Launch of Leather Belts

Our shipment for genuine leather belt and semi-full grain belt arrived last Friday~! I call it “semi” full grain because the front/black portion is full grain leather, but the back/brown portion is genuine leather. Even though we've seen a sample belt before placing an order, we were still anxious about the quality of the product we will be getting. It was an exciting moment, the moment of truth, to see the actual stocks we paid for.

We started with the boxes containing the genuine leather belts, and the quality was not bad at all! Well, we sent the actual product of a popular belt brand to our supplier for reference, so the outcome is that the belts we ordered are definitely comparable to major brands in department stores.

When we opened the boxes containing the semi-full grain leather belts, we were not really prepared for what we were about to see. There was no uniform texture, some of the belts had scratches (which we later realized were actually “healed scars”), and some parts of the belts were “wrinkly”. We nearly fainted, because these belts cost 50% more than genuine leather belts! How is it possible that they had delivered the quality for genuine leather belts, but messed up for this batch of belts which is supposed to be more premium?

We decided to read up more about full grain leather online, and came across the definition of full-grain leather from Wikipedia:

“Full-grain leather refers to the leather which has not had the upper "top grain" and "split" layers separated. The upper section of a hide that previously contained the epidermis and hair, but were removed from the hide/skin. Full-grain refers to hides that have not been sanded, buffed, or snuffed (as opposed to top-grain or corrected leather) to remove imperfections (or natural marks) on the surface of the hide. The grain remains allowing the fiber strength and durability. The grain also has breathability, resulting in less moisture from prolonged contact. Rather than wearing out, it will develop a patina over time.”

The “imperfections” we saw were actually insect bites, healed scars, wrinkles, and worn pitted spots from the original hide, which form the “natural beauty” of the leather. There was no uniform texture among the belts due to grain differences between each hide. In fact, each belt is truly unique~! I’ve taken some pictures to illustrate my point.

Surface of Full Grain Leather 

 

Surface of Genuine Leather Belt



After reading up and having a deeper understanding about full grain leather, at least we are assured that the full grain leather belts we received are genuine! We painstakingly inspected and wiped every single piece of belt. Not unexpectedly, there are some belts with minor scratches and stains, so these belts are put aside for price markdown in the future.

We have launched our leather belts~! Smooth and sleek genuine leather belt, or all-natural and super-durable semi-full grain leather belt, it’s your choice.

Note: Your satisfaction is our priority. If you would like to get our semi-full grain leather belt, but do not fancy the “natural beauty” of the leather, please email us at order@greatvaluebuys.com after you submit your order online. We will try our best to find a “smooth” belt for you. J

The Story Behind GreatValueBuys

GreatValueBuys was founded because we were unable to find what we need at a reasonable price in the market. Like many of you, we shopped for office wear and accessories in departmental stores.

Major brands of belts sold in department stores offer the buckle together with your belt purchase. However, any guy who uses leather belt will know that belt buckles usually outlive its leather belts due to wear and tear. Obviously, brands that sell packages containing 1 belt and 2 buckles are not putting themselves in the shoes of consumers! It was almost impossible to find cheap replacement belts for removable buckles, so we were “forced” to buy belt+buckle bundles and ended up having a growing collection of removable buckles. One fine day, we decided to stop paying for more buckles which we do not need, and the concept of GreatValueBuys.com came up: an online shop offering belts and buckles separately, so that you can pay only for what you need - for many of you, a replacement belt for your existing buckle.

While we started preparations for GreatValueBuys, we realized that we could help people to save on more items rather than just on belts. It is common to find cufflinks priced in the range of $39.90 to $69.90, even though they are not exactly “branded” items. It is an accessory we find to be grossly over-priced, probably because it was priced to match its status as an accessory for the elite. In recent years, cufflinks have become a common accessory for men, and cufflink shirts under $100 are now easily available. However, the prices of cufflinks have not dropped to become more affordable. As such, cufflinks are added to the range in GreatValueBuys, so that men can look good for less.

Discovering our (and your) needs is an on-going process. As GreatValueBuys grows as a company, we do hope to widen our range and offer more affordable products that suit your needs. If you would like to suggest a product for us to carry, we would love to hear from you via email at marketing@greatvaluebuys.com.