Saturday, July 23, 2011

Getting my dream Chanel bag (Part IV): Q&As

I wasn’t planning on doing another post on my Chanel purse. Since I’ve gotten a few questions from you guys, I thought I’d share my experiences. Buying an expensive handbag is always a monumental task whether it’s brand-new or pre-owned. It requires a lot of homework to be done. A Chanel bag is an investment. Like all investments, you need to make sure of everything before pushing through with your purchase. Below are my answers to some of the questions you’ve asked:

Q (from Nelah): If you don't mind me asking, did you get it from a reseller? Perhaps you can recommend a trustworthy one. I am so afraid to buy high end bags from ebay to find out I paid for a knock off.

A: Yes, my purse was a pre-owned one. I actually prefer pre-owned over new designer handbags. The money I saved can be put towards something else. I won’t reveal the seller’s name publicly just because I don't want to be held responsible for any purchase from this seller. If you’re interested, please DM me =)

Q (from JenLovesBal): Did you purchase preowned as well? I believe its the best thing to do right now since the current retail prices are insane!!

A: As the price will just keep going up, it makes more sense to go with pre-owned. I don't mind a few scratches at all. Scratches add character to the bag and I won't be afraid to use it. I am not the type of girl who keeps everything in dust bags. If I paid a fortune for it, I’ll make sure I get a ton of use out of it.

Q (from CinnyAngel): What is her size and exact model, just for reference, and for us to compare her to the ones mentioned in your previous post?

A: She is a size small. The measurements are as follows: width = 9 inches, height = 5.5 inches, depth = 2 inches. It was just a tad smaller than the M/L classic flap but wasn’t anything considerable. The exact same purse in brand-new condition retails for $3700. The M/L flap retails for $3900.00. As you can see from the photos, the small was a good size for me.

Q (from Sophia): You mentioned that you found many classic flaps with gold hardware. If you don't mind me asking, which store did you find them at? I'm looking for one with gold hardware, but it's so hard to find one in my area (SoCal).

A: If you’re looking for a preowned classic flap with gold hardware, I've found quite a few listings on MalleriesBonanza and Yoogi's Closet. There is also a store called FashionPhile located in Beverly Hills and San Francisco. Hope that helps!

Picnik collage
{Close-up photos of my purse}

A few tips to consider:
• I started looking on Malleries and Bonanza first. They are organizing lots of individual stores. After a long term relation, they becomes trusted. Since those sites give their buyers an extra piece of mind, the price, in my opinion, seems higher than eBay’s prices.
• Another place to look for pre-owned designer handbags is, of course, eBay. Please be extra careful if this is where you’re going. The first thing you need to do is to check their positive feedback scores. If it is less than 97%, you should be extra cautious. The second thing to look for is a detailed posting. Sellers who have authentic bags want you to know they are authentic. They usually will post pictures of close-up details like date codes and heat stamps. Last but not least, please be sure to ask a lot of questions. You'll have peace of mind and feel great about spending your hard earned cash if you have all your questions answered.
• Once you found the one item that you absolutely love, I strongly advise you to have it authenticated on tPF prior to purchasing. You better be safe than sorry. The Purse Forum is a really great resource for finding information on designer items.
• Use a variety of free resources such as authenticate this Chanel thread, reputable sellers, date and authenticity codes to get educated.
• Once you’re absolutely sure about purchasing the item, don’t be afraid to negotiate. The worst thing that can happen is for them to say no, right? I saved a couple hundred dollars by simply asking the seller to lower the price (and free shipping).
• If you need more authenticity check, go to CarolDiva.com. There is a small fee for her service but it'll give you that extra confidence booster.

That’s all I can think of at this moment. I hope this post will be helpful to you. If you have any questions, please feel free to shoot me an email.

Have a great weekend!
Sydney

15 comments:

Unknown said...

I am so happy you got our dream bag Sydney! It's just so perfect! Thanks for answering all the questions- you are so sweet:)

Amber @ EasyPetiteLooks.com said...

thanks for answering the questions! i also bought my chanels used. i dont think they're worth the new price (lol, they are really "worth" the used price either, but we love them anyways)
amber @ Easy Petite Looks

JenlovesBal said...

Thank you for answering my question! Congrats on such a gorgeous beauty.. it looks new to me! :)

Anonymous said...

Congrats, once again Sydney! Thank you for answering everybody's questions. : )

Kileen said...

these tips are so useful!! i would probably end up buying a pre-loved chanel too as the price is just too steep otherwise. i'm so happy you were able to find your dream purse!

cute & little
Sproos Shop Giveaway for cute hair accessories!

Nelah said...

Thanks Sydney for taking the time to answer all the questions. You are always thorough with every purchase. Your efforts definitely paid off.

One thing, a brand new bag from a boutique doesn't always guarantee its perfection. I found a few loose stiches on two bags, two different styels on two seperate occasions (one in May and another one just recently. So whatever works, go with it :)

Lizzy said...

Sydney,

Congrats again on the beautiful Chanel. Though I do have 1 more question if you don't mind: where did you find your seller? I know you pointed out a few places, but I'm... scared of ebay and it seemed like you found a personal seller and not through the websites you mentioned?

Katherine said...

Beautiful bag! And thank you for putting up these Q&As :)

Caroline Robianto said...

thank you for sharing ^^

www.carolcoraline.com

Sydney's Fashion Diary said...

@Lizzy Lizzy, please DM me =)

Anonymous said...


Oh, you ve got such a beautifull blog.))
Love your post.)

Can you help me?
I am doing a poll and I need answer only one question.

"What are your favorite clothing firms?"

michelle_ said...

i found this post really useful :)
so thanks for making it !!

www.glistersandblisters.com

SewPetiteGal said...

Ooh the close-up photos of your purse are so pretty! Congrats again!

Deborah said...

In Hawaii, specifically, Oahu, Paris Station sells (and buys) pre-owned authentic designer purses including Chanel. The owner also sells online. http://www.parisstation.com My older sis gets all her fancy purses there.

simplyvonne said...

this is a great post! it really shows that you did a fab job doing research on one thing you u truly love!