Vintage Satchel Company - Review

Two weeks ago I ordered an 11" purple satchel from the Vintage Satchel Company. It arrived today in all its purple glory and I am very happy with it! I thought I would do a little review to tell you about the quality of the satchel.

The Vintage Satchel Company aren't as well known, and perhaps don't have as much of a range of colours of satchels, as some competitors such as the Cambridge Satchel Company and Zatchels. However, from CSC and Zatchels you'd be looking at spending around £100 for an 11" satchel. At VSC you can get an 11" satchel for just £55, still real leather.

I haven't ever handled a satchel from CSC or Zatchels but would assume the craftsmanship is similar, they look almost identical to VSC satchels.

The reason I ordered from VSC is because the price was the most appealing I had found for a real leather satchel, and it was unbelievably difficult to find a satchel in this shade of purple. A lot of purple satchels I found were either too expensive, or were too blue or too pink. VSC happily sent me a swatch of the leather before I ordered, so I could confirm the colour was as desired. This was sent out to me in about 2-3 days of emailing them, and they responded to my request via email in about a day.

So what is the leather like? It seems a very good quality, and you can tell from the smell of it that it is real leather. The buckles on the front are quite difficult to open, but with time they will loosen and be much easier to handle, that's the nature of leather.

Although I would have liked to fit my personal Filofax in the satchel, it's not the end of the world. I leave my Filofax in my car when I'm at work, and rarely take it out with me at the weekends. I tried to fit it in but it just wouldn't with all my other junk.

So what can you fit in an 11" satchel?

In the large compartment I have a long purse standing on end (I love this already, I can instantly find my purse without having to go hunting for it), bottle of perfume, body spray can, sanitary towel, make-up case, a letter I need to post tomorrow (the satchel has stiff leather so it keeps things where they should be!)

In the small compartment I have some mints, a lip balm and my keys. Small items that would get lost in the large compartment, and are easy to access.

The customer service from VSC, I would have to say was averagely good. I placed my order on 25th July and received my satchel today, 14th August. I knew it would take a while as it says on their website that it takes around 14 days for production and delivery. This ordering timescale is fairly common with satchel companies.

Firstly, I had to email VSC as I hadn't received confirmation of my order. Please do not be put off by this though, it turns out the confirmation went into my junk folder.

Secondly, after two weeks had rolled round and I'd heard nothing about the progress of my order, I had to email VSC to find out what the situation was. I had not received a despatch notice or an update. I did however, receive a response a few days later to confirm that the owner of the shop had been on holiday and they would make sure my satchel was sent out by Monday 12th August. This didn't bother me that much, it's just nice to know what's happening when you give someone business.

Luckily, I received her today safe and well, no flaws whatsoever and I am very relieved. I do not make large purchases like this for myself very often, so it was a relief when I unwrapped her and knew she was unharmed.

Overall, if you're patient enough to wait two weeks for your satchel to arrive, order from VSC. The price is very, very competitive and the quality of the product is not lacking because of it.