topic Re: A leather substitute in Handbags

A leather substitute

AJW — Fri, 07 Apr 2017 21:11:02 GMT

Why doesn't QVC have a line of leather-like handbags? Its more eco-friendly, much lighter in weight, plus less expensive. The leather substitutes are amazing nowadays.

Re: A leather substitute

Q4u — Fri, 07 Apr 2017 21:22:21 GMT

They should, there are several really good vinyl bag companiess out there.... however, just don't call them "vegan leather" like the sign I saw in TJ Maxx today.... preposterious. It's not leather in any way, shape, or form, they are vinyl (i.e. plastic). Nothing at all wrong with that as long as they are made well.

Re: A leather substitute

stevieb — Fri, 07 Apr 2017 21:28:39 GMT

I'm a big fan of the coated fabrics... Pleather is all right, in fact, some of it is very nice, but I'd sort of like to see more coated bags both here and out and about, but not necessarily by Dooney nor in their price range...

Re: A leather substitute

Kachina624 — Fri, 07 Apr 2017 21:37:20 GMT

Comparing the time spent presenting both leather and non-leather bags, which do you think has the potential of generating the greater profit? There are million places out to where you can buy an inexpensive vinyl bag; not so many for buying pricey leather bags. There seem to be plenty of people willing to pay several hundreds of dollars for a bag.

That's why QVC doesn't have a line of faux leather bags. They do have Vera Bradley.

Re: A leather substitute

stevieb — Fri, 07 Apr 2017 21:41:53 GMT

@Kachina624 wrote:
Comparing the time spent presenting both leather and non-leather bags, which do you think has the potential of generating the greater profit? There are million places out to where you can buy an inexpensive vinyl bag; not so many for buying pricey leather bags. There seem to be plenty of people willing to pay several hundreds of dollars for a bag.

That's why QVC doesn't have a line of faux leather bags. They do have Vera Bradley.

Probably true enough @Kachina624... Variety be danged around here anymore, it's all about the bottom line... I'm sure they made a lot back in the day on those KVZ horrors, though...

Re: A leather substitute

millieshops — Fri, 07 Apr 2017 22:01:15 GMT

@steviebWatching the bottom line and finding ways to protect it is exactly what keeps companies in business. Companies that make the wrong choices suffer --- watch JCP and Sears and Macys all of which also care about their bottom lines and have yet to fiind a way to protect it. We could see each of them disappear any time now with JCP and Sears going faster than Macys.

I really never understand why it's wrong for a company to pay careful attention to that bottom line. What would you have them do?

Re: A leather substitute

stevieb — Fri, 07 Apr 2017 22:55:56 GMT

@millieshops wrote:
@steviebWatching the bottom line and finding ways to protect it is exactly what keeps companies in business. Companies that make the wrong choices suffer --- watch JCP and Sears and Macys all of which also care about their bottom lines and have yet to fiind a way to protect it. We could see each of them disappear any time now with JCP and Sears going faster than Macys.

I really never understand why it's wrong for a company to pay careful attention to that bottom line. What would you have them do?

It's not wrong @millieshops as long as they also maintain the interest of their customers and address customer satisfaction issues as well... And incidentally, as for that bottom line, QVC's hasn't looked all that rosy recently, so yes, maybe it's time for them to consider a few changes... The same old song isn't netting them the results it once did...

Re: A leather substitute

Kachina624 — Sat, 08 Apr 2017 00:00:55 GMT

@stevie @millieshops At least they've finally come to the realization that, as long as they own it, they might as well fully utilize Q2. If the keep it up and improve the programming, it could be a real boom.

Re: A leather substitute

StylishLady — Sat, 08 Apr 2017 00:02:21 GMT

This leather loving lady has been pleasantly surprised by the quality of the more recent imitations. I have even bought a dress and a couple of skirts. I'm not sure how long they will last, but I do not wear them often enough to worry about it. A bag would take more of a beating with more use. We'll see how this all goes as the cost of the real thing becomes too dear for my budget.

Re: A leather substitute

ECBG — Sat, 08 Apr 2017 00:32:15 GMT

Leather breathes and in footwear molds to the foot. You can get into foot problems with plasitic that don't breathe. One example is bunions which develop because the shoe wont stretch.

As long as people eat complete protein in meat there will be leather.

Re: A leather substitute

lianne — Sat, 08 Apr 2017 01:10:15 GMT

Plastic bags are cheap and you can get them anywhere. You can call them anything you want they are still plastic and cheap. I'm sure there is no profit on them for the vendor and QVC.

Re: A leather substitute

phoenixbrd — Sat, 08 Apr 2017 13:41:30 GMT

I'm always on the hunt for leather alternatives....some are great, some are very expensive, and some are compromises. Wish a company would develop a reasonably priced, high quality faux leather for bags and shoes. I'll bet the demand would be great as people become more educated and prefer living a cruelty free life.

Re: A leather substitute

stevieb — Sat, 08 Apr 2017 13:48:06 GMT

@lianne wrote:
Plastic bags are cheap and you can get them anywhere. You can call them anything you want they are still plastic and cheap. I'm sure there is no profit on them for the vendor and QVC.

I disagree. There is profit to be made or no one would sell them and, as noted, QVC certainly had their share of KVZ bags for quite some time and have carried other pleather lines... Variety is a necessary component for successful retailers and even the higher end stores sell nicer non-leather bags...

Re: A leather substitute

stevieb — Sat, 08 Apr 2017 14:33:32 GMT

@Kachina624 wrote:
@stevie @millieshops At least they've finally come to the realization that, as long as they own it, they might as well fully utilize Q2. If the keep it up and improve the programming, it could be a real boom.

It could @Kachina624, but as long as they stick with an endless rotation of the same dozen brands, merely spreading them across multiple 'platforms' isn't any real improvement... at least not from my perspective. Unless I see an uptick in variety, in customer incentives involving prices and charges for shipping, and in more palatable host behaviors, I haven't been a regular viewer for about two years now and I plan to keep it that way... Meanwhile, my shopping here has dwindled substantially from days of yore and I don't see that changing, no matter how many formats they offer...

Re: A leather substitute

151949 — Sat, 08 Apr 2017 17:42:53 GMT

The vinyl bags I have seen from Tig 11 at Bealls are very nice - vinyl but a very good quality. Also , London Fog has a line of very nice vinyl purses. I think QVC should give them a try.

I think they have little to lose as the average person can't really afford to shop here anymore. The ladies I hang out with - who are in QVC's target age range - do not pay hundreds of dollars for a purse. Like me , they have a budget and there is a limit how much they would pay for a purse - no matter what it is made of or who designed it , the budget MUST be first and foremost.

Re: A leather substitute

stevieb — Sat, 08 Apr 2017 19:12:39 GMT

They offered a few London Fog bags here a few years back, though the selection was limited compared to what was and is available. It all comes down to air time. They rarely presented the London Fog bags. Instead, as has been increasingly the case, it's just the same brands and the same products over and over... As a television presence, they can't rely on the website alone to sell products. They have twenty four hours in a day and now multiple channels and still don't offer the variety, particularly the on-air variety, they could. There's also no reason for anyone to feel wedded to QVC. I see lovely bags, leather and non-leather, out in the marketplace being sold at good prices and without high shipping costs. I also see them sold on a myriad of retail websites, also at better prices and with more favorable shipping and return policies.

Re: A leather substitute

pommom — Fri, 14 Apr 2017 13:25:47 GMT

At one time, the Q carried VKooba bags. Haven't checked lately to see if they still have them in their inventory.

Re: A leather substitute

stevieb — Fri, 14 Apr 2017 13:57:41 GMT

@pommom wrote:
At one time, the Q carried VKooba bags. Haven't checked lately to see if they still have them in their inventory.

I have two of those bags. One was well made and stood the test of time. The other came apart pretty quickly... I think there might have been a third that was rarely used but not because there was anything wrong with the bag. Even if QVC still has any of these bags, they would be years old by now and there are so many non-leather bags widely available, though not here.

QVC seems somewhat committed to a resurgence of the now partial leather Tig bags, at a price point that as far as I'm concerned the brand no longer is able to justify... Particularly when they sell for much less at other reatailers...

Re: A leather substitute

Caligurll — Sat, 22 Apr 2017 02:40:44 GMT

@phoenixbrd wrote:
I'm always on the hunt for leather alternatives....some are great, some are very expensive, and some are compromises. Wish a company would develop a reasonably priced, high quality faux leather for bags and shoes. I'll bet the demand would be great as people become more educated and prefer living a cruelty free life.

@phoenixbrd Have you tried Gunas online? I bought a beautiful vegan ostrich bag from them. Definitely not cheap; it was $160, but I get a lot of compliments on it when I carry it.

ETA: And sometimes I search Amazon for vegan handbags; a nice selection there too.

Re: A leather substitute

phoenixbrd — Sat, 22 Apr 2017 03:00:12 GMT

@Caligurll Thanks vegan sis! I'll take a look and didn't really think about Amazon, great idea!