I recently went on a little shopping spree on Fossil’s website because they had a massive sale… on top of their sale! It was an additional 40% off on their sales/clearance prices so a lot of their inventory was very affordable.
For those who don’t know, Fossil is a well-known retailer of affordable and nice watches in Canada and the US. What many don’t realize is that Fossil has a great selection of leather bags for women and men and their quality and designs are fantastic. Honestly, one leather bag from Fossil can last you a decade, even if you are someone that tosses bags around like there’s no tomorrow. I believe the famous leather guy on TikTok, the one that deconstructs leather bags to see if it’s worth your money, did one on Fossil and concluded that it was great quality for the price. Their watches are also fantastic and at an entry-level price for anyone that wants a fancy watch for that one special occasion without breaking the bank. So you best believe I jumped on the sale quickly!
Here’s what I grabbed (all prices are after the additional 40% off) and a review for all the items:
Watches:
Item: His and Her Fenmore Multifunction Stainless Steel Watch Gift Set
Price: $69.50 CAD
Thoughts: A beautiful couples watch! It looks very polished, clean, and high quality without forking over hundreds of dollars. I think it’s a great entry-level “fancy” watch for specific outfits or events.
Jewellery:
Item: Vintage Iconic Oh So Charming Rose Gold-Tone Stainless Steel Chain Necklace
Price: $7.00 CAD
Thoughts: Cute for only $7! It’s very dainty and great for layering or on its own. Personally, I wouldn’t purchase this for full price ($40.00). I love the cute little tin box it came in – a great little piece to be reused for travelling with jewellery.
Item: Vintage Iconic Oh So Charming Silver-Tone Stainless Steel Chain Necklace
Price: $10.00 CAD
Thoughts: My first instinct was – why is this priced higher than the rose gold necklace when they’re the same?! Either way, it’s cute, very dainty, and great for layering with other necklaces or just wear it on its own.
Note: I included mod shots with these bags but came bare-face so I do apologize these photos aren’t as glammed up and polished! Since being pregnant, I don’t wear too much makeup, my hair is always frizzy, and my small condo only has so much space for shooting.
Bags:
Item: Kyler Tote in Green
Price: $64.50 CAD
Thoughts: Love the moss green! I feel like it’s such a nice warm colour to transition between spring, summer, and fall. It’s spacious without being copiously big and I do adore the split pocket inside. The leather feels soft and great, and the brass hardware looks very thick and sturdy so I have no concerns over it (honestly, the clasp is stronger than some of my designer bags). It comes with short handles and an adjustable & detachable shoulder strap for a two-way carry (handles will not go over shoulders). The bag can be closed with a strong magnet in the middle and measures to be 33 cm L x 11.4 cm W x 29.2 cm H (13″ L x 4.5″ W x 11.5″ H). It makes for a perfect work bag or when you need to carry a little bit more.
Click for full-size images.
For reference, I am 5ft, currently 140lb pregnant (pre-pregnancy, I weigh around 115lb.
Wearing a burnt orange linen dress from Taobao in S.
Item: Kyler Satchel in Blue
Price: $113 CAD (not inclusive of my 15% discount)
Thoughts: The bag that initially got away but I just couldn’t get the blue out of my head! It’s a beautiful shade that is not too bright so I feel like it pairs well with all seasons. I’ve looked for different blue bags with a similar design and in a similar price range but found most of the blues to be a bit too bright. The leather is soft and similar to its bigger sibling the Kyler Tote, it comes with short handles, adjustable & detachable shoulder straps, and lots of pockets inside. It can close via a strong magnet in the middle and measures to be 25.4 cm L x 11.4 cm W x 22.2 cm H (10″ L x 4.5″ W x 8.75″ H). I think it’s a great everyday bag for errands and honestly, maybe even for short trips if you’re not carrying much!
Click for full-size images.
For reference, I am 5ft, currently 140lb pregnant (pre-pregnancy, I weigh around 115lb.
Wearing a burnt orange linen dress from Taobao in S.
Item: Kyler Satchel in Multi-Stripe
Price: $113 (not inclusive of my 15% discount)
Thoughts: I was very hesitant about this bag and I deeply regret not grabbing it in my first order since it would’ve been $56.50 CAD!!! But after much thought, I grabbed its original sale price of $113 and love it. I feel this is the perfect spring and summer bag but the colours are so nice and subtle that it pairs well in fall too. It’s exactly the same as the blue satchel above.
Click for full-size images.
For reference, I am 5ft, currently 140lb pregnant (pre-pregnancy, I weigh around 115lb.
Wearing a burnt orange linen dress from Taobao in S.
Unfortunately, in my first order, the blue Skyler Satchel was out of stock by the time they processed my order so they sent me a coupon for 15% off. It took me several weeks to use it because I was humming and hawing over the satchel but ended up pulling the trigger. Since the item was out of stock in all nearby stores, the 15% coupon essentially saved me the shipping fee. I will admit that I was a little disappointed Fossil could not retroactively give me a price guarantee since they said it was out of stock (at the time of processing my 1st order)… but the satchel was still available for purchase at a slightly higher price for weeks until I placed my second order with them.
Shipping was also quite chaotic. As mentioned earlier, I had two orders with Fossil since I added two more satchels in the end. My first order was placed on July 16, 2023, during the mega sale so understandably it would take a while; it shipped out on July 28, 2023, and is estimated to arrive on August 10th, 2023. The second order I placed was on August 2, 2023, and shipped on August 3, 2023 (so fast!). It’s due to arrive on August 8th, 2023.
My concern revolved primarily around the fact that I received my tracking information on my second order right away, but my first order was still marked as pending shipping date, and when I checked on FedEx, it told me that tracking did not exist. I eventually followed up with their chat support and their rep apologized for the confusion; the tracking information on the 1st order was for Purolator and the 2nd order was shipped with FedEx. She mentioned that they switched from FedEx to Purolator for their Canadian operations but I still received a working FedEx tracking number for my 2nd order so it baffled me a bit. Regardless, I still appreciate the clarification!
Lastly, as much as I enjoy Fossil, their pricing scheme has turned me off and it will honestly take me some time to consider purchasing from them again. As I mentioned earlier, the blue Skyler Satchel was out of stock when I placed my first order and I spent weeks afterwards debating about it. I received an email advertisement that sale items were an additional 40% off again so I was quick to jump back online to grab the bag that got away… only to find out, they increased the original ticket price so the 40% “sale” was never a sale since that same price has been the sale price for the past week!
For full transparency, here’s the price tag that came with each bag:
At the time of writing this (August 11, 2023), Fossil is advertising an additional 50% off on top of their sales and clearance section so I went to double-check their pricing practice. Lo and behold, their “sale” price was marked up again so after the additional 50% off, the price is essentially the same as last month without the “additional 50% off”. As you can see… the price listed online ($429.00) vs the price tag that arrived with my green tote bag ($295) nearly doubled! The final sale price of this tote is still much more expensive than when I first purchased this tote.
In hindsight, maybe my “mega sale” wasn’t as big of a sale as I thought after witnessing their pricing practices, but it did feel like it was a legitimate sale when you look at the final sale prices. I understand it’s all business in the end but having to witness it is extremely disappointing! I guess it’s true when they say ignorance is bliss.
What do you think about Fossil and its products? What about their “sales” pricing practices?
*Disclaimer: this review is not sponsored by Fossil. All opinions are of Eleventh Avenue and no incentives were given.
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