How I Buy Pre-Loved Luxury Items

I've always loved bags and accessories; I've always been that type of girl who loved her stuff and always wanted a new bag or a new wallet... specifically, name brand designers.

I got my first designer bag around the age of 8 and it was a Coach bag. Every year after that I got a new bag for my birthday of Christmas, usually Coach or Dooney and Burke. My mom was a lover of Louis Vuitton when I was younger so it was always the bag I saw and grew up on.

That stayed with me for years and when I was 16, I got my first Louis Vuitton bag from my grandmother. I felt so incredibly cool, chic and grateful that I had finally gotten a real designer bag. I didn't know when I would be able to afford another one, until a few years ago when I discovered the beauty of pre-loved items.

I do not care if an item is pre-loved. If I could save thousands of dollars by buying something gently used rather than buying it new, then so be it. 

All my designer goods, expect my Speedy, is pre-loved, and I love it! It allows me the luxury to buy these nice things without spending a stupid amount of money.

The most expensive thing I've purchased is my Damier Ebene Neverfull, and I still saved about 50% of the retail price.

I've highlighted my pre-loved journey on the blog before (here and here) but I wanted to explain how I actually BUY them.

Where I By Pre-Loved Luxury Goods

When I first started buying pre-loved, I relied heavily on Tradesy because I trusted the site and I was able to use Affirm to pay off the purchases. However, once I started to really familiarize myself with the pre-loved market, I turned to eBay.

If you know the ins and outs of the brand you're buying (I'm pretty good at finding the fakes), eBay is the way to go. Find a few good trusted sellers, stalk your items and bid your heart out!

If eBay is not your thing, you can try other sites like FashionPhile and TheRealReal. They authenticate their items before putting them up for sale so you can guarantee that everything is real before you buy it. The reason I haven't bought anything from those sites is that I find they mark up the prices. I find much better deals on eBay.

My favorite shops to buy from on eBay are the Japan consignment shops. They have incredible prices and pieces that are in beautiful condition! I trust them so much and sometimes only look at the Japanese consignment shops because I trust them so much. A few of my favorites are next innovation, brandjapan, and brand street Toyko. 

After I buy something, no matter where it came from, I try to clean it with leather cleaner if it's dirty and if there is a smell, I'll do my best to take the smell out (usually I use dryer sheets and just keep the sheets in the bag/accessory for a few days.)

All in all, I really loved buying pre-loved items. I don't think of them as 'used' but truly as pre-loved. They have a story to tell and have been places but now they are mine and it's my turn to use and love them. I do not care if they look used because yes, it's not new but no one knows that the item was pre-loved. When I carry my Louis Vuitton Monogram Neverfull and people see the shape it's in, they don't know that I didn't do that...not that I care what people think but you know what I mean!

Anyways, what are your thoughts on pre-loved items? Have you ever bought one? Let me know!

xoxo
B