Purse F.A.Q.

What is the timeline for purse production?

The pre-sale will last for three days. When the sale is closed, I will submit the order to my manufacturer. The process of submitting the order and payment takes approximately one week. Production will then begin around April 20th. Production usually takes somewhere between 1-2 months, at which point the purses are mailed to me and usually take another month to arrive. I will be hand-packing every purse entirely on my own, so please keep that in mind if you are getting anxious about your order shipping. I will go as fast as I can, but it's just me. I expect to begin shipping the bags out sometime in July and hope to complete them as fast as possible. I will be posting updates on this page and sending out a weekly email with production updates to keep you informed throughout the process 💕

I thought you said you would never sell these again?

And I meant it! When knock-offs of my bag started showing up on amazon, temu, and shein, my own sales plummeted. Fast fashion influencers promoted the copycats and got millions of views, while my own posts on social media would get crickets. My original design lost the battle against the copies and I wasn't able to meet my manufacturer minimums to keep producing them. I need to sell 25 of each color/design in order to make them, and I wasn't selling enough to do that. I literally could not make them, even if I wanted to. And honestly? I did NOT want to anymore. This experience broke my heart in so many ways, I went through a period where I didn't even want to make *anything,* let alone my bags. I felt like the bags destroyed my whole life and I couldn't even stand to look at them. I put my original samples in storage in my parents' basement and I stopped wearing them. 

My decision to offer another pre-sale was a difficult one, but I ended up here for a few reasons. First of all, I'm still in a financial rut and I really want to be able to move on with my life. I racked up a lot of credit card debt by charging basic living & business expenses while I waited for my house to sell, because all of my liquid assets were going to pay for my mortgage. I managed to scrape by (I literally had about $100 in my bank account on the day that my house finally closed!) but I'm currently living with my parents while I try to get back on my feet. The economy hasn't been kind to small businesses, and my main source of income, my etsy shop, has been floundering. I started thinking about my purses, and wondering if the thing that ruined my life could possibly save it. If this one sale goes well, I would ideally be able to pay off my remaining debt, put a deposit down on an apartment, get an appointment for Arrietty with a specialist her vet recommended, and pay for my certification to retrain for a new career.

I thought I'd just test the waters and see if there was still just enough interest to do one more sale. And there was! It's definitely not enough that I'd be able to do monthly sales again (and I'm honestly nervous that I'll meet those 25 minimums even with the positive feedback I've received about another pre-sale) but I'm hopeful that it's enough to help me get my life in order. And if it does, it would re-color my feelings about the bags. I want to love them and be proud of them again. I was SO in love with the design and so thrilled with the reception when I first launched them. I want to feel good about them again and not be reminded of the worst period of my life whenever I look at them.

What happens if I move before you ship my bag?

About a week before shipping begins I'll send an email out asking anyone who has had a change of address to get in touch, to make sure all the bags are going to the right places :)

How do I know if my favorite cup will fit in the bag?

The cup compartment is 4" x 4" wide and 7.5" tall. I've also done some fit tests demonstrating how well different brands and sizes fit at tiktok.com/@misskategabrielle and instagram.com/kategabrielle

What happens if I get a pre-sale purse and ready-to ship items in the same order?

Your whole order will ship together when the purse is ready to ship. If you need other items to arrive quickly, please place two separate orders. (All stickers and greeting cards ship free, and if your order doesn't include a purse there is a $25 threshold for free US shipping so if you meet that you wouldn't have to pay shipping twice!)

Would you ever make a real leather version of your purse?

I don't wear animal products so no, I wouldn't make leather versions of my bags. However, if there was enough interest and if I could find a way to use recycled leather I would consider it at some point.