Cost per wear? Do you care?

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#76
Reading through this thread is making me realize that cost-per-wear, in and of itself, is too limiting to me as a way of "justifying" bags. While it's good to know a bag is getting used (and I totally agree with the poster who said a $20 or $50 bag that is never worn is a bag that cost too much), it's also useful to acknowledge all the other reasons why we buy bags. If all we needed was a sac in which to carry our possessions, we could spend $1 on a reusable shopping bag at Whole Foods and our cost-per-wear would be pennies pretty quickly.

Not every bag was meant to be an everyday bag. My best example is my black Chanel reissue 226. It's too small to be an everyday bag for me, plus even though it's pretty durable, I don't want to put daily wear and tear on it. But when that certain cocktail party or dressy dinner comes along, it is the perfect bag and I'm so happy I have it. If I had to cull my collection based solely on cost per wear, that bag would be one of the first to go. So on that level, CPW doesn't make sense to me.

What I do hate, however, is buying a bag for everyday use and then finding it doesn't really work that way. And sometimes, you can't really tell until you've had the bag a while and worn it a few times. In that case, you've got to cut your losses, either by accepting the bag isn't going to get as much use as you'd hoped, or by selling it and probably taking a loss on the resale market. When I've sold bags, I tell myself that any lost money was spent on "renting" the bag and getting more knowledge of what does and doesn't work for me.
 
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#77
I always heard "cost per wear" stuff but never actually thought about it in detail until I saw this thread, it shows me how people think from different aspects, which are interesting and helpful. To me, handbags are something I am obsessed about not just only because we are complimented by them as fashionable accessaries, but something(not everything) that I think it's classic and value to collect. I have a small collection and I admit there are a few bags are sitting in my closet for a while( especially my LV Tivoli PM, my first designer bag that I got when I was 19, my taste changed a bit later, i think I haven't taken her out for at least three years) but I can't apart with any of them, maybe it sounds silly to a lot of you, but I only make purchase when I have spare money, so I am trying to spend my money carefully so I won't regret later, because I don't resell or rotate my collection, it comes in, it will stay in my collection, that's why i try to buy less per year so it will grow slowly and nicely. Have you guys ever dreamed about your handbag collection like, this is one of my goal/motivation to have a big room that is only for my handbags, my bags will be organized nicely and sitting on the shelves on 4 sides of the wall, whenever my daughters want to borrow my bags, I will tell them" go and pick one." It sound funny right? But it is one of my life goals and I am working hard on it.
 
#78
catsinthebag said:
Reading through this thread is making me realize that cost-per-wear, in and of itself, is too limiting to me as a way of "justifying" bags. While it's good to know a bag is getting used (and I totally agree with the poster who said a $20 or $50 bag that is never worn is a bag that cost too much), it's also useful to acknowledge all the other reasons why we buy bags. If all we needed was a sac in which to carry our possessions, we could spend $1 on a reusable shopping bag at Whole Foods and our cost-per-wear would be pennies pretty quickly.

Not every bag was meant to be an everyday bag. My best example is my black Chanel reissue 226. It's too small to be an everyday bag for me, plus even though it's pretty durable, I don't want to put daily wear and tear on it. But when that certain cocktail party or dressy dinner comes along, it is the perfect bag and I'm so happy I have it. If I had to cull my collection based solely on cost per wear, that bag would be one of the first to go. So on that level, CPW doesn't make sense to me.

What I do hate, however, is buying a bag for everyday use and then finding it doesn't really work that way. And sometimes, you can't really tell until you've had the bag a while and worn it a few times. In that case, you've got to cut your losses, either by accepting the bag isn't going to get as much use as you'd hoped, or by selling it and probably taking a loss on the resale market. When I've sold bags, I tell myself that any lost money was spent on "renting" the bag and getting more knowledge of what does and doesn't work for me.
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+1, when I was younger, I used to buy no brand or small brand very often and got sick of them quickly or they didn't work for me after few use, I ended up gave them away or donated as they were like brand new, which I very much hated that I'd should spent my money more carefully. So now I am stick with le Pliage as my college bag(only three days though, I need to carry a lot of heavy things), others are for my leisure time.
 
#79
beachkaka said:
Have you guys ever dreamed about your handbag collection like, this is one of my goal/motivation to have a big room that is only for my handbags, my bags will be organized nicely and sitting on the shelves on 4 sides of the wall, whenever my daughters want to borrow my bags, I will tell them" go and pick one." It sound funny right? But it is one of my life goals and I am working hard on it.
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I'm the complete opposite. My goal is to have at least 1 million cash in savings by the time I retire, aside from my pension and my husband's 401k. As much as I love bags, I would rather feel comfortable and be able to travel. I have a good job but not the kind that makes the big bucks so I have to balance my wants and needs.
 
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#80
I definitely factor in cost per wear. I try to buy bags that I will use and love for many years in the future rather than what is trendy and "in" at the moment or what has a good deal. I want my bags to last as long as I do and, rather than have tons of bags I don't use, I want to have bags I will love and use very often.

I do have one or two bags that are more bags for specific occasions to fill that specific niche in my wardrobe, but I invest less in those than my everyday bags.
 
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#81
I definitely do not factor in cost per wear when buying- it would mean that I would never buy my handbags! It's funny because I am normally very pragmatic and frugal in many areas of my life but with handbags/SLGs and fine jewelry, I am a little less so.

I am definitely a handbag collector (no girl needs more than 10+ lux handbags), and observing all the collectors of things I know, CPW/Use is not something that we often think about. For instance, if you're factoring CPW into your buying decision, it would mean that your buying behavior would change: consider if you are buying a handbag where you are offered choices such as delicate leather vs canvas, black vs baby pink, small vs large. If I was buying with CPW in mind, I would probably only have big utilitarian black bags. I would not be buying handbags I actually wanted - but looking at the handbag as something to be used rather than collected. Not to say I do not use my handbags, they are not museum pieces but rather beautiful objects I collect and use.

For instance, my husband collects vintage cameras - he has more than 10. Some do not even function! He buys some because he likes the look of them, and some because he wants to get a certain looking photo.

But having said that, I do keep a page in my diary keeping track of all my handbags and SLG's. It has the handbag's price listed there. Not so I can measure its CPW, but it does help me when making purchasing decisions. For example, I was looking at buying the LE lady Dior with the special strap - it is selling for around the price of my Chanel flap and boy bag - I ask myself if I will like it more than/the same as my Chanel? It's a weird system but it works for me. (Did not get the Lady dior by the way - it just does not seem to be on par with my Chanels)

Edit: and the other thing is the classic factor - some classics will just last you longer in the long run, making CPW hard to calculate
 
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#82
Elaine1904 said:
I definitely do not factor in cost per wear when buying- it would mean that I would never buy my handbags! It's funny because I am normally very pragmatic and frugal in many areas of my life but with handbags/SLGs and fine jewelry, I am a little less so.

I am definitely a handbag collector (no girl needs more than 10+ lux handbags), and observing all the collectors of things I know, CPW/Use is not something that we often think about. For instance, if you're factoring CPW into your buying decision, it would mean that your buying behavior would change: consider if you are buying a handbag where you are offered choices such as delicate leather vs canvas, black vs baby pink, small vs large. If I was buying with CPW in mind, I would probably only have big utilitarian black bags. I would not be buying handbags I actually wanted - but looking at the handbag as something to be used rather than collected. Not to say I do not use my handbags, they are not museum pieces but rather beautiful objects I collect and use.

For instance, my husband collects vintage cameras - he has more than 10. Some do not even function! He buys some because he likes the look of them, and some because he wants to get a certain looking photo.

But having said that, I do keep a page in my diary keeping track of all my handbags and SLG's. It has the handbag's price listed there. Not so I can measure its CPW, but it does help me when making purchasing decisions. For example, I was looking at buying the LE lady Dior with the special strap - it is selling for around the price of my Chanel flap and boy bag - I ask myself if I will like it more than/the same as my Chanel? It's a weird system but it works for me. (Did not get the Lady dior by the way - it just does not seem to be on par with my Chanels)

Edit: and the other thing is the classic factor - some classics will just last you longer in the long run, making CPW hard to calculate
Click to expand...

+1 well said

CPW is the least of my concern when buying a new bag. The only time I think of CPW is when I have the bag for long periods of time.
My thought process in buying is how much I love the bag, Price and last if it fit to my life style.
 
#83
Elaine1904 said:
I definitely do not factor in cost per wear when buying- it would mean that I would never buy my handbags! It's funny because I am normally very pragmatic and frugal in many areas of my life but with handbags/SLGs and fine jewelry, I am a little less so.

I am definitely a handbag collector (no girl needs more than 10+ lux handbags), and observing all the collectors of things I know, CPW/Use is not something that we often think about. For instance, if you're factoring CPW into your buying decision, it would mean that your buying behavior would change: consider if you are buying a handbag where you are offered choices such as delicate leather vs canvas, black vs baby pink, small vs large. If I was buying with CPW in mind, I would probably only have big utilitarian black bags. I would not be buying handbags I actually wanted - but looking at the handbag as something to be used rather than collected. Not to say I do not use my handbags, they are not museum pieces but rather beautiful objects I collect and use.

For instance, my husband collects vintage cameras - he has more than 10. Some do not even function! He buys some because he likes the look of them, and some because he wants to get a certain looking photo.

But having said that, I do keep a page in my diary keeping track of all my handbags and SLG's. It has the handbag's price listed there. Not so I can measure its CPW, but it does help me when making purchasing decisions. For example, I was looking at buying the LE lady Dior with the special strap - it is selling for around the price of my Chanel flap and boy bag - I ask myself if I will like it more than/the same as my Chanel? It's a weird system but it works for me. (Did not get the Lady dior by the way - it just does not seem to be on par with my Chanels)

Edit: and the other thing is the classic factor - some classics will just last you longer in the long run, making CPW hard to calculate
Click to expand...
Would love to see a photo of your Collection - sounds intriguing!
 
#84
I never thought of this.
However, I am quite conservative when it comes to buy a bag and I tried to build myself a collection that I will still love in a few years (hopefully!!).
 
#85
I don't factor it in really at all. I ask two independent questions before purchase: can I afford it and do I love it? If I can't afford it, that answers that, and the only justification beyond that is that I absolutely love it.
 
#86
GoStanford said:
I think this is a losing battle, in the sense that while many here advocate to use designer bags when possible, the reality is that I'm not going to be happy about getting crumbs and spills inside a nice bag. I saw a mom of 3 at our school dealing with a water bottle spill inside her Celine bag at a basketball game. The toddler had somehow gotten hold of a loosely capped water bottle and poured out the contents into the inside of her bag. That was a little extreme, but you know, it could happen.
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Ha ha this made me think of when Tina Craig (from Bagsnob.com) found her son washing her Birkin in the bathtub because he innocently wanted her bag to be clean. She was horrified but also amused at her son's comment.

I'm also a new mom and I haven't been able to use my nice bags now that my baby is mobile and chewing on everything. But I know that this will change in a few years. I have an older child too and was able to downsize quite a bit after she was potty trained. When she was three, I could start using my designer stuff again. I know that this period of time (not using nice bags) is temporary, and I'm enjoying my time as a mom because my baby won't be a baby forever.
 
#88
For me personaly i'm concider cost per wear. I think i will prefer buying $160-$300 coach rather than renting for channel that cost $200 for 1 time only. I prefer to have something that i can use multiply times.
And the most important for me is to wear and buying what we can afford with our financial condition.
 
#89
I am trying to factor in cost per wear. Though there isn't an app for android. Like style book.
I am also wondering if you ladies factor in the resale value. Or do you keep all your bags?

Sent from my A0001 using PurseForum mobile app
 
#90
wadaiko said:
I am trying to factor in cost per wear. Though there isn't an app for android. Like style book.
I am also wondering if you ladies factor in the resale value. Or do you keep all your bags?

Sent from my A0001 using PurseForum mobile app
Click to expand...

I keep all my bags. I have only been collecting luxury brands for 2-3 years now, so maybe I'll feel differently down the road, but when I buy, I consider it a forever purchase. It helps me really consider how much I'll love and use the bag.
 
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