Buying CHANEL at the current prices/increases

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emeng_z

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Mar 3, 2021
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#1
I have been window shopping chanel online occasionally for nearly 3 years. I check CHANEL official site and resale websites, looking for 2.55 and tweed bags mostly. Sometimes I feel ashamed that I'm so obsessed. Bought my first and only new chanel bag around 3 years ago, it was a tweed bag and I still enjoy it today - such an eye candy.

I wish I could spend $10K on a purse. Just saying this loud and typing this here, it sounds/looks ridiculous. Ten grand is not enough for house down payment, but enough for a lot of great things - an international travel, months of rent for a luxury apartment rental, courses/gears for learning new skills and it's around 2 months of the median household income in US.

Still love chanel tweeds, colorful, soft and they look fuzzy and cozy. Not sure how to process the fact that I'm not getting them anytime soon. Yeah, maybe I can buy pre-loved. But I want bags in new/excellent condition, not those worn dirty bags commonly seen on resale markets that still cost two to three grands. If you follow resale markets, you'll probably find bags in excellent condition cost no less than retail price.

Anyway, the feeling of not being able to afford something sucks but seems like it's the right thing to let it go. What's your thought, aspirational CHANEL enthusiasts like me?
 
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#2
emeng_z said:
I have been window shopping chanel online occasionally for nearly 3 years. I check CHANEL official site and resale websites, looking for 2.55 and tweed bags mostly. Sometimes I feel ashamed that I'm so obsessed. Bought my first and only new chanel bag around 3 years ago, it was a tweed bag and I still enjoy it today - such an eye candy.

I wish I could spend $10K on a purse. Just saying this loud and typing this here, it sounds/looks ridiculous. Ten grand is not enough for house down payment, but enough for a lot of great things - an international travel, months of rent for a luxury apartment rental, courses/gears for learning new skills and it's around 2 months of the median household income in US.

Still love chanel tweeds, colorful, soft and they look fuzzy and cozy. Not sure how to process the fact that I'm not getting them anytime soon. Yeah, maybe I can buy pre-loved. But I want bags in new/excellent condition, not those worn dirty bags commonly seen on resale markets that still cost two to three grands. If you follow resale markets, you'll probably find bags in excellent condition cost no less than retail price.

Anyway, the feeling of not being able to afford something sucks but seems like it's the right thing to let it go. What's your thought, aspirational CHANEL enthusiasts like me?
Click to expand...

I've seen lots of preloved Chanel 'bargains' online. If you don't want what everyone else wants, there's a good chance of buying Chanel at comparable prices. Things that seem so important come and go, and in the cold light of day you could be thinking 'what was I thinking?'. Who knows what tomorrow will bring, sometimes it's great to throw caution to the wind, but your gut should tell you when to be sensible.

At the end of the day a bag is a bag, whatever the price. I don't think you should go beyond what's comfortable. Great you have one. Love it, be proud of it and above all use it.
 
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#3
emeng_z said:
the feeling of not being able to afford something sucks
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There are a lot of things I can't afford, most of the things, actually :biggrin:
But as long as it is "just" luxury, that doesn't matter to me at all. I love looking at the gorgeous things people here can buy and show, and I'm happy for them.
When it comes to Chanel, since they hit 10K with a bag, I have for longer time now, I noticed I don't use it that much anymore.
I would not buy at this price, because it is not my price range, corresponding with my lifestyle now.
Also, I have a weird feeling now with this bag in public. Something between shame (That dumb Jane Doe spends THIS much? Must be fake, or she has nothing to eat!) and fear of being a target for robbery.
This might be very subjectively perceived, but that 10K was a (the?) crazy Milestone.
 
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#4
I have no desire to buy any Chanel bags (or any bags at all) since I bought my Chanel 22s. I love them, use them fearlessly and comfortably, and will continue to do so as long as it suits me (even if they are considered out of style and dated in few years). I admit that I am happy to own the classic flaps that I do, but I (personally) would feel like a total idiot spending the current price for a bag that I used to purchase for half of price before (even though I can still comfortably afford one). I actually had this conversation with my SA and it lead into an interesting direction.

I do feel the pain of people who love the bag, but can not afford it. I guess the new prices are easier to stomach if you have not bought Chanel flap when it was $4600.00. It is probably different for others, but that’s how I feel for myself and my collection. I do believe that it is worth it to save for and buy the bag that one loves and will use comfortably (even if it means having ware and tare on it).
 
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#6
Olgita said:
I have no desire to buy any Chanel bags (or any bags at all) since I bought my Chanel 22s. I love them, use them fearlessly and comfortably, and will continue to do so as long as it suits me (even if they are considered out of style and dated in few years). I admit that I am happy to own the classic flaps that I do, but I (personally) would feel like a total idiot spending the current price for a bag that I used to purchase for half of price before (even though I can still comfortably afford one). I actually had this conversation with my SA and it lead into an interesting direction.

I do feel the pain of people who love the bag, but can not afford it. I guess the new prices are easier to stomach if you have not bought Chanel flap when it was $4600.00. It is probably different for others, but that’s how I feel for myself and my collection. I do believe that it is worth it to save for and buy the bag that one loves and will use comfortably (even if it means having ware and tare on it).
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This is similar to how I feel. Compared to the prices that I have paid for my Chanel bags previously, why would I pay X% more more the same bag??? I'm thankful I started my collection years ago before the price hikes got so extreme. I'll be sitting out of the Chanel purse game unless something really incredible catches my eye.

This sentence from a recent PB article stood out to me, "[Chanel] doubling the price of the Classic Flap handbag since 2019 from $5800 to $10,200." That's striking!! I'll be curious to see their YoY sales stats to see how the price hike impacts things. It could very well be that they still have another landmark year.
 
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#7
Very interesting thread -thank for starting this! I think it's smart that you are weighing your priorities and making decisions based off those priorities. Delayed gratification can suck in the moment but the tradeoff is justifiable. For what it's worth, I think if you go to Instagram resellers you may be able to negotiate additional discounts since the bags aren't really moving in this market and I think clients who flip bags are now struggling to recoup their money.

Personally, I haven't purchased a luxury handbag since November 2022. It was weird, but something inside me switched off once I purchased my birkin.....it was like my interest in trying to "catch them all" evaporated. The luxury youtube videos can't hold my attention the way they used to....i get so impatient and want to switch off. And now I see influencers talking about 2024 de-influencing/"things they will not buy" trend videos. I think consumption fatigue is finally catching up. I agree with others here that I sometimes hesitate to wear my classic flaps for paranoia people will think I am "dumb" to purchase something so expensive. But what can i say, Chanel has definitely ruined it for me in the sense that I'm not attracted to other luxury designers at the moment (e.g. Fendi, Dior, LV, etc....). So I'm stuck in the cycle of rotating through my existing bags, which I'm content with for now. I love coming on here to admire the Chanel handbags others buy....but at this point, i'm not interested in acquiring the latest "it" bag. Maybe I'll change my mind. My current obsession is espresso machines and buying espresso accessories hah!
 
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#8
The good thing about the crazy price increases is that I don’t even think about buying a Chanel anymore. That can be for other people.

And I’m with you, I don’t want to buy used luxury. I’ve done it and I just don’t enjoy those bags like the ones I bought new.

Regarding the “dumb” comments wrt wearing a $10k bag, I wouldn’t find it dumb but I do think at $10k a pop, the number of places that it’s appropriate to wear a Chanel flap decreases. At least for most people. If you’re in social circles where everyone has their own private jet, go for it.
 
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#9
My last chanel bag purchased was in 2019 for a seasonal bag. Have not bought any since the pandemic and will not be buying more in near future. I just cannot justify spending so much on a bag. I have tingle of regret sometimes for getting the seasonal flap instead of 2.55 in 2019 (that would have complete my collection - I also have a medium classic flap and a boy bag). Too bad I was not into aged calfskin then. Will enjoy and use my current small Chanel collection. At the current prices, I would rather spend on fine jewelry from VCA or Cartier. Classic and timeless fine jewelry will last forever, cannot say the same for bags.
 
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#10
Don’t feel ashamed, obsessions happen to all of us. Right now I’m in the “what is my next bracelet” rabbit hole :lol:

Chanel is expensive! I only have one, my holy grail, and I’m beyond satisfied with it and my decision to buy it. I don’t even think about the price when I wear it, but I do remind myself to be thankful and take a moment to admire it before wearing it because I KNOW it’s value and it’s worth to me. None of that is lost on me, so I treasure it and will have it for a life time. In a way, that makes the money spend worth it. It makes me happy, I love wearing it, I feel at purse peace now, and it ended the feverish lusting. Now, jewelry on the other hand… haha! So many pretty things in this world. We are quite lucky to admire them!
 
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#12
I think that like many things in life, it's all relative - whether one spends $10k on a purse or not is up to their own circumstances, priorities etc. The audience on this forum is probably a skewed sample size as well, I'm sure many outsiders will come in here and think we are all crazy :lol:

Personally, I won't spend $10k on a purse either but then again, I thought five years ago that I would never spend more than $3k on a purse and yet here we are, a few $4-$6k purses later:eek: Having said that, I will not go into debt, clean out my savings or ask a significant other to buy me a purse. I don't mind pre-loved bags at all and I don't agree that pre-loved bags are usually in bad condition - half of my collection is pre-loved and they are all in pristine condition. They bring me as much joy as my "new" bags do.
 
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#13
emeng_z said:
I have been window shopping chanel online occasionally for nearly 3 years. I check CHANEL official site and resale websites, looking for 2.55 and tweed bags mostly. Sometimes I feel ashamed that I'm so obsessed. Bought my first and only new chanel bag around 3 years ago, it was a tweed bag and I still enjoy it today - such an eye candy.

I wish I could spend $10K on a purse. Just saying this loud and typing this here, it sounds/looks ridiculous. Ten grand is not enough for house down payment, but enough for a lot of great things - an international travel, months of rent for a luxury apartment rental, courses/gears for learning new skills and it's around 2 months of the median household income in US.

Still love chanel tweeds, colorful, soft and they look fuzzy and cozy. Not sure how to process the fact that I'm not getting them anytime soon. Yeah, maybe I can buy pre-loved. But I want bags in new/excellent condition, not those worn dirty bags commonly seen on resale markets that still cost two to three grands. If you follow resale markets, you'll probably find bags in excellent condition cost no less than retail price.

Anyway, the feeling of not being able to afford something sucks but seems like it's the right thing to let it go. What's your thought, aspirational CHANEL enthusiasts like me?
Click to expand...
It’s the right thing to do to let go.

Once upon a time in 2007 I found purse forum. Somewhere along my busy life I didn’t get back to it until like 2015 or something like that. I personally am ready to let the Chanel beast nap for a while. Unfortunately the jewelry beast has awoken. I wonder if hypnosis would work. Lol.
 
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#14
emeng_z said:
I have been window shopping chanel online occasionally for nearly 3 years. I check CHANEL official site and resale websites, looking for 2.55 and tweed bags mostly. Sometimes I feel ashamed that I'm so obsessed. Bought my first and only new chanel bag around 3 years ago, it was a tweed bag and I still enjoy it today - such an eye candy.

I wish I could spend $10K on a purse. Just saying this loud and typing this here, it sounds/looks ridiculous. Ten grand is not enough for house down payment, but enough for a lot of great things - an international travel, months of rent for a luxury apartment rental, courses/gears for learning new skills and it's around 2 months of the median household income in US.

Still love chanel tweeds, colorful, soft and they look fuzzy and cozy. Not sure how to process the fact that I'm not getting them anytime soon. Yeah, maybe I can buy pre-loved. But I want bags in new/excellent condition, not those worn dirty bags commonly seen on resale markets that still cost two to three grands. If you follow resale markets, you'll probably find bags in excellent condition cost no less than retail price.

Anyway, the feeling of not being able to afford something sucks but seems like it's the right thing to let it go. What's your thought, aspirational CHANEL enthusiasts like me?
Click to expand...
Different strokes for different folks.
 
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