Opinions Wanted: Preloved VS. NEW

[Steph5487]

Good Morning Chanel Lovers,

I recently have been finding myself having a really hard time buying a new Chanel bag. Maybe because of the virus I would rather spend my money elsewhere or maybe I just have had my fill of new bags? I am not quite sure but I am more drawn to the preloved bags and the price.

Now don't get me wrong I think buying bags new is a very special experience, and I love actually going into the Chanel Boutique and picking out my new bag. However, I have 7 bags, 2 SLGs I bought new and 1 SLG that I bought preloved. My experience preloaved was good, it wasnt as special as the store but I still found a great piece. Since I have what I consider the basics in my collection (classic flaps, evening bag, coco handle, neutral colors etc ) I am looking to add more custom pieces to my collection so I also think that's another reason I am looking into preloved.

Would love to hear everyone's thoughts on the matter and if they think it's better to wait for new or search for preloved. Also would love to hear about your preloved experiences and what your favorite places to shop are! Thank you in advance for your responses!

 

[OCMomof3]

I first got into pre-loved Chanel as a Chanel "newbie". I was coming from Louis Vuitton, which I still love, and the prices at Chanel were steep in comparison. Since that time, I have also bought new. All were great experiences. I have had plenty of time in the Chanel boutique, and don't feel that I have missed anything by not buying ALL of my Chanel items there. As far as pre-loved shopping, Fashionphile has been consistently great for me. Highly recommend as I feel they are reliable and the items I have bought have consistently been even better than advertised. Be willing to take your time; what you're looking for will come along!

 

[lee_dya]

I only buy preloved if the price make sense. If the price is almost the same like brand new one, or only $100 or $200 cheaper, I would rather buy new from the boutique. So far, for all my preloved I saved about $800-$1000 per bag. I usually buy from Fashionphile, but lately their price is getting more and more ridiculous. You can also check Yoogi’s Closet or Rebag.

 

[Steph5487]

I only buy preloved if the price make sense. If the price is almost the same like brand new one, or only $100 or $200 cheaper, I would rather buy new from the boutique. So far, for all my preloved I saved about $800-$1000 per bag. I usually buy from Fashionphile, but lately their price is getting more and more ridiculous. You can also check Yoogi’s Closet or Rebag.

Thank you! This has always been my reasoning too and why I never bought preloved. They were only a 100 or so off from new. But as I said most of my bags are classics and desirable! I have checked out fashionphile and yoogi's but never checked out rebag so I will put that on my list! Thanks for the tips!

 

[Steph5487]

I first got into pre-loved Chanel as a Chanel "newbie". I was coming from Louis Vuitton, which I still love, and the prices at Chanel were steep in comparison. Since that time, I have also bought new. All were great experiences. I have had plenty of time in the Chanel boutique, and don't feel that I have missed anything by not buying ALL of my Chanel items there. As far as pre-loved shopping, Fashionphile has been consistently great for me. Highly recommend as I feel they are reliable and the items I have bought have consistently been even better than advertised. Be willing to take your time; what you're looking for will come along!

Thank you for the advice! My one preloved came from fashionphile! I am looking for just a few pieces to add and am willing to wait until the right bag comes along!

 

[OCMomof3]

Thank you for the advice! My one preloved came from fashionphile! I am looking for just a few pieces to add and am willing to wait until the right bag comes along!

That's great. And what other posters have said is true: preloved prices are going up lately. So if it's not much difference in price between pre-loved and new, go for the new!

 

[Steph5487]

Thank you!

 

[Newbie2016]

I might be in the minority but I just can't go the preloved route. I would rather buy fewer bags but just buy brand new. It's not so much about the "experience" for me but more
1. Piece of mind that it's coming directly from a boutique
2. I just don't want to spend a lot of money on something and still deal with getting it authenticated, getting rid of perfume smells, etc. etc.

So my albeit somewhat biased opinion would be save a bit more and buy brand new!
I understand many on TPF and outside of the forum are perfectly happy with the preloved process and that's great too...it's just a very personal decision.

 

[880]

I voted depends. If you want a vintage style, go vintage. If you need a boutique fresh experience, go boutique. FYI, in 1991, my mom got me my first chanel bag plus a mini cute bag on a belt chain, the latter for 750 usd. An asian recommended reseller is selling the same belt bag for like 2K more. I do think that the quality of the older bags is better and that needs to be weighed against the wear and tear. I shopped pretty exclusively chanel bags and Some RTW twenty years ago (before I switched to Hermes) and the bags (and RTW) back then we’re really made to last. No loose threads or double stick tape or loose ends or crooked flaps. Etc etc. YMMV

 

[Steph5487]

I might be in the minority but I just can't go the preloved route. I would rather buy fewer bags but just buy brand new. It's not so much about the "experience" for me but more
1. Piece of mind that it's coming directly from a boutique
2. I just don't want to spend a lot of money on something and still deal with getting it authenticated, getting rid of perfume smells, etc. etc.

So my albeit somewhat biased opinion would be save a bit more and buy brand new!
I understand many on TPF and outside of the forum are perfectly happy with the preloved process and that's great too...it's just a very personal decision.

I agree with you 100%. I previously have always thought that boutique was best and gave me a piece of mind. However, I am at the point in my collection where I want to start adding in certain colors i.e the iridescent green i missed out on from a few seasons ago and and a true blue-red bag, as well as a diana.

 

[Steph5487]

I voted depends. If you want a vintage style, go vintage. If you need a boutique fresh experience, go boutique. FYI, in 1991, my mom got me my first chanel bag plus a mini cute bag on a belt chain, the latter for 750 usd. An asian recommended reseller is selling the same belt bag for like 2K more. I do think that the quality of the older bags is better and that needs to be weighed against the wear and tear. I shopped pretty exclusively chanel bags and Some RTW twenty years ago (before I switched to Hermes) and the bags (and RTW) back then we’re really made to last. No loose threads or double stick tape or loose ends or crooked flaps. Etc etc. YMMV

I am definitely looking for very particular pieces. I.e. Iridcent green, a real true blue/red and diana. So it's not really a price reason it is just curating my ideal collection! I completely agree about the quality and a little light wear and tear doesn't bother me (my bags have light wear and tear and i bought brand new!)

 

[eckw]

I’ve bought all my Chanel bags (some 15-20 bags in total) from the store as I have a great SA. Along the way, I’ve sold ones that didn’t work for me through a trusted IG seller. I’m not looking to add more Chanel to my collection but if I were, I might consider getting preloved from my IG seller if it’s a past season bag that is no longer in store. Problem with preloved is that with all the quality issues nowadays from Chanel, I worry that if something goes wrong with the bag, I have no recourse to fix. (I’m generally not picky but one time, the CC fell off an SLG after about 6 months of use and luckily my SA was able to repair it for me.)

 

[tulipfield]

Good Morning Chanel Lovers,

I recently have been finding myself having a really hard time buying a new Chanel bag. Maybe because of the virus I would rather spend my money elsewhere or maybe I just have had my fill of new bags? I am not quite sure but I am more drawn to the preloved bags and the price.

Now don't get me wrong I think buying bags new is a very special experience, and I love actually going into the Chanel Boutique and picking out my new bag. However, I have 7 bags, 2 SLGs I bought new and 1 SLG that I bought preloved. My experience preloaved was good, it wasnt as special as the store but I still found a great piece. Since I have what I consider the basics in my collection (classic flaps, evening bag, coco handle, neutral colors etc ) I am looking to add more custom pieces to my collection so I also think that's another reason I am looking into preloved.

Would love to hear everyone's thoughts on the matter and if they think it's better to wait for new or search for preloved. Also would love to hear about your preloved experiences and what your favorite places to shop are! Thank you in advance for your responses!

With the number of problems I see reported with new bags, I really don't understand why people keep going back for more. (It may also be that TPF over-represents the number of bags with issues, but this is just my impression.) I think second-hand is the way to go unless you feel you absolutely must have something particular from the new season.

 

[Steph5487]

With the number of problems I see reported with new bags, I really don't understand why people keep going back for more. (It may also be that TPF over-represents the number of bags with issues, but this is just my impression.) I think second-hand is the way to go unless you feel you absolutely must have something particular from the new season.

I am so torn, I have never had an issue with any of my new bags. But buying something site unseen scare me!

 

[Steph5487]

I’ve bought all my Chanel bags (some 15-20 bags in total) from the store as I have a great SA. Along the way, I’ve sold ones that didn’t work for me through a trusted IG seller. I’m not looking to add more Chanel to my collection but if I were, I might consider getting preloved from my IG seller if it’s a past season bag that is no longer in store. Problem with preloved is that with all the quality issues nowadays from Chanel, I worry that if something goes wrong with the bag, I have no recourse to fix. (I’m generally not picky but one time, the CC fell off an SLG after about 6 months of use and luckily my SA was able to repair it for me.)

Would you mind DM me your instagram seller? I would definitely be interested in going that way especially if it is some reliable!