Should You Buy Pre-Owned or New Luxury Bags?

If you’re a lover of luxury bags, you’ve probably considered whether it’s worth it to buy pre-owned or brand-new women’s designer handbags. With the cost of living increasing, making intelligent purchases is more important than ever, so we put together some factors to consider before you make a decision. 

Think About Price

This sounds obvious, but there are differences in pricing between pre-owned and new bags. This is mostly the reason why people buy pre-owned bags, they want the luxury item for a lesser price. But this depends on the bag. Well-known brands such as Chanel or Louis Vuitton don’t often markup their prices more than once a year, but their statement bags will often resale well above the purchase price as they are classic bags that never go out of style and are constantly wanted, but often out of stock or have a waiting list on the website itself. This means there’s not enough supply of bags to meet the demand, which is why the pre-owned market can sometimes become more expensive than you think. 

If your intention of entering the second-hand market is to score a cheaper price, you may be disappointed, but if you want the bag right now, you may have to foot the price increase. On the other hand, it’s much easier and far less money spent (but more time spent) if you go into your local boutique and make a good relationship with the sales assistant to get the bag you’d like sooner. 

Consider The Experience You Want

Shopping online for a luxury bag isn’t much of an experience, it’s mostly just a checkout button, entering your card details, and then waiting for the postman to come. When you buy luxury, you are sometimes also paying for the experience you will have within the store itself. So if you walk into your local Louis Vuitton boutique, you’re getting an experience unique to that store. The staff will treat you well, you can take your time and explore your options, learn about the bags, and then it’s wrapped for you before it’s slipped into that stunning box and you get to take it home, knowing you’ve just had the Louis Vuitton experience. 

If it’s your first-ever luxury purchase, going into the store is an experience you won’t want to miss, It’s worth seeing and holding the bag in your own hands to decide if it suits you as well, because you don’t want to get it online and discover it just doesn’t suit you. 

Less Pressure Online

One thing the pre-owned market has is less pressure. You can sometimes feel as though there is a little judgment involved when you walk into a luxury boutique. You may even feel pressured to buy to prove yourself to the snobby store assistant. This isn’t something you’ll experience in the pre-owned market, so if you want to avoid the pressure, either buy the luxury goods online or opt for pre-owned. 

Easier Returns From The Brand

When you enter the world of Louis Vuitton, and buy a stunning bag, you’ll notice that there is a generous returns policy, a warranty, and free repairs. These are perks you just don’t get in the preowned market, as often it’s a final purchase and if the photos are doctored or faked, you may be getting a bag in worse condition than you thought. Keep your investment sound and buy new if you want the additional perks as well. 

Now that you have all the information you need, you can decide what market you want to buy from.