How I Bought My First Chanel Bag

 Chanel bags have always been my end goal in life. I know that sounds insane but I am a materialistic, girly girl and I grew up salivating over designer items. No one in my life has ever had a Chanel bag until I got older; my aunt has one, a few of my friends had one and of course, every influencer and celebrity under the sun has one.

I remember learning about all the design houses, admiring Chanel from afar, not thinking I would ever be able to afford one. Granted, I still cannot afford a brand new Chanel bag but I'll get to that. 

I used to dream about what kind of bag I would get first; of course, it would be black and it would be a classic silhouette. I didn't know when the time would come where I would be able to purchase one but I knew that eventually, I was going to own one. 

Chanel was always the goal; it was what I've been working toward and as shallow as it sounds, it was a milestone I wanted to complete. 

Credit

When I got my dream bag, the Louis Vuitton Pochette Metis, I remember how excited I was to finally have the bag of my dreams. I had lusted after this trendy turned classic style for years until I purchased on via Fashionphile a few years ago. Having my dream bag in my hands was a surreal moment.

How & Why I Decided on Chanel

I knew I was going to feel the same way, if not even more excited about my first Chanel bag.

Last summer I had landed my dream job at the mothership of all beauty companies, Estée Lauder, and to commemorate this major milestone in my career (in terms of title and salary), I decided to treat myself. I had been selling a ton of items from accessories to handbags to Stoney Clover and had a nice lump sum saved, enough for a vintage Chanel bag.

For weeks prior I had developed an obsession with browsing eBay for vintage Chanel. There are so many gorgeous bags in excellent condition that are 20+ years old. They're a fraction of the price of a brand new Chanel and probably better quality. Within those pages of eBay was my dream Chanel, the Chanel Diana. It was of course named after Princess Diana before she famously switched over to Dior because she didn't want to wear a bag with the initials CC - aka Charles & Camilia. 

I've loved this bag ever since I saw Alyssa Lenore unbox one and knew that when it was time to purchase my first Chanel it was going to be a Diana. I loved that it was very similar to a classic flap but with a bit of a twist; you still have the twist lock, the chain strap and the gorgeous leather but it's a different shape than what is currently out there.

I have no problem with having the same bag as everyone else; if I like something, I'm going to buy it but with Chanel, it feels kind of cool and special to have a different bag.

So, when I found a Diana bag that was in excellent condition, under $2,000 and was from one of my favorite resellers, I was hooked. I knew I was going to pull the trigger.

eBay Resellers

For years I've been purchasing my pre-loved luxury goods on eBay through Japanese resellers...or in reality, Japanese consignment shops. Japan has very strict laws about counterfeit items so when you are buying from an online reseller/consignment shop you can feel confident that they are authentic goods. It also helps that in the past few years, eBay has started marking items as authenticity guaranteed so it's an extra layer of protection.

I've bought almost all of my luxury goods from Japanese consignment stores because of the quality, the price and the ease of transaction. I don't typically have to pay duties on these goods, can find gorgeous pieces in excellent condition for a price significantly under retail. For example, I've purchased Louis Vuitton small leather goods for anywhere from $80-$200. You cannot go wrong with Japanese consignment stores.

When it comes to Chanel bags, they have quite the variety but the vintage selection is incredible. I purchased my Chanel Diana from my favorite consignment store, Brand Street Tokyo, and it was the best experience. I received the bag within 2-3 days, returns are accepted within a few weeks and they're just the greatest to shop with. 

The condition of the Chanel Diana was exactly what Brand Street Tokyo described so there were no hidden surprises. By no means was the bag brand new, it is 30 years old... as old as me, so it was not 

If you are looking to buy a vintage Chanel, I highly recommend the following:

• Do your research on what kind of bag you want. Make sure to watch unboxing and review videos on Youtube, look at the quality and measurements and of course, take into account how much you can afford

• Find a reseller that you are comfortable with; look at their listings, their approval rating, and reviews. I don't shop with sellers on eBay with anything under 97% positive feedback and I've never had a bag experience.

• Don't buy a bag you're not 100% sure you're going to love, or make sure to find a reseller that accepts returns. Don't buy something you think is too trendy or that you won't use, especially if it's a good price. Seeing a low price on a designer good can trick your mind into thinking you want it but realistically, you only want it because it's a good deal.

• Don't impulse buy; an expensive Chanel bag, even vintage, is not something you should go into lightly. When you find a bag you think you will love, wait a few days before purchasing, just to make sure that it's actually what you want.

• If the eBay listing has the 'Make an Offer' option active, use it! The worst the seller could do is decline the offer and then you buy it at the price it's listed at. 

I love my Chanel Diana and I love buying pre-loved goods from eBay. Let me know of any questions you might have on this process!

xoxo
B