I first shared with you my journey into the world of handbags with My New Coach Bag and Me: A Love Story.
Now the story continues, with my most extravagant back-to-school purchase ever: the Louis Vuitton Monogram Canvas Speedy 30.
I used eBay again, and was quite happy with the whole process, except for the fact that it’s hard to find a designer handbag which is in good condition, reasonably priced AND authentic. I scoured the listings (after reading up on “How To Spot a Fake Louis Vuitton”), keeping an eye on the ones that interested me. I didn’t need the bag to be perfect, but when the ad states “strange smell”, it’s fair to cross it off the list of potential contenders.
I ended up buying a used purse from Hong Kong. It was listed as “Buy Now or Best Offer”, and since I wasn’t willing to go as high as the “Buy Now” price, I filled in my “Best Offer” and immediately received notice that it had NOT been accepted. Fair enough, so I continued checking out other listings. Thank goodness I didn’t bid on anything else, because after the first listing closed, I received word that my offer would be accepted after all! (I didn’t know that was possible.)
The bag arrived in just over a week, and my next surprise was that the mail lady showed up at my door wondering if I had $58 cash handy to pay the COD customs charge. (Mom warned me, but I didn’t see anything about an additional charge on the listing!)
The extra cost was well worth it, as the bag is in almost perfect condition except for the natural wear on the handles. It’s also a lot bigger than I expected it to be, and holds all of my purse essentials with tons of room to spare.
Clearly this was a “want”, and not a “need”…but when you wear $15 blouses and $20 shoes, I argue that you can splurge for the classic pieces.
Once school starts, I’ll have to break myself of the habit of carrying my new purchase everywhere I go. Might look a bit funny when I’m out on yard duty…
Kate, you crack me up. "Strange smell" … LOL. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for the tip on the Best Offer listings – I'd never heard of that, either.
What's your best tip for how to spot a fake? And what would one pay for a similar bag? Was it a good deal even after the surprise customs fees?
Thanks!
Kim
Glad to hear I crack someone else up other than myself!
Great questions. Right on the eBay site there are some great buying guides specific to certain brands and designs. I read that for the Speedy 30, many fakes will have little feet on the bottom (the real thing doesn't) or the pattern will be right-side up on both sides (the real thing is all one piece of material, so the pattern shows right-side up on one side, upside-down on the other – which I first thought must be a sign of a fake!)
If you have your eye on a particular bag, I would just google how to spot a fake one for that design.
This particular bag is worth $1100 new. I paid WAY WAY (did I mention WAY?) less than that, and other than the handle wear it appears brand new to me.
Beautiful! You should bring it to TIFF this weekend… you'd fit right in!
I wish…as a teacher, I don't think I'll ever be able to hit the early-September TIFF until I retire!