Forget Flowers! I Want Leather Pants, Jackets, and Harley Boots From Leather Up!
Leather Up
Although I am against animal testing and wearing fur, I have not been able to stop wearing leather. I love the quality, the scent of it, the look, and the feel of good leather. However, leather items can be expensive, especially when looking at jackets, coats, pants, and boots and not just purses and smaller accessories.
I found Leather Up through a search when I was looking for a pair of leather pants that would actually fit me. Because I am slim and have very long legs, the leather jeans I was trying were either all baggy in the hips or way too short. Don't ask me why I wanted a pair of leather jeans. I just did. It was one of those "I just have to have those" moments that occur with alarming frequency these days.
But enough about me and my compulsions. I hit the jackpot with Leather Up.
About Leather Up
This is part of their "About Us" info that I thought would help provide you with info on this site:
Our prices are exceptional because of the volume we buy. There are no middlemen with Leather Up, you buy direct from a major U.S. Manufacturer. We stand behind our quality with a full 30-day return & low price guarantee (you have nothing to lose by ordering), most people are amazed at the high quality and craftsmanship of our leather goods. We only use top quality high-grade leather skins in all our products. We have over 20 years of experience in the leather business. No one can match our prices, quality, or selection, if you don't find it on Leather Up you probably never will.
Navigation
The home page has a lot of photos of current specials and links to both men's and women's leather items. It's a very simple set up but not at all amateurish. No one will have problems finding what they want on this site and browsing is a load of fun for leather lovers.
Selection
Leather Up caters to both bikers and casual leather lovers. They carry men's and women's leather jackets and coats, vests, pants, chaps, Harley Boots (my favorite), shoes, sandals, suede jackets, and some fur and a couple kids jackets. There are a few saddlebags for sale as well on the site. The selection is wide for jackets and coats. There is everything from real biker jackets to fashion styles. The Harley boot/shoes collection for women is huge. A girl could get way too excited looking at style after style of those boots. They also have some sheepskin Ugg type boots for very reasonable prices. The selection is quite good for most items. There are only a couple items in the kids' section but that is a brand new area of the site that I believe they are expanding. The men's section is even larger with pages of jackets (some are amazingly original and really great looking), boots, chaps and more.
Prices
This is the best part. While Leather Up is not cheap, it is far less expensive than traditional leather stores I have been to. Their Harley Boots are discounted from 20% to 50% (sometimes the discount is much higher) off the retail prices and their jackets are reasonable for the quality. You may be able to find cheaper leather elsewhere but at least here you know you won't be getting that awful patchwork junk that runs six sizes too small.
Quality
I have ordered a few items from Leather Up. I was a little worried about sizing because leather is really tricky to buy without trying on. I found that items run true to size and not small like with low quality leather. The first sign of junk leather is when it is "patch work" or pieced together. Leather Up sells NO patchwork leather, thankfully. Usually that is very cheap leather pieces sewn together and sold at prices you seem too low to be true. The problem is a 2X in that type of jacket fits like a Medium and looks like what it is — cheap leather.
The Harley boots are all real Harleys, no "Harley look-alikes" on this site. Things are shown in good detail and explained well so you know what you're getting. While this isn't the highest quality Napa leather in the world, the quality is just fine for people like me who want a good deal on nice leather items that don't look or feel cheap. I know a few bikers who feel the quality is great for their needs, which are a lot more demanding than mine.
My Experience
After looking around the site for a long time wishing I could have one of each thing, I settled on the leather jeans I wanted. They were a 33" inseam which was a relief because that is the shortest I can wear and hard to come by in leather pants that aren't ridiculously expensive. The jeans run in even women's sizes. I usually take a size 4 but, because I am so leery of online leather stores, I chose a size 6. The price: $59.99. I had been eyeing similar leather pants on sale in a fashion catalog for $79.99 but they had the tell tale seam at the knee, meaning they were pieced together. These jeans had no piecing and no seaming and looked to be very flattering.
It's important to note that Leather Up manufacturers its own leather goods and stands by everything they make or sell 100% so I was fairly confident that I would get decent quality and service.
I put the jeans in my cart, resisted the urge to get anything else, and went to the check out. I was not charged any sales tax but they have a drop down box for you to check to see if you have to pay tax in your state.
Shipping is a flat $7.95 for as many items as you buy. Talk about a deal. I almost wanted to add a pair of heavy boots to the order just because the shipping costs were so good. That and I "collect" Harley boots.
Once I got to the checkout, I was prompted to fill out the usual info to make an account. I did and moved on to purchasing the item. They take all major credit/debit cards. When I was finishing the order, I wrote a note mentioning that I was a size 3/4 in jeans and what my waist size was. I told them I ordered a size 6 because generally online leather items run really small.
I got an immediate confirmation of my order in my email.
The next day, I got an email from Leather Up telling me that they were changing my order to a size 4 because, based on what I told them, size 6 would stretch and be too big. I wrote back grateful for the attention to detail and allowed the switch in sizes.
I got another email when the jeans shipped out a day later with a tracking number and the jeans were at my door in five days.
And...they fit like a glove. I am really glad I didn't end up buying the wrong size and having to deal with sending them back and exchanging. Little things like customer service paying attention to my note make me a repeat shopper at websites like this.
Shipping and Return/Exchange Info
As I mentioned, shipping is a flat $7.95 regardless of how many items you purchase. You have the option of second day and next day shipping as well and there is a chart on the site giving exact costs for these services.
You may return any item within 30 days for a refund or exchange without any prior authorization. Your original credit card will be credited back or your exchange will be sent out to you at no extra shipping cost to you.
You can order via the website, by phone, fax, or mail.
There is a comprehensive page that details how to order using each of these methods. They also provide a good size chart, shipping info page, and return/exchange policy page. Everything is laid out for you so you don't have any surprises down the road.
Contact Info
You can order or talk to a customer service rep at: 1.888.467.0222
Mon. - Fri.: 9:30 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. p.s.t.
Email: info@leatherup.com
Snail Mail:
Leather Up
955 Venice Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90015
Conclusion
Leather Up is an excellent leather goods site. Their quality is high and their selection is vast. Shipping is incredibly reasonable and returns and exchanges are simple. The customer service department is very helpful and, whether by email or phone, will help clear up any questions you may have. Shipping is fast. I don't have much to say on the negative side. There are some better prices of Harley boots floating around out there but the selection at Leather Up beats most websites hands down. Add to that the low shipping costs and you don't save much by going elsewhere unless you find a mega sale somewhere.
I am not a biker but I like the look of soft leather and love Harley boots so this site fits right into my lifestyle. As far as rating this site goes, I don't like to give five stars unless a site is exceptional in every way and, in my dealings with Leather Up, they have been just that so...five stars it is.
Recommended:
Yes
