The question I get often is, “I like your bag, but I can’t afford Louis Vuitton”. “Was it a gift”? A gift to myself! Look, I’m not made of money.  I like nice things, but far from Oprah status.
Well here are a few tips and tricks on how you too can purchase that Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Prada and not break the bank. The pre-loved market! Its not old, if it’s new to you.
There are tons of pre-loved websites online that gear towards luxury resell. To name a few: fashionphile, yoogiscloset, therealreal, tradsey, ebay and good ole’ Facebook.
Each of the above sites have pros and cons. But with research you shouldn’t have trouble getting a beautiful bag or accessory.
The first thing I do is check out the products website or brick and mortar store. Note the price to see what the retail value is and compare it to the cost of the pre-loved item. If the price is within your budget, you’re in luck!
The next step is make sure the item is “authentic”. Theres nothing worst then spending hundreds even thousands of dollars on an item only worth the cost of shipping. Although I do like Tradesy and Ebay, they do not authenticate their products, so you can take this extra step. Make sure you’re purchasing from a certified and reputable reseller who has great reviews and stats, or try purseforum.
Depending on your financial situation, if you can’t purchase the item outright (I would suggest only purchasing what you can afford). But say your a few hundred dollars short and really have to have the item before it’s sold. Yoogiscloset, Therealreal and Tradesy accept Affirm.
Affirm is an online finance company that will bill you monthly until the item(s) is paid in full. They charge interest, but if paid off early you’ll save in the end, especially if the item is already listed under the retail value. And guess what? Affirm also has partnerships with other companies such as: Casper, BCBGMAXAZRIA, Fashion to Figure, Rebeccaminkoff, etc.
Lastly, join a Facebook Group such as Louis Vuitton Addicts & Lovers. Members are always selling their pre-loved items at an affordable price.  They also tend to cross list. Some will post on the group page first and if they don’t get lots of interest, they will also list it on Ebay! This is  great for finding products that have been discontinued. If there’s a particular piece you’re looking for, post it including  your spending limit and see how it pans out.
I hope this was helpful! If you have any questions, I’m always available.
xoxo
Annese
Great tips and I think it’s great to get pre-loved items. For me, I feel they don’t make the new collections as nicely as they used to (material / workmanship) so the old stuff are higher quality to me.
I totally agree with you! The quality of Louis Vuitton products isn’t as good as the vintage bags are. I have a bag that is over 10 years old and the woman I purchased it from took such good care of it. You can certainly find gems in the Pre-Loved market. Now don’t get me wrong, there is something satisfying of ordering or purchasing a new bag and unwrapping it for the first time. BUT, there are some who only use the product once or twice and then sell it. So your practically getting brand new item for a fraction of the price. Winning!!!