Closet Clearing and Guilt

[prepster]

Over the past 5-7 years I accumulated a lot of bags and now I’m trying to clear stuff out. Obviously we get more attached to our stuff than their true value but I’d like to hear how people clear out bags that they spent a lot of money for. Do you give them away and just move on? Sell dirt cheap and cut your losses? What about bags that don’t sell? I feel guilty for poor choices since I’ve refined my style. For the record we are taking about Coach, Kate Spade, Marc by Marc Jacobs - not totally cheap bags but I have a $700 Coach bag that has been on consignment and can even sell for under $200 Canadian. Love to hear your perspectives.

Love this thread, thank you for starting it. Guilt and regret are the hardest things about getting rid of things. I did a huge clean out two years ago and sold many designer bags. The Hermes and LV went like hotcakes, but I also had some very cool vintage Kate Spade bags (designs from when Kate first started the company) that were priced ridiculously low. At first it was pretty darn annoying! Then I reasoned that I was actually receiving enjoyment from them three times--once when I bought and carried them, and again when I released them back into the world for someone else to enjoy, and again when I felt the lightness of not having to store and maintain things I didn't need anymore.

I'm continuing to clean out my house, and do sometimes experience pangs of guilt about the sheer excess of things I've mindlessly bought over the years--everything from household supplies to cosmetics. I'm trying to use my new awareness to change my habits, and hoping that the items I'm giving away to charity will help the charity and help someone save money on something they need.

 

[remainsilly]

Do you give them away and just move on?

Yes.
I donate to charity=done.

More money invested does not equal a deeper obligation, imo. Or a worse mistake.
All mistakes are things to stop, learn from & not repeat, hopefully.
Then, move on.
Some call this experience. Seems to apply to more than bag purchases in life.

Best wishes.

 

[faintlymacabre]

I always find this so difficult and have kept everything that I'd basically get nothing back for, even if I don't use it. I just can't get over the hump. I feel like I'd rather have it than sell the $600 item for $50.

How does one even go about changing their mindset?!

 

[iluvbagsnshoes]

I always find this so difficult and have kept everything that I'd basically get nothing back for, even if I don't use it. I just can't get over the hump. I feel like I'd rather have it than sell the $600 item for $50.

How does one even go about changing their mindset?!

For me, I had to decide that I wanted the space and the peace more than I wanted the item. It was only guilt over the money spent that made me want to keep the items. Lately, I am so fed up with the excess and lack of space that I almost don't care about the money. I will be listing or selling my nice pieces, and donating everything else.

 

[vhuynh2]

I don't find it difficult at all. It's either eBay or the garbage. I don't buy anything thinking I'm going to recoup any of the cost when I don't want it anymore. I also love purging and getting rid of things I don't use, so, good riddance!!

 

[Kylacove]

I don't think you should force yourself to get rid of things just because you think you "should". Unless I'm positive I won't wear a bag anymore it is usually worth more to me than the pittance I will get for it. Some that were on the chopping block or put away for a long time have turned out perfect for travel or a specific function that I didn't want to use my other bags for. I've also gifted some to family members to enjoy rather than feel taken advantage of by strangers.

 

[chicsylvie]

You could compromise and put the bags in a holding zone, and if you don’t use it within a certain time period/doesn’t sell, donate them.

As others have said, it’s a sunk cost. I would even argue that it’s an ongoing cost, in terms of the space it takes up in your home, and in terms of making you feel guilty whenever you look at it. I’ve learned the hard way not to purchase anything on the assumption that I’ll be able to resell it, though I still grapple with the idea of buying a purse that’s not LV/Chanel because of the guaranteed loss. However, before discovering this forum, I never bought a bag with the assumption that I could resell it.

 

[faintlymacabre]

I never buy with the intention to sell at a later date either, but perhaps that's why I have such a hard time with it and end up keeping everything.

 

[Ghettoe]

This is why I am constantly telling everyone that your handbags are not an investment. Unfortunately, you cut your losses. I only had one designer bag that made me learn that. It was my first and last designer bag. A YSL Muse that I drooled over like crazy. I dropped $1400 or was it 1300 on it and it came and I was in love for like a week, then I really should have realized that I have never been attached to material things. I loved the bag, but my $50 backpack was killing the practical game in a way that my muse wasn't. After it had gone unworn for about two months, I was like no more. I sold it for like five hundred bucks or it may have been 400 and realized, me and designer bags are not a thing. Treat every bag you buy like a sunk cost. It is not an investment, it may never even sell, so if you are going to spend money on one, enjoy it and when you can't anymore. Sell it.

Also believe it or not, you may think cutting your losses is horrible, but you may end up feeling liberated afterwards.

 

[catsinthebag]

I don't think you should force yourself to get rid of things just because you think you "should". Unless I'm positive I won't wear a bag anymore it is usually worth more to me than the pittance I will get for it. Some that were on the chopping block or put away for a long time have turned out perfect for travel or a specific function that I didn't want to use my other bags for. I've also gifted some to family members to enjoy rather than feel taken advantage of by strangers.

I totally agree. I think the minimalist trend has its place but it’s also having the effect of making people feel like having extra things is somehow “bad.” I have bags that I’ve taken a pretty big hit on when I sold them, but I didn’t mind (much) because I wasn’t wearing the bag anyway — usually for some functional reason that ended up making me feel annoyed at the bag and not liking it, lol. I also have bags that I don’t wear anymore, but for a period of time I wore them to death and really loved them. They aren’t worth much but that’s not why I don’t sell — I don’t sell because I have fond memories of wearing them and think someday I may wear them again. If I needed the closet space, I’d probably donate them to charity or gift them to my sister or mother. But for now, at least, they can stay because I really just don’t need to get rid of them.

I guess what it comes down to is, if I have a long history with a bag and it’s worked well for me, I tend to hang on to it. But if I find myself actively not liking it, it’s gone — I’ll take what I can get for it and consider that found money to put towards the next thing.

 

[lovingmybags]

Thankfully, the only bags that didn't work for me are from one of Coach's limited editions; the design was really cute, but I realized I don't wear crossbody bags, especially satchels. Those were probably the first and last items that actually yielded a profit. As for the rest of the bags I have, I don't wear them equally since I have a rather large collection; however, since they all fit my style I would not get rid of them just to try being minimalistic.

I'm the only one who sees what I own, so I could care less what others think. There were a few "friends" who received much help from me, and contributed nothing; to boot, they even had the audacity to question my spending choices. Needless to say, they all have been reduced to complete strangers from that point on, and I'd never look back. Let people worry about things they actually pay out of their own pocket, and I'll happily enjoy my bags!

 

[diane278]

I find it pretty easy to let go of most possessions, including bags. (I collect Bottega Veneta....). I’ve given away styles that I no longer used and a friend sold a couple for me. Once I no longer use a style or color, I emotionally detach. The physical letting go is easy once I’ve let go emotionally.
I make a lot of effort to keep things in perspective....with some, but not total success. While I really enjoy (love?) my bags, every time I see a devastating weather situation where people lose their possessions, I remind myself that things like that can happen to anyone. My bags are not the first possessions I’d grab in a diseaster, except for a cabat to throw things into like my wallet, medications, glasses, phone, etc. Honestly, I’d choose a couple of paintings first....so it’s not like I’m immune to caring about “material things”.

 

[elzi]

I prefer to sell at dirt cheap prices or give away bags that I no longer love/use. I get overwhelmed and it bugs me when I have bags which I dont reach out for. I see it as, if I get $x for selling my bag/s, I’m getting my next bag at $x discount lol. For bags that I give away, I get peace of mind in return

 

[tickedoffchick]

One way to think of it: it's generally not absolutely necessary to buy a new bag each season, but you do it for the novelty, in the same way you go out to dinner or take a vacation. How many mediocre dinners have you had at restaurants that were way overrated for the price? And surely you've had a disappointing vacation or two in your lifetime? When you buy an item that disappoints you or no longer meets your needs, you can at least get something for it -- whether it's a tax deduction from donating it or a few bucks from reselling it -- as well as the good karma from putting something out there that someone else may love to bits but otherwise couldn't afford!

 

[ccbaggirl89]

The $$ is gone and it's never coming back, even for Chanel/Hermes/LV, which I tend to buy. I lose on those, too. I think I feel better about the $$ losses and letting things go (usually to resale/consignment, ebay, or to a friend/family) when I know I have used and enjoyed the items. The loss is huge to me, and make me sad and reflective, when I let something go that I barely wore or used. So, I make a major effort to just use every darn thing I own, because it's easier to part with in the end. I think donating/gifting to someone is a great way to purge because you make another person very happy and that's a great feeling.