Hong Kong 01 Interview – Love for vintage bags | The same CHANEL handbags have different tastes in China, Hong Kong and Japan, making it difficult to deal with them?

Lovintage founder Zijian started selling used handbags on eBay in 2012 and 2013. After eight years, he successfully transformed himself into a used handbag store owner with a monthly business turnover of one million yuan.
As the saying goes, it is easy to start a business, but difficult to maintain it. In his eight years of business, Zijian has also encountered many "difficult and complicated problems".
[Love for Used Bags] In the second episode, we will talk about the "difficult" customers and "difficult situations" that Chi Kin has encountered in the past, and also talk about the differences in tastes of buyers from China, Hong Kong and Japan.

Photography: Gong Jiasheng

It is easy to start a business, but difficult to maintain it. In the eight years of running a business, Zijian has also encountered many "difficult problems". (Photo: Gong Jiasheng)

CHANEL is a brand that many ladies are eager to buy, but when the words "CHANEL" and "second-hand" are linked, the success of Lovintage is no longer as easy as everyone imagines. The difficulties are inseparable from two reasons: the fear of buying fakes and the lack of understanding of the knowledge of "second-hand".

Soon after returning to Hong Kong, Chi Kin discovered that the general public in Hong Kong had little knowledge of second-hand handbags, and even had many misunderstandings and resistance. He recalled: "When we first returned to Hong Kong, we had not yet started retail work in Hong Kong, but we would cooperate with companies in Shanghai and participate in auctions. Handbags were selling like hot cakes, but at that time no one in Hong Kong knew about second-hand handbags, and there were no second-hand handbag auctions in Hong Kong, and even now there are still none."

In the next article, Zijian will personally teach you some tips on second-hand bags. (Photo: Gong Jiasheng)

Not to mention the lack of second-hand handbag auctions, I believe many Hong Kong people cannot tell the difference between "second-hand" and "second-hand".

For the industry, the biggest difference between second-hand and used bags is that "second-hand" refers to all handbags that have been used, while "used" refers to handbags that are more than 20 years old. Zijian said that the industry believes that CHANEL bags before 2005 are used bags.

For a culture to flourish in a place, many conditions need to be met and it also takes time to slowly ferment and brew. The Japanese originally had a very bad impression of second-hand stores, but because second-hand stores symbolize fashion and style for Europeans and Americans, and the Japanese admire European and American culture very much, the Japanese gradually changed their views on second-hand stores, and then, led by a group of second-hand experts, a wave of second-hand retro products developed locally.

Later, the vintage trend spread from Japan to all of Asia, including Hong Kong. In Hong Kong, vintage style is becoming more and more popular, and more and more second-hand bag shops and second-hand handbag shops are opening, proving that the market demand is huge. However, as Zijian said, Hong Kong has not nurtured a good soil, so there are many misunderstandings about "second-hand". Because of the misunderstanding, many "strange and complicated problems" have been derived.

The knowledge of CHANEL handbags is as deep as the sea (Photo: Gong Jiasheng)

As for second-hand CHANEL handbags, Chi-kin said that many Hong Kong customers believe that only second-hand CHANEL handbags with serial numbers and the same serial numbers as the handbags are genuine. However, he gave an example, "Some customers may accidentally confuse the two serial numbers when looking at the bag. As a result, when another customer finds out, he insists that the handbag is fake. In fact, if you know the whole story behind it, you will know that it is a small misunderstanding. Just think about it, a misunderstanding may happen in a small store, and of course it is very likely to happen in many auction houses in Japan."

The number card has caused Zijian to encounter many "difficult" customers. (Lovintage)

If a number card could prove authenticity, there would be no need for forensics in the world.

He also cited another misunderstanding caused by the serial number card: "A few years ago, a friend of a friend bought a handbag from me. Later, the metal chain of the handbag accidentally broke, so she took it to the CHANEL store to repair it. She happened to meet a clerk who I thought was not very professional. After searching the serial number of the handbag on the computer, the clerk could not find any relevant records of the handbag, so he insisted that the handbag was a fake. Later, she mentioned this to me and said to me: "It doesn't matter, it's so normal if it's fake.'"

After Zijian learned about the matter, he immediately asked her to hand over the handbag to him and then sent it back to the CHANEL Japan store for repair. Zijian sighed, "If a number card can prove the authenticity, there would be no need for forensics in the world. Things are not that simple. A second-hand bag that has existed in the world for decades has experienced countless transactions, and it is common for the number card to be lost or damaged during the process." Once, he even talked to a customer on the phone for two hours because of this reason.

Zijian explains in detail how to distinguish the authenticity of CHANEL handbags (Photo: Gong Jiasheng)

In addition to the problems caused by the number card, the picky and high demands of Hong Kong people have also caused many "difficult" things. In addition to asking for a handbag in a nearly new state at a low price, Zijian also said that there were customers who asserted that they bought fakes because the handbags looked different from the CHANEL handbags of their relatives and friends; there were also customers who compared two completely different CHANEL handbags and then asked Zijian why the two were different. Zijian said helplessly: "Even if it is the same style, because the previous CHANEL handbags were all handmade, it is normal for the LOGO to be printed crookedly. "But he also added that these customers are only a minority, and when facing these "difficult" customers and "difficult" things, they should be solved with patience and real evidence.

Zijian said: "Since second-hand CHANEL is all handmade, it is normal for the logo to be printed crookedly. " (Lovintage)

After eight years of business, Zijian's business spans Japan and Hong Kong. Before the outbreak of the epidemic, he also had to deal with many mainland customers. When asked about the differences between customers in the three places, Zijian said that the Japanese people's spending power is not as high as that of Hong Kong and mainland people, and they are more tolerant of the quality of second-hand bags, but Hong Kong people are more enthusiastic and loyal to brands than Japanese people. In addition, the local second-hand market in Japan is dominated by young female customers, while Zijian's customers in Hong Kong are mostly mature ladies.

In terms of taste, Hong Kong consumers pursue more practical styles so that they can use them in daily life; mainland consumers are more daring and are not opposed to the mini bags that have been popular in recent years, but consumers in both places also like the most classic CHANEL bags. When asked if Zijian had ever met a mainland customer who came into the store and pointed at a handbag and said, "Except for this one and that one, I want all the others," he laughed and said, "I want them all." On the contrary, a Hong Kong customer once bought five or six CHANEL handbags in one go, totaling nearly 100,000 yuan. It turns out that there are experts among the people, and the consumption power of Hong Kong people should never be underestimated.

【Love for Vintage Bags】In the third episode, Zijian will personally teach you some knowledge about vintage handbags and also showcase some extremely rare and valuable vintage CHANEL handbags. Please stay tuned.

Original URL: Love for vintage bags | The same CHANEL handbags, different tastes in China, Hong Kong and Japan, making it difficult to deal with them? | Hong Kong 01 https://www.hk01.com/article/541582