How to Get Rid of Designer Handbags?

[AnDaLe]

My mom had a nasty habit of collecting designer handbags (Louis Vuitton) when I was growing up.  I never thought anything of it since I was not allowed to stick my nose in my mom's finances (respect issues).  However, now that I realized how much she's collected over the years, and how much debt she built up (nearly all gone thanks to my help), it's stupid/crazy (10's of thousands).  Every time I bring up why she has so much, she claims that they go up in value over time and she loves them.  Problem is, who the hell will buy it once they are used, even if they are perfect like the day it came from the store?  She's come to terms and accepted that it was stupid and she would like to sell them now.  She is very meticulous about her things, so they are all in just about perfect condition (no signs of wear whatsoever, original tags/receipts, you get the picture....).  How can I help her sell these?  For handbags that are not yet discontinued, Louis Vuitton sells them for more than doubled what she paid 10 years ago.  eBay seems like a hassle to sell due to authenticity issues and Craigslist is not a place for designer items.  Any ideas?

TIA!

[boy_bye]

hmm, are there any fancy consignment shops where you are?

and are you sure ebay won't work? if she has the original paperwork then you can put up photos of that to prove authenticity. plus, if you do a little research i think you can generally find which little details are used to prove authenticity as well, and put up tons of photos of those as well.

lastly, more high-end vintage stuff often sells well on etsy. you could set up a shop, take your pics, and just sell them over time. now is a good time to do that, with the holidays coming up...

good luck!

[nofool]

Actually, eBay is still a great place to sell designer items. I made thousands on eBay re-selling second-hand designer clothes I would find at thrift stores. It was another source of income for me during college. I became an expert in authenticating the brands I sold the most. It's quite easy, really.

As long as you post good pictures, give detailed descriptions, give a little history behind the bag, you will get bids. Furthermore, a lot of people who purchase secondhand designer items are serious bargain shoppers, and know all the right questions to ask in order to authenticate the item, too.

Give it a shot! ;)

[annabel]

In my experience eBay is the best place. I have sold a few anti-mustachian handbags for a good price...

1- I usually get better offers when I list with the 'Best Offer' option instead of a timed auction. Take your time to research what similar handbags to yours are selling for before setting your asking price. Also use an eBay account that already has good feedback on it; people will be suspicious if all of a sudden you have a bunch of designer handbags to sell with a zero-feedback account.

2- Take as many pictures as you can of the handbag's details, that's what serious buyers do for authentication. They will often ask you for more pictures of a certain part of the bag. The tags are extremely helpful for this.

3- List as many details as you can find about the handbag and its condition (if there is a nick or scratch somewhere you have to mention it), including the designer's name of the color or pattern. I had one buyer who upon receiving the bag wanted a refund because 'the color wasn't what she was looking for'. She claimed it was lighter in my pictures and she filed a complaint with eBay - however in my listing I mentioned the exact name the designer used for the handbag's color 'Petrol' and had a disclaimer that my camera's flash may distort the actual color. And I also specified No Refunds in the listing. Your impulse buy is not my problem, heh heh heh... anyway, eBay found in my favor; she had to keep the handbag and could not leave negative feedback.

4 - You could also send it to an eBay consigner such as 'Linda's Stuff'. She specializes in designer things. They will pick up the items for free via UPS and they keep a certain percentage of the sale (depending on the sale price). I've done that for less expensive items that I couldn't be bothered researching. As soon as the item sells they will cut you a check or credit your Paypal account.

HTH! happy selling :)

[fresh]

I bought a Louis Vuitton Keepall from a family friend for $550.00 earlier this year and traveled with it to Europe.  I really liked the bag back it didn't really suit me and didn't like the attention while traveling so when I came back I decided to sell it.

I considered taking it to a place in the nearest big city which was basically the only designer consignment place nearby but all of the consignment type places were splitting the price it sells for 50/50 so I decided to consign online.  I had a hard time choosing between fashionphile & yoogi's closet but ended up sending my bag to yoogi's after they gave me an estimate of what it would sell for.  I believe both places give you 70% but I know for sure that yoogi's closet does.  It ended up selling within a week or two for $875.00 and I got $612.50.

I know alot of people choose to sell on ebay but I have heard many horror stories of people claiming they never got the items or claiming you sent them a fake so they don't have to pay.  I didn't want to mess with that but ebay would probably get you more money. 

[c]

I have a friend who buys designer bags, shoes and clothes (and sells then when she's done with them). She's also a personal organizer and  many of her clients give her stuff they don't want or need to sell. She does well on eBay. I think it's a matter of writing good descriptions and decent photos.

[jimmygibbon]

You may want to try www.mypoupette.com

Many people are wary of ebay and Craigslist as there are many counterfeits being sold.

[travelbug]

there are places like fashionphile, yoogis closet, anns fabulous finds- all are consignment resellers with good reputations.
Go to a forum called purseforum.com and ask there, they also have an authenticate this section where buyers can post pictures of what they want to buy and experts can tell if it is fake or real.
There is a HUGE Louis Vuitton section on that forum.

[AnDaLe]

Everyone, I really appreciate all the replies and ideas outside of eBay and CL! Thanks for all the ideas and I will start looking into them!

[pawnbahn.com]

Hi AnDaLe!  If you want to get rid of the luxury handbags quick you can always use an online pawn shop like PawnBahn.com.  Not to mention, shop frugally and thrifty :)

[rubybeth]

There's also a handbag section of www.DiamondBistro.com that you could list them on, and also on www.LoupeTroop.com - these are mainly for jewelry, but you never know, you can cross-post and Loupe Troop has free listings.

[imustachemystash]

If you are near the Bothell area there is a consignment shop called the Alligator Purse.  I sometimes get Coach handbags from my inlaws and after I use them for about a year I sell them there.  They give 40% back.  I could get more off ebay and Craigslist, but I feel overwhelmed with work and kids that the consignment shop just makes it easier.

[Lina]

Certain auctionhouses are selling vintageclothes and handbags. I would look into that and try the get an evaluation of how much the bags are worth. If some of the pieces are rare they can be worth a lot!

[Mrs.FamilyFinances]

My mom had a nasty habit of collecting designer handbags (Louis Vuitton) when I was growing up.  I never thought anything of it since I was not allowed to stick my nose in my mom's finances (respect issues).  However, now that I realized how much she's collected over the years, and how much debt she built up (nearly all gone thanks to my help), it's stupid/crazy (10's of thousands).  Every time I bring up why she has so much, she claims that they go up in value over time and she loves them.  Problem is, who the hell will buy it once they are used, even if they are perfect like the day it came from the store?  She's come to terms and accepted that it was stupid and she would like to sell them now.  She is very meticulous about her things, so they are all in just about perfect condition (no signs of wear whatsoever, original tags/receipts, you get the picture....).  How can I help her sell these?  For handbags that are not yet discontinued, Louis Vuitton sells them for more than doubled what she paid 10 years ago.  eBay seems like a hassle to sell due to authenticity issues and Craigslist is not a place for designer items.  Any ideas?

TIA!

 Have you tried poshmark? It's a smart phone based buying/selling community. They charge a 20% fee of the purchase price, but do most of the leg work, like prepaid postage, insurance and accept the buyers credit cards.

[CharChar]

 Have you tried poshmark? It's a smart phone based buying/selling community. They charge a 20% fee of the purchase price, but do most of the leg work, like prepaid postage, insurance and accept the buyers credit cards.
[/quote]

I use Poshmark and although I do not sell designer items, I see a lot of girls who do and they seem to do well. The only downside is you have to have an IPhone or IPad to be able to sell or purchase items. They say they are working on an app for droids so if you don't have an Apple product I would keep an eye out for that. It is super easy to use. I turned to this app because I was intimidated by all the hassle of ebay.

[ILoveHandbags]

Heyo, mustachians! I saw this while doing my own research for consignment online and figured I'd throw in my own two cents since this thread is still "relevant" in the sense that people still find it in searches. :) There are two consignment shops I've been looking at for my used bags & clothes to get rid of fairly quickly for a decent price. Those are:

• www.thredup.com: Their "X Collection" buys & sells used designer items like clothes, handbags, shoes, etc..
• www.yoogiscloset.com: They buy & sell used luxury items like clothes, handbags, jewelry, etc.

I hope this helps others who are searching around. ^_^