Portland Leather Goods FAQ

Due to the Coronavirus pandemic, we are operating with a limited staff to maintain safety and social distancing guidelines. Our production time has therefore been extended. We will ship your beautiful leather goods as quickly as possible and appreciate your patience and understanding! 

When your order has been shipped, you will automatically receive an email with a USPS tracking number so you can follow along on its journey to you!

Our customer service team is temporarily working limited hours from home, with weekends off. Please be patient while waiting for a response to messages, sometimes up to 48 hours. For weekend messages, we will try to get back to you as quickly as possible once we're back to work on Monday or Tuesday.

When this happens, we find that most packages have either been delivered to a neighboring address or will arrive on the following day. If the package does not appear within a few days, please reach out via email with your order number and/or tracking number.

We know it seems like an easy request to modify something that is handmade, but we do get so many requests for custom work or small changes that we've had to make a blanket rule to stick to our designs as they are! Any changes do significantly disrupt the flow of production, and we just feel that it's not fair on our already very hard-working staff. Thanks for understanding!

Our leather goods are made to go along with you on all of your adventures! Even so, full-grain leather can be very vulnerable the first few weeks of its life and scuffs and scratches are part of the territory. Full grain leather will never look flawless, as it hasn't been covered in any kind of plastic coating and it hasn’t been sanded down to remove imperfections. The result is an incredibly durable product. It is meant to have that rugged look that we personally love. 

If there is a scratch on the leather that bothers you, try buffing it out with your fingertip or a soft cloth.  Many of our leather colors have sufficient oils & waxes in the formula to help "heal" surface marks as they occur.  Otherwise, if your bag develops marks that aren't particularly bothersome, we recommend that you let your tote get a little scuffed up—normal wear & tear encourages the natural oils in the leather to release, giving your bag a gorgeous, lived-in patina over time. 

Since our items are often gifted, we never include inventory sheets or receipts in the package.

We do our very best to keep our quality leather items as affordable as possible – running regular sales when we can afford to! The truth is that the majority of online companies are selling mass produced items that are made with low quality leather and laser etched to personalize. They buy them at such a low cost that they can afford to give you free shipping and still make money. What we can assure you of is this – when you buy our full grain leather products, they will be 100% hand made at a far superior quality than most other leather sellers. At 50% off retail plus other occasional discounts, we have already lowered our prices to the maximum we are capable of doing. Since we haven't factored shipping costs into this pricing, we need to charge the appropriate costs. USPS has raised their prices a bit over the last year and we acknowledge that. However after doing a comparison with other shipping options we still feel like the benefits outweigh the costs. This is because they offer tracking and signature confirmation while assuring a very speedy delivery. We hope you understand where we are coming from!

We certainly want everyone to enjoy our leather, far and wide… However, shipping our goods out of the US brings about some serious challenges and in order to keep up with our current production demand, and also keep our items at the same low price point, we have had to make the hard decision to not offer international shipping. If at all possible, we encourage you to find someone in the US that you trust to receive an order for you and make your own international shipping arrangements—this can also be beneficial in avoiding customs charges, since the sender is not a business!

When this happens, we find that most packages have either been delivered to a neighboring address or will arrive on the following day. If the package does not appear within a few days, please reach out via email with your order number and/or tracking number.

We often have multiple discount options available through different platforms, however, we can't stack coupons so we suggest going with the best deal of the day! If you have a code for signing up for our newsletter, you can save that to use another time.

Since our items are already 50% off retail, plus we often run additional discounts, we do not offer a bulk discount for purchasing large quantities. We promise you’re still getting a fantastic value!

As a handmade leather goods company, we receive a lot of queries about custom work. Unfortunately, we aren't able to offer bespoke craftsmanship to our customers. Even small changes to designs significantly disrupt the flow of production, which is why we aren't able to accommodate those requests. Thank you so much for understanding!

Since our leather is oil-tanned, you won't need to do anything to care for it at the outset. As you begin to use your bag, you'll notice that the leather will naturally condition itself from the inside out, developing a beautiful sheen and naturally buffing scuffs and scratches. After 6-12 months of use, you may notice that you'd like to condition the leather to restore its luster and buff out any dry spots or scuffs. We use the Chamberlain’s Leather Milk in our workshop every day and are able to use it on even our lightest colors without any noticeable darkening. In our experience, the leather will look a bit darker when you first apply the conditioner, but will return to the original color when dry. Of course, take care to use a reasonable amount, as a super heavy coat may have different effects on the leather. Finally, some customers choose to add an extra waterproofing spray to their leather so it will better wick raindrops and moisture, but this is optional.

Full grain leather is the strongest and most durable available. It is real leather and the unique texture and natural imperfections from the cow's life have not been sanded, cut or shaved off. Full grain leather is SIX times stronger than buffed, upholstery, or 'genuine leather'. Rather than wearing out, full grain leather will naturally condition with use, developing a much sought-after patina and unique character over time. More common 'genuine leather' products available from large department stores have been stripped down and rebuilt with resins, waxes, and chemicals to make all 100,000 look identical. The best these mass-made products will ever look is the day you buy them! In contrast, your full grain Portland Leather Goods items will be stunning when you use them for the first time, and only increase in beauty with every day, becoming something you will treasure for a lifetime.

The difference between the Premium items and our Almost Perfect items is the number of natural character marks. All full-grain leather has some natural character marks from the cow’s life—bug bites, scratches, stretch marks, wrinkles and flaps. Almost Perfect often will have a mark that is slightly more obvious or will have a combination of the characteristics above. It’s also possible that the color was just a little off from the rest of the hides. Most people are very happy with their Almost Perfect purchase and appreciate the extra uniqueness! None of these "imperfections" will affect the integrity of the item—you'll still receive a wonderfully well-made product that will last a lifetime, and if you are not happy, it can still be returned or exchanged!

Yes. You can cancel an order within one hour of placing it.

To request a cancellation, please send an email with your order number to

customerservice@portlandleathergoods.com

RETURNS

In order to return or exchange an item, you must contact us within 7 days of delivery (this window is extended around holidays) and we will provide instructions. You will be responsible for paying for your own shipping costs for returning your item unless it arrived damaged, defective or it was sent in error. Original shipping costs are non-refundable.

To be eligible for a return, your item must be unused and in new condition. We do not accept returns on personalized items, unless they arrive damaged or defective.

There are certain situations where only partial refunds may be granted (if applicable), such as an item not in its original condition, being damaged or missing parts for reasons not due to our error.

REFUNDS

Once your return is received and inspected, we will send you an email to notify you that we have received your returned item. Your refund, if applicable, will be processed and a credit will be applied to your credit card or original method of payment. Processing time will depend on your method of payment and your bank’s policies.

LATE OR MISSING REFUNDS (if applicable)

If you haven’t received a refund yet, first check your bank account again—it can take some banks 1-2 weeks to process. Please contact your bank or credit card company to ask when you can expect a refund to post.

If you’ve done all of this and you still have not received your refund yet, please contact us at customerservice@portlandleathergoods.com. 

EXCHANGES (if applicable)

We do allow exchanges for unused, non-personalized items. You must contact us within 7 days of delivery and we will provide instructions on how to proceed with an exchange. Send us an email at customerservice@portlandleathergoods.com and please include your order number.

SHIPPING

We use USPS Priority to ship all items within 1-3 days with tracking service. If you are returning an item you can use any shipping carrier or method you choose. 

If you are shipping an item over $75, you should consider using a trackable shipping service or purchasing shipping insurance. 

All of our leather goods are guaranteed for life for manufacturing defects. If you believe that your leather item has a manufacturing defect, please email our customer service team at customerservice@portlandleathergoods.com with photos of the issue, as well as proof of purchase. Proof of purchase can be in the form of either a confirmation email or order number. Our company has been around since 2016 and we still see totes from that first year looking richer and more beautiful than ever! Specific details of our warranty are as follows:

Leather: We believe in the toughness and durability of full-grain leather. Our straps and leather hides should never break, tear or develop holes even around the area of natural character mark. We will be happy to replace your tote or the straps if this happens for the cost of shipping!

Hardware: Rivets, snaps, and metal hardware are guaranteed for the life of your item.  If something breaks within the first 6 months of use, let us know and we’ll set you up with a repair and cover your shipping charges. After that, simply cover the cost to ship your item to our workshop and we’ll cover the cost of materials, labor, and shipping back to you for up to two full years.  For products over 2 years old, we’re still happy to repair any broken hardware and will cover the cost of materials and labor, we just ask that you cover all shipping costs to and from our workshop. If you’d prefer to have the repairs done locally instead, let us know and we can send you the hardware you need for just the cost of a flat rate envelope!

Stitching: Whenever possible our team is happy to repair the stitching on your item.  If the stitching is faulty due to a manufacturing error, we will repair the stitching free of charge, or if the stitching cannot be repaired, we will replace your item within the first 90 days of purchase.  If the seam is coming apart due to wear and tear, we simply ask that you cover the shipping charges to and from our workshop so we can make the repair.  Unfortunately, internal seams are not always accessible and cannot be repaired. Take care not to over-stress these seams, so they can stay sturdy for years to come!

Zippers: Please note that zippers are not under warranty. Take care not to over-stuff your zippered item, as increased tension can cause tears in the zipper fabric.

It’s always a sad day when spills and stains happen! There are some things you can do to remove or minimize the damage depending on the nature of the stain. 

For water lines that appear after spilling water or liquid in your totes try the following: mix a solution of moisturizing soap such as Dove and warm water, dip a soft cloth into it, wring it out and wipe the exterior surfaces of the purse, focusing on the water line. Use a second clean, damp cloth to wipe off the soap. Blot dry with a towel. 

For other stains, try a leather cleaner such as Chamberlain’s Leather Cleaner and follow the product instructions: Purchase Here

Note: if you plan on caring for the item yourself, make sure to spot-test any products in a hidden area, like the back of the inside pocket in case there are unexpected results.

If all else fails, or in the case of a more devastating stain, please seek out a local dry cleaner as they’re likely to have experience in removing stains from porous materials. 

Every day our Portland workshop is buzzing with the sound of sewing machines, the clanking of metal brands, and the hammering of rivets. We work solely with USA hides, but we source from the best, eco-friendly tanneries (the folks that prepare and dye the hides we use for our totes). The best tanneries are located in León, Mexico and we are proud to have found the best full-grain leather possible which is the foundation of our designs. 

Up until late 2019, we made everything in Portland, however we found that we could not keep up with the demand. We asked an artisan workshop in León if they wanted to also help us sew some of our new designs, and after many trips back and forth, meeting the owner and the wonderful (and often generational) employees , we are happy to say that the arrangement is working out spectacularly! So while we still make many items right here in our Portland workshop in the USA, certain designs are proudly made in Mexico (you might see a stamp on those items letting you know they were made there, and then shipped to us for final assembly and inspection). You can learn more about this partnership and see some of the faces & facilities of our wonderful Mexico, team on our Partnership page: https://www.portlandleathergoods.com/pages/partnership

We are always happy to review a photo of your tote to make sure that you received the correct color. In the overwhelming majority of cases, the tote is the correct color, however, as leather is a natural material and it is dyed in batches, there is a spectrum within any particular shade. This is more prominent in the brown tones, such as Cognac and Honey. We review and update our listing photos as frequently as possible to make sure the color we are sending out is represented as accurately as possible. Keep in mind that our photos are taken in either a bright studio or on the street using professional cameras, so your tote might not have the same vibrance when you open the box on your dining room table! Take your tote into natural light and if you feel the shade is off from what you expected, snap a picture for us to review and send to customerservice@portlandleathergoods.com along with your order number. 

This is totally normal and you don’t need to worry. While we started as a made-to-order leather goods company, we now pre-make many of our items in-house and at our partner workshop to shorten the time you have to wait. When we have the product you ordered pre-made and boxed up, we can ship it out quickly—usually in just 1-2 days. However, we don’t always have every product or size in-stock. This means that many of our goods are made-to-order which take a little extra time, care and your patience. When in doubt, check your confirmation email for our current lead time. And remember that we count in business days, so make sure to skip the weekends when estimating your ship date.
Keep in mind, there are also certain times when our production time is longer, often several weeks, so don’t worry if you haven’t heard from us! We are working behind the scenes and you will receive a tracking email automatically when your order is on the way.