Mulberry Phoebe Bag - discontinued?

[TheChristmasHour]

Well, this year I am defo buying less clothes but I am making it my mission to purchase and own a beautiful designer handbag. So, in the interests of research I have been looking today (online) at what I might covet. My 2 faves so far are Mulberry roxanne and phoebe.

Is the Phoebe still available, I can't find it on the mulberry website. It is a beauty and I would love to lust after it........

? I should have used one in that last paragraph really. I blame the drooling.....

I bought a beautiful Phoebe on ebay last year, and put it away for my dd who has the same name. I'll give it to her when she's older, she's only 5 now.

They come up fairly regularly there, look for one with lots of photos so you're sure of what you're getting.

I have seen a couple on eBay but am scared as to whether they are real or not. I am not experienced enough to trust my judgment in this area! Well done you having one for dd, what a lovely idea and what a lucky little girl!

I have a few different mulberrys so reckon I could spot a dud, but people often sell them with the original reciept, so keep checking regularly and you might get one of those.

FWIW I just had a look and the dark brown one on there now looks like the real thing to me.

I was reading on another thread today that Mulberry outlet stores will allow you to buy bags with a credit card over the phone and post it to you, so you could try phoning around for one.

I think the Phoebe is much nicer than the Roxanne, but I am biased

Thanks for the advice Verity! I really do want a lovely bag and have no problem getting a second hand one. I think that I will take a fair time to research and look at all the bags available before deciding what to go for. At the mo the front runners for me are the Phoebe and the Rosemary. Both seem to be discontinued now but they are beautiful. Ebay will be the place to go I think. If I go down this road though I will make sure I pay paypal so I can dispute it if item turns out to be fake. As you suggested i will also ring the outlet stores and see whether they have anything to tempt me! Thanks for that good idea!

do lots of research before buying on ebay, and check purseforum for hints and tips for spotting fakes, you can also ask the lovely ladies there to authenticate one if you see one you like, they provide an invaluable service and are oracles on all things mulberry

That's great info Aurora, thanks. I will defo do that if i see anything on ebay that I really like.

99% of the bags on ebay are fakes and you couldn't possibly tell from the photos. You need to really trust the buyer.

Many people will buy a "good" fake and never know and if that doesn't bother you then it doesn't matter you will still have a bag you love.

FWIW here in the ME I can buy a fake mulberry/jimmy choo/chloe for about $120, complete with "genuine" tags/dustbags and even receipts .

Arrgh! Horrible news NancyDrew! I just can't bring myself to pay full price for new. I have 3 dds and cannot justify spending that much on myself all in one go iykwim! Also I will not even get to use it lots at the mo as I always have to take a changing bag everywhere.

I have been doing more research and have identified a couple of sellers on ebay who seem to have good reputations and are mentioned on lots of handbag forums. Think I will end up buying from one of them to reduce the risk of a fake.

there are trustworthy sellers on ebay, again do a bit of research and you'll find who to trust and who not to. you can also keep an eye on lovehandbags.co.uk for pre-owned bags, there are a couple of phoebes on there at the mo

sorry meant to say check out mulberrymad on ebay, you will pay slightly more but can be sure you're buying an authentic product.

oh and that choc phoebe on lovehandbags is just gorgeous, can you buy it quickly please to stop me reaching for my purse

thechristmashour IMO most of those who are selling bags regularly are selling fakes. Most designers sell only through their own stores with a few bags being sold through boutiques.

Very few designers permit the selling of seconds - although some samples and last season stock gets sold through their own discount stores. Think about it - how would anyone get hold of 30 genuine pheobes? They can't. That's what makes it so hard to find a genuine seller - you really want someone who is selling a one off, but then how do you know if they're honest....

People selling fakes do get good feedback - often because people simply can't tell they have been sold a fake.

If you don't want to spend money on a real one either accept a fake (and don't overpay for it) or buy a gorgeous non designer bag.

Aurora, that Phoebe is stunning ! Seriously I am drooling. It is beautiful. You really should buy it first otherwise I doubt I will get much sleep tonight knowing that it is there and begging to be bought . It is a little more than I am wanting to pay really - about £250 is my limit really . I wonder why Mulberry stopped making it, it is perfect.

Is the lovehandbag site trustworthy? Is everything on it genuine? Not sure how it works. Is it a shop or do members sell their own stuff, if so how do you know they are selling genuine bags?

Mulberrymad is one of the ones I have saved to faves on ebay, thanks for that.

So many questions

Nancydrew, you do have a point. I wonder where and how even the trusted ebay sellers get so much genuine stock from?

Just to clarify that should say those selling new bags regularly....although to be honest I wouldn't trust anyone when it comes to designer bags....

Mulberrymad is a good seller, I have bought from her before, excellent service all round.
lovehandbags is all genuine but IMO rather expensive.

i've sold a couple of bags via lovehandbags, they buy them off you and then they resell them for a bit more than they pay you for them, but then the buyer knows they're getting a good un, they probably give them a littl epolish too. i know people who have bought off there too and have never anything less than excellent service. i would definitely recommend.

and although i'd love to i can't buy it,my maternity pay just won't stretch that far

Thanks for the info Aurora and Jemart. I have learnt a lot today! Am very grateful to mnetters. I am determined to get a bag soon.

Whilst that Phoebe is utterly divine, £375 does seem quite steep. It must be a few yrs old (may have had several owners?) and would have cost £595 ish new. So not a huge saving. Hopefully I'll get a cheaper one somewhere soon....

I will defo keep checking the lovehandbag site

Good advice here TheChristmasHour. Use your common sense and don't be in a hurry. Go and have a look at Mulberries in RL, the leather is quite thick and you can see that in a good photo. Also fakes don't have the little details like mulberry trees embossed on the rivets, etc.

My top tip for saving up for treats - I empty my purse every evening and take out all the 1 and 2 euro/pound coins. You'd be amazed how quickly it adds up

Will defo be checking some out in the shops at the earliest opportunity . I am going to bide my time and save up as much as i can!

Hi ChristmasHour,

Just seen your messages re the Mulberry Phoebe. I have one that my husband bought from Harvey Nick's in Leeds in 2006. I have used it twice and it has been in the wardrobe since then.

I am considering having a "clear out" and was looking at putting up on Ebay (or can sell you direct if you are interested).

It's classic dark brown and has no scraches or marks on it.

I will need to see what the are going for as you are right in thinking it cost around the £545 mark.

My guess is that they sell for around £300.

Let me know ([email protected]) if you are interested.

Lydia

if you spot a mulberry on ebay and you're interested, the purse forum will authenticate it for you - tell you whether it's fake or not. They are spot on. It doesn't cost anything - all you have to do is follow their instructions to the letter - what info to post and in which order etc. It's a brilliant service and will give you peace of mind. I hope you find something lovely!