AJ
You don't say what sort of handbag you are looking for ? If you want the beaded and hippy sort of bags they are available. But if you are looking for designer fake handbags, the south isn't the place.
I know of only one shop, " Musk " in Cavelossim can't comment on the quality or price as I don't buy that sort of thing. If you have been used to the choice in th north, I think you would be best to go shopping there.
x lassi

Hi AJ we stay in the south but i go to the north for my leather bags, my daughter was in Betalbatim for xmas and new year and i ask her to go to leather touch in candolim, she found 7 bags purses and a mirror and he wonted £270 which worked out about £35 each bag,she phoned me and i said i dont mind paying £25 each as that is what i payed in january, he totally refused to budge in price even though she told him that i had bought several bags from him and had recommended him to others, she left his shop with nothing, it seems that they are trying to recoup there loses by trying to over charge, all prices of leather bags have gone up. Sorry for waffling on but i was really annoyed.Gel

Hi

Sorry, I forgot to say, it's the fake handbags I usualy buy. Based on what your saying looks like I'll probably spend a day or 2 in the North & get them.

Thanks
AJ

AJ be prepared to pay at least £10 more for them each my daughter bought ours in chic, and from what i have been told even these were £10 more than last year.I am having second thoughts about travelling from the south, after you pay return fare for the taxi they work out very exspensive fake bags, will try and find out about the shop called Musk. Gel

Thanks fiona for separating this i did think the ladies should know how much they are trying to charge for the bags this year. Gel

the subject of handbags is very important GEL

I totally agree fiona.

I bought bags from Musk in the north 2 years ago,and paid £35 each for them then,even though i bought 4 they wouldn,t drop the price any more(they did start off more expensive but can't remember how much)Saying that the quality was really good and i think must have been in every handbag shop.If there's a musk in the south i wouldn't bother with the cost of the taxi.

Manxcat thankyou for your reply, if i dont hear that Rambo has put his prices down by the end of the the year i will stay in the south and go to Musk there, at least i wont have to pay for a taxi to the north.It would be great if anyone goes into leather touch if they would let me know how much he is charging for the leather bags. Many thanks Gel

GEL is Leather Touch the shop on Candolim Beach road next door to Zorros? I bought some lovely bags from there last year for £20 and have recieved many compliments... would also be interested to know how much prices have risen this year.

Hi habanalibra i think leather touch do have a shop on the beach road but the one my daughter went into first was the one near the magnum resort, the address is 4 magnum resorts candolim, i had bought a lot of bags from him in january last year for £25 each, my daughter went to the shop in december (travelling from the south for the day) to buy me and herself some more bags. I recieved a phone call from her at 4.45am telling me that the bags were really nice and explained what he had, i said fine they sound great, then about 10 minutes later i had another phone call saying that he had put another £10 on top of the price in january, Lauren (daughter) told him that i had sent her and that i was happy to pay the £25 but not £35, she had 7 bags purses and a couple of mirrors, her friend also had bags to buy, i had told a lot of people about him and i know some bought several bags from him, she told Rambo this, he did not care less, lauren left with nothing. she did go to the other shop but did not relise that it belonged to Rambo until the younge man ask if she had seen the bags somewhere eles,when she looked and said yes he said you will not get these any cheaper than the other shop. She landed up buying them from Chic but had to barter hard to get them for £25 each.I think that because it is quiet there they fill they should charge more, which is a silly attitude as he lost out on a big sale. I am going to wait and see what sort of prices he is charging later this yearbefore i decide if i will make the trip from the south.Sorry its so long winded but thought this needed to be told. Gel

about 7 years ago I met Rambo, I took in pictures of bags including a chloe padlock bag as I told him that the burberry range he was selling was out of touch with the great british public, I also took a picture in of a Mulberry Luella bag and told him to make it for me at what ever cost ( I still have it but no longer use it) he made it and hung it up in his shop and had to tell many people it was not for sale.

I bought the bag and told him I would bring him pictures every year so he could keep up with the times, he did and made a lot of bags and also made a lot of money. 2 years ago I went in to but some bags for my friends and Rambo telling me as always I will get a huge discount.

When I went to purchase my bags the discount was £7 to what was on the label and even after a lot of chit chat he only came down another £2

my friend who was with me bought about 6 of the same bag and he told her she had a dicount, a few days later another mate who was on holiday in Goa met us at a bar and was telling us about a bag she had bought and even got a discount...it was the same price that my friend had paid! I went back to him and told him I would no longer be 'helping' him out or reccomending him to any one..he was not happy.

Last year he asked me who I have been speaking to about his shop and he stated that he read horrible untrue things on a website that english people write on I told him that he should put his prices down or he will see his business fall as the british people go by word of mouth and jottings on website forums.

He obviuosly has not taken heed of this and continues to rip people off with his amazing prices.. even £25 for a fakey designer bag from Goa is in my opinion a total and utter rip off for what it actually costs him to make.

I never buy from him now, I only go in to say hello and as much as the cool leather smell and the site of some very nice bags may be, I refuse to pay his 'special prices' and I have told him so.

Hi vegasone i agree £25 is a lot but they were so well made i did'nt mind, i had come from the south and had seen some really badly made ones for a lot more, that was the reason i payed that. but i agree he has no middle man to pay, £35 was a joke, he oviously has learnt nothing from your little chat and also my daughter telling him that i had recommended him to lots of people.I know a few ladies from another site are going to go into his shop while in goa and see what he is charging and are going to tell him that he is going to loose a lot of his regular customers if he contues to over charge. Maybe he sells his bags eles where and does not need our money if not he is a very silly man.I've got to say my daughter did not find bags that she like as much any where eles, and only bought gifts that i had promised to my family, never of us landed up with a new bag Can i ask where do you go now for your bags? as he will not get money from me unless he rethinks his prices. Gel

I don't buy bags anymore for anyone unless my sister really wants one. I used to buy them for my friends who were desperate to have a designer bag for a small cost but now I don't bother because in Uk you cant get the real fakey bags from websites like vanilla etc or order them from china for less than Rambo charges.

2 years ago I took a bag back I had bought for my sister as all the sewing came undone, he fixed it but it just lyes in the bottom of her wardrobe now

The trouble is with Rambo that he will always get people buying his bags at those prices because his shop is in an area of alot of traffic and people walk in and see designer styleee bags for £25 think they are getting a bargain.

There is a nice bag shop on the right, a little way down Tito's lane in Baga. Last season I went and tried to haggle over a bag I wanted, but although we had a joke and a chat, the guy would not reduce it. I left it, in case I saw one elsewhere for what I wanted to pay. On our last night I walked past and told him we were leaving and I had x amount of money left, he let me have it. Sometimes it's worth hanging in there. I wouldn't begrudge normal sellers because they are poorer, but the leather shops are more affluent, so I don't mind. If I even look in a bag shop when we are there in March, my oh will kill me!! I could open a shop myself. I bought 3 last season in Goa and one in Kerala in November. Men just don't get it do they?!!

It seems most places wonted at least £25 in december, my daughter is pretty good at haggling,I think i will have to have a proper look around the south next time, hopefully i will find somewhere, it will also save me the taxi fare to the north.Anyone know of anywhere in the south i would be gratefull. Gel

glimpses of india on the main road in candolim were selling good quality fake bags for between £8-£15 in november.

lovely bloke that owns it, always get offered drinks when you go in even if youre not buying.

we bought 2 made to measure leather jackets from there for about £70 for 2.

Bought quite a few bags from Glimpses of India really nice people in there not pushy at all
never paid more than £10/£15 and around £3 for the purses,good ready made shirts for the men
cheaper than the tailors
ann

Paxrax and ann thankyou for telling me about this shop, thats a great price for the bags and a very good price for the coats Gel