# How do u tell fp from factory bags?



## lovemywillis

I'm new to kate spade and want to know how to tell factory from boutique bags so I don't  over pay. Thanks!!!


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## sunspray

The SA at the outlet today told me if the bag has the patch on the front it's MFF and also if the spade is solid it's a FP transfer but if it's spade outline it's MFF.  Also if you're shopping in the outlet the MFF price tags have two prices. I think it says "like price" and "our price". Hth.


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## sunspray

Oh, I also wanted to add that I think the KS MFF bags are very nice!


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## sunspray

Hmm I just looked at the website and some FP nylon bags have that patch on front so that's not always a rule like she told me.


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## crazyforcoach09

sunspray said:


> Oh, I also wanted to add that I think the KS MFF bags are very nice!


I agree. I was in the outlet for first time yesterday


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## seton

lovemywillis said:


> I'm new to kate spade and want to know how to tell factory from boutique bags so I don't  over pay. Thanks!!!



where are u buying from?


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## Superbaby

I am new to Kate spade too. What is 'MFF" and what is "FP" ?


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## happenstance

Superbaby said:


> I am new to Kate spade too. What is 'MFF" and what is "FP" ?




MFF means it was made only for the Factory Outlet, FP means it went to the Boutiques and then ended up as a transfer to the outlet stores. 

Sometimes the sale will be different for FP and MFF, for example when I was in the Seattle outlets a few weeks ago everything in their 'sale' section was an extra 20 percent off (almost all of the sale stuff was FP stuff) and the MFF bags were an extra 40 percent off.

The MFF bags, I have to say, with the Kate Spade brand are beautiful and I feel are better quality than some of the other brands that do MFF.  But that's just a personal opinion!


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## happenstance

You used to also be able to tell FP bags because they had the gold plated branding rather than the leather plate, but on my last trip I bought a MFF bag for my BFF's birthday with a gold plate branding, it was georgeous, I had a hard time sending it off to her and not keeping it to myself!

The tag difference though is the best way to tell!


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## lovemywillis

seton said:


> where are u buying from?



Maybe eBay....


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## seton

lovemywillis said:


> Maybe eBay....



ok.
general rule is that MFF would skimp on leather. Check the double pockets inside the bag. Most MFF wont have the leather trim on them like FP.


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## PopOfColor

When buying from the official Kate Spade store on Ebay or on KateSpade.com, the details will stay "designed for kate spade new york outlet stores"

Example: http://www.katespade.com/wellesley-alessa/WKRU1743-2,en_US,pd.html


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## sunspray

seton said:


> ok.
> general rule is that MFF would skimp on leather. Check the double pockets inside the bag. Most MFF wont have the leather trim on them like FP.



Oh that's interesting.  I'd rather my inside pockets not have leather trim though.


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## lovemywillis

seton said:


> ok.
> general rule is that MFF would skimp on leather. Check the double pockets inside the bag. Most MFF wont have the leather trim on them like FP.



Thank you!


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## lovemywillis

Is there an outlet online like coach has?


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## sunspray

lovemywillis said:


> Is there an outlet online like coach has?



No but the website has flash sales with FP and MFF stuff.


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## knightal

If I remember correctly some lines are MFF (Wellesley and maybe Newbury Lane).  Kate Spade also remade some popular full price styles for factory and kept the same names (Gold Coast Maryann, book clutches and other novelty clutches).

When I went to the outlet, a nice SA told me that style numbers that start with p are full price and w are MFF.  Also full price merchandise price tags will say "Mfr Suggested Retail Price $xxx" and MFF price tags will say "Like Style $xx and Our Price $xx".


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## happenstance

knightal said:


> If I remember correctly some lines are MFF (Wellesley and maybe Newbury Lane).  Kate Spade also remade some popular full price styles for factory and kept the same names (Gold Coast Maryann, book clutches and other novelty clutches).
> 
> When I went to the outlet, a nice SA told me that style numbers that start with p are full price and w are MFF.  Also full price merchandise price tags will say "Mfr Suggested Retail Price $xxx" and MFF price tags will say "Like Style $xx and Our Price $xx".



I have always loved that about the SA's at Kate Spade's outlets.  They're super nice, never pushy or stuck up and a lot of them seem to actually really love the product, and the customers.  They're happy to tell you about the difference between MFF and FP.  I had a conversation about FP bags with one while in California on my last trip, as I was having a hard time deciding which bags to buy (I ended up getting both  ), about how I adore their FP stuff but sometimes I balk because of the price, and she was really chatty about how Transfers work, how often they come in, and how wasn't it awesome that if you're patient a lot of the time you can get everything you want at a better price (or getting two bags for the price of one).


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## mostly

Hi,am new to Kate Spade.Did not know that she makes seperate stuff for outlets and FP.But what are transfers? Are those the bags which were made FP and then taken to the outlets?Sorry if that sounds silly but just wanted to know


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## seton

mostly said:


> Hi,am new to Kate Spade.Did not know that she makes seperate stuff for outlets and FP.But what are transfers? Are those the bags which were made FP and then taken to the outlets?Sorry if that sounds silly but just wanted to know




yes, that is what transfers are.


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## Joolez

lovemywillis said:


> Is there an outlet online like coach has?


Kate Spade bags are only featured online, from what I've seen, in their flash sales. There, they sell a mix of retail and "designed for Kate Spade new york outlet store" bags. 

I've bought 2 MFF bags to date and the quality is really good - the Cobble Hill Finley and Wellsley Rachelle: http://www.polyvore.com/kate_spade_new_york_wellesley/thing?id=76077345 

Love them both! Their outlet bags are great and style is consistent compared to other brands for sure.


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## SK007

I have both MFF and FP, and I must say... there doesn't seem to be much of a difference in quality. I had a Mikas Pond Janelle (FP) in black, and it broke within 2 months, while I have a Newbury Lane Cammie (MFF) in vertgreen, and it's still going strong after at least a year. TBH, though I love KS, I don't find their bags to be of significant quality. I mostly buy KS for style.


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## Lurvebags

Great thread! Learned a lot from it&#128522;


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## theeditor

I know this is a little late but I've done some research and there are a few things that seem to help show if a Kate Spade is MFF of FP.

A lot of the bags have a little metal spade on the front. Not always, but often, if the item is MFF, the spade will look like an outline like this luxurycity.com.sg/shop/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/1000x1500/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/k/a/kate_spade_alessa_southport_avenue-wkru1801-098689624617-_765-_458.jpg


If it is FP, the spade often looks solid like this






This is not a hard and fast rule. On accessories especially, a lot of outlet things still have a solid spade. But if it is an outline, it is almost certainly MFF.

There is a little tag in most KS bags that I know of that is a little white tab, usually tucked into the corner of a pocket. It has the item # and what appears to be a date code. If the item # begins with a P it is usually FP, if it begins with a W it is usually MFF. I can't find a photo of what I'm describing, but in all of my KS bags, this applies.

Hope this helps!


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## theeditor

For some reason the first photo won't post but if you google "Kate Spade Southport Alessa" that bag shows a pretty clear view of the spade outline I'm talking about.


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## Mcandy

Is wellesly fp?


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## Lurvebags

Mcandy said:


> Is wellesly fp?




I'm pretty sure it's MFF ...


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## Mcandy

Thank you.


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## lv_cali

I bought a bag from the Kate Spade store on Ebay.  It was a Southport Ave Carmen.  I still am not sure if its factory or not.  It has the outline of a spade, but I did find it on their main website.  I did have a very snooty SA tell me it was factory when I inquired about repairs, but does KS sell made for outlet on their main website?  The quality of this bag is terrible.  I owned it for only a few months and the leather wore off the top flap, the handles, and the bottom.


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## knightal

lv_cali said:


> I bought a bag from the Kate Spade store on Ebay.  It was a Southport Ave Carmen.  I still am not sure if its factory or not.  It has the outline of a spade, but I did find it on their main website.  I did have a very snooty SA tell me it was factory when I inquired about repairs, but does KS sell made for outlet on their main website?  The quality of this bag is terrible.  I owned it for only a few months and the leather wore off the top flap, the handles, and the bottom.


They do sell outlet items during their surprise sales and on their "SALE" section of the website.  You might want to call their customer service to see if you can send your bag in for repairs.  They should stand by their products regardless there they are made for.


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## sleepykris

lovemywillis said:


> Is there an outlet online like coach has?



i don't think so.  though sometimes during kate spade flash sales, they have items that are made for outlet only.

i agree, the outlet quality items from kate spade are very nice quality, i can't tell the difference really!


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## crystalsweet

the outlet bags always start with the code WKRU
and the department ones always start with the code PXRU

hope that helps! each bag has a code


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