamochalatte]

Or just the ones I buy??

I've had one from M&S, all scuffed, with almost a hole at the back of a clasp, one from Miss Selfridge and the popper thing on the front came away from the leather. But the most disappointing is a Betty Barclay bag I've had since May, used most days and now has little rips / scuffs, cracked handle which is about to break any minute and a hole where the edge of the logo has pushed through the leather, I paid £35 for it in TK Maxx but the label said it's rrp was £200!

I thought leather bags were supposed to last a long time... Where am I going wrong???

£40 is the cheap end of leather bags unfortunately

though my topshop one was £50 and still intact

But the Betty Barclay one was supposed to be £200! Or is TK Maxx a con??

I am surprised the Betty Barclay one has broken, I would call BB head office and complain, it should last longer.

If a leather handbag is under £70 (non sale) it has prob been made in the far east from crap leather....it won't last a lifetime...(or a couple of years)....

I know you probably dont want to read this, but while you are saving upfor a new bag, go down to the nearest (poshest) charity shop you can find.
I've bought two leather hand/shoulder bags from oxfam and they ar fab. One hasd a little light wear bit the other was clearly never used and has lived in the cupboard. They were both under £3 each.
I dont know what it is about bags, no matter how expensive they are, they are just "accessories"!

btw, the RRP price on an item doesnt mean anything really.

I wouldn't expect much from a miss selfridge version tbh. I bought a £55 tan leather bag from topshop last year in an effort to save money - the one I really wanted was £165 from Karen. It is absolute tat and made of the shoddiest leather I've seen. The stitching is all coming apart and the woven handle is unravelling. I basically wasted £55 on it. My other Karen Millen bags are still immaculate after lots of use funnily enough...

I am surprised at your Betty Barclay and even M&S ones being rubbish. Definitely complain.

Thanks for the replies, should I complain to Betty Barclay or to TK Maxx?

Maybe both??

Both.....see where you get with either.

I'd try BB first as they are more likely to help..

I bought a totally nondescript leather shoulder bag from TK Maxx about three years ago and it's still going strong

tbh I wish it would fall to bits because I don't really like it

Oh, and it cost about £16

My radley briefcase and bag have lasted well.

I have leather bags by coccinelle, francisco biasia, and radley- the leather is beautiful and really long lasting. And all were from tkmaxx

My leather John Lewis own brand one (~£65) seems to be doing ok, but it's not 1 yet. Its cheaper £35 predecessor did about 3 years of hard every day use before the zip died, that came from a random stall at a needlework show.
I suspect that, like with clothes, a lot of people are cutting corners at the moment. Companies are trying to maximise profits and some very dodgy raw materials are being used.

I've had the same M&S leather bag for four years now, using it each day. It's big, so it tends to get filled up wit hbooks / kids' stuff / cans of beans when I nip in to the shop, so it's lasting extremely well. It does look a bit scuffed around the edges though (unsurprisingly) so I'm thinking in the next year I'll get a new, more expensive one. Am looking at the Oushka site following a recommendation on MN yesterday - the bags there look gorgeous!

Clockface! I really wish you hadn't led me to Oushka!! They're beautiful.... I want one!

Oushka quality isn't great, my last one only lasted a year of use.

Pip, that's not alot of use for that money... hmm, need some more ideas!

I got sick of high st bags breaking and generally being shite so I bought a mulberry, it is gorgeous and still looks brand new although it's only 3 months old I use it everyday.

I have 2 luella bags as well which have been great and lasted well.

For me the beauty of a leather bag is that they improve with age - all mine have - and some go back over decades and still look beautiful.

Are you buying high fashion bags that are designed to be used and disposed?

Well, I didnt expect the M&S or Miss Selfridge bags to last forever, but thought they'd stay nice for more than a year... The Betty Barclay, I expected to last for a very long time, yet after 3/4 months it's not in a great condition, really really disappointed...

Try peony and Moore bags, I have the lucia (currently, I am a bag addict) and leather is best I've had.....

I thought I'd just second that my M&S leather bag was rubbish. Cracked and shoddy after less than a year.

But really can't stomach paying out so much for a Mulberry, tbh. And I kind of like a new bag every couple of years anyway.

I know i've said this before but I have the P & M Lucia bag too Madame - and I am soooo hard on it and it still looks fab! - - i am going to get it again in a winter colour as the leather just takes the beating and improves!! - many times I have had leather bags that just go tatty - maybe because I expect a lot from them - - but I won't pay Mulberry prices either!

Ooo I love the look of the Lucia - very Mulberry Annie!