Ever purged your collection in pursuit of one bag? How did it go?

[redskater]

My items on bonanzle haven't brought a lot of interest, so I put them on ebay this week to see if they'll move... if not, i'll continue to leave them on the bonz to see if they sell. I'm not in a rush but i'd like to get rid of them to make some space.

redskater, the resale value of MJ makes me sad as well, which is why i can't bring myself to buy full price for any of the bags unless i absolutely absolutely love love love it. the last time he had a bag that made me feel that way was the sweet punk line, and i'm berating myself for not picking up more of those pieces rather than waiting for a sale. however, none of the recent releases make my heart pitter patter that way so no more MJ for now. and thanks for the advice on the day... you're probably right that i should wait until one pops up, but the nikki would be such a nice quick fix. gah, i need to stop thinking that way!!

i definitely think everyone's magic number is different... i must have had 30+ bags, maybe 20 now, but i'll be happy if i can get it down to 10-15... happier still if i can get it down to 7-8.

no, that's what got us into this position to begin with! Unless you LOVE that nikki, you will keep thinking about that outremer! Have you seen the outremer IRL? I'm going to dallas on friday, I'm hoping that I'll get to see this color to see just what all the fuss is about. I so hope I don't fall in love with it!

I was up to 30+ bags as well. I think I'll happy with less than 20 but not less than 15, but it's going to take awhile to get there. The good thing about this thread is that it has curtailed my spending if not totally purging all the ones I should just yet.

 

[thedseer]

re: Bonanzle. I only have a few bags listed now, most NWT (yikes), and they are all AT LEAST 1/3 off of retail, most much more, plus free shipping. I’ve been getting offers that are 1/3 or more off my listing price, which for me is not worth it at this time. I’ve accepted offers in the past, but they’ve been more like 10%/15% off my listing price. There is definitely a trade off, because obviously it’s not doing me any good to have them sitting on my shelf, but since I’m not in need of the money, I’m less comfortable going so low than letting the bags sit there. I know they’ll sell eventually. I’ll lower the price if I have to. If I still have them in a few more months – especially as I’m preparing to move – then I’ll go much lower if I have to.

It is a little sad that the resale for some of these bags has gotten so low. For RM, I think it’s a combination of the market being saturated, the bags constantly going on sale, and also lost faith in CS/QC.

Anyway, I think it’s great that more and more people are still reading this thread and finding inspiration!

 

[Loquita]

I have to agree abut the RM situation. I am astounded at how poor the resale value on the bags is at this point - when I first got into RM about three years ago, you could post a coveted RM in EUC on ick-bay and it would be gone in mere minutes, at or often above retail. Now you are extremely lucky to break even on a bag, even if it is NWT. The people in the sf are great, though, so I keep visiting.

I have to wonder exactly what combination of factors is causing this. I think in part it has to do with the endless sales on RMs that you see online in the last year or so. I can remember when finding an RM at 10% off was a true rarity!

Being new to the forum I have a different idea about why RM's could be moving slowly. Unless you frequent places like the purse forum or follow designer handbags, no one I know has a clue who Rebecca Minkoff is. I don't know many ladies that buy handbags based on resale value except here but on if she likes the style and if she can afford it. In this economy the majority of the ladies I know would be horrified to spend over $200 for a purse.(Not making a judgement here. I don't tell my family how much I spend on a purse either because of the above). With all the quality issues listed on that subforum, I wouldn't touch a full price RM bag as there are too many better priced alternatives, but I might be tempted by a good discount price. It also seems the RM fans most likely to pay more in the past are now turned off on the brand and selling off their collections.

I applaud everyone paring down to what works for you. If you are realistic about resale values, I think your items will sell. I was tempted by an ebay listing, but the seller was too caught up in what she paid so she still has the purse.

I'm not offended at all by what you said, Kyla, in fact your comments make a lot of sense to me - and it truly helps to hear an opinion from someone who's hasn't been as "wrapped up" in the brand as I was!

 

[Loquita]

re: Bonanzle. I only have a few bags listed now, most NWT (yikes), and they are all AT LEAST 1/3 off of retail, most much more, plus free shipping. I’ve been getting offers that are 1/3 or more off my listing price, which for me is not worth it at this time. I’ve accepted offers in the past, but they’ve been more like 10%/15% off my listing price. There is definitely a trade off, because obviously it’s not doing me any good to have them sitting on my shelf, but since I’m not in need of the money, I’m less comfortable going so low than letting the bags sit there. I know they’ll sell eventually. I’ll lower the price if I have to. If I still have them in a few more months – especially as I’m preparing to move – then I’ll go much lower if I have to.

It is a little sad that the resale for some of these bags has gotten so low. For RM, I think it’s a combination of the market being saturated, the bags constantly going on sale, and also lost faith in CS/QC.

Anyway, I think it’s great that more and more people are still reading this thread and finding inspiration!

I think that this is an excellent strategy - I did the same recently with a bag that was very slow to sell, and I eventually did sell it at a loooow price, but at that point I was mentally prepared to do so!

 

[Loquita]

jc welcome! There is no shame in being here, I think we are all just trying to find that happy medium. It is different for everybody but this thread personally helps me think about making more thoughtful purchases. As you can see from the posts, everybody has their demons, albeit bags, lipgloss, etc. Not long ago, I would buy RM's and Treesjes like candy, snapping up 3-4 on a binge (sample sale, Endless sale, after Thanksgiving sale, etc..). That is 3-4 bags at $300-$500 a piece!! That coming from a girl who is too cheap to buy new socks! WTF!! But slowly I have sold off a bunch of RM's that I loved but as I think about it, I don't even miss them. Crazy! Now I have a bunch for sale and I'm really okay with it. I realized I had an issue when I started hiding my bags from my DH because I knew deep down it was not cool to spend so much on bags. I am not there yet but am on the road to recovery! Anyhoo, I feel like this is a bit of a support group for me. Baby steps.

Oh and I listed my neverfull today...the lack of a top zipper didn't work out for me. Oh well.

Good luck wishes to everybody on their sales!!

Good for you!!! Yes, it's all about baby steps - I am still trying to sell my last three bags (one I am selling for a friend) and while I get frustrated at times because I would love to be done with selling for a while, I am going to stay positive.

The fact that you realize that the Neverfull is not for you is a fantastic observation that will save you a lot of time and money in the future, jx!

And I just bought my second bag off of ick-bay from an absolutely wonderful PFer - I have been thinking this one over for a loooooong while, and driving many lovely people nuts with my PMs and authentication/sub-forum thread questions!!!

FYI, it's not red - that one's on the backburner until I get lucky...but it's certainly not for lack of trying, lol.

The bag's coming from Europe so it will take a while to arrive. But that's okay - I have a very strong sense that it will be well worth the wait.

 

[Loquita]

Thanks for the great thread, Loquita, and thanks to everyone for some really insightful thoughts

Last spring, I decided to unload my relatively small RM collection (after having gone through a good fifteen bags to get to the four I had-- seriously, what is it with that brand?!) in exchange for one Mulberry. I felt virtuous until the end of summer, when life got a little stressful and I figured that a "couple" of pick-me-ups wouldn't hurt.

...and when the fog lifted, I found myself back where I started, but with much more expensive bags and a couple of RMs that had snuck their way back in to boot. ush:

I agree that everyone's magic number is different, and I feel like I've learned the hard way that mine is small. I need one black bag, one indestructible monster I can sling around for work or school, one black clutch, and, although it pains me to say it, probably only one Mulberry oak bag.

I have one or two adjustments left to make, and I'm here to remind myself that it's easier to refine my bags if I don't let my buying get out of control again. I'm also here to cheerlead for anyone who needs it-- good luck with the sales, they'll happen eventually!

Great to see you here, pigby!!!

I am with you in that I think that I need to go very small - 4-5 bags, tops. My largest bag collection ever topped out at 12 bags or so, which was too much for me, so I am happy with that small number. That said, I completely understand why someone would want a bit more variety and a larger "magic number."

(One of my magic numbers will likely be a Mulberry Oak bag as well, though).

 

[thedseer]

can't wait to see what your second bag is!

 

[fashion_mom1]

I am glad I caught up on the thread. I am so frustrated with trying to NOT loose money on my bags. It seems like everyone wants something for nothing. I already have my bags marked low, but people still ask for 100 off. That is crazy to me. I am glad I am not the only one that is going through this. Of course I am sorry too that we are all suffering a little.

 

[Janinevs]

So excited to see what bag number 2 will be!

I'm inspired by this thread and have made some progress, but obviously still have a long way to go. Right now I have 20 bags that's not in the "to be sold/ given away pile". Of those 20, 14 are really placeholders for dream bags. When I list my magic, I NEED these bags number, I still come out to 15 bags. And nine of them are bags I don't own! So, I'm going to take a year and see which of the placeholder bags are really getting used before I start replacing them with dream bags. Also I'm realizing some of those "placeholders" are really dream bags, because I just can't get rid of them, so obviously I love them. Since the rule is dream bag in, placeholder out, I'm realizing some dream bags are really not that special to me.

I'm telling you guys, this has been an eye-opener to me. The other morning I was lying in bed thinking about which bags I would have if I could only have 5 and I realized that 5 really covers it all. That would give me a black, brown, red, navy and throw-around tote.

Anyway, I'm rambling, this thread is great!!

 

[Indybop]

I love this thread. I really enjoy reading everyone's input and handbag journeys. I have been caught up in what feels like an endless cycle of buying and selling in the pursuit of my perfect collection. I often find myself falling in love with the 'idea' of a bag and then when I get it it is not practical for me. I love to look at it in my closet, but if it doesn't serve me as a handbag then what am I doing with it! I love to look at lots of the high end designer bags, but these don't fit my lifestyle, I know that I'm a midrange bag girl (rm, treesje, lp, hh). I guess this is a good thing, since I really can't afford those anyway. I would really be happy with myself if I could get down to not having any duplicates of bags in my collection and no more than 10 bags. I think that is more than enough for me, since I don't change bags that often. I'm actually getting pretty close and I just hope i can stick to it. I'm so easily drawn in by beautiful reveals on this forum, ugh! I need to learn to be happy and enjoy what I have instead of looking for the next best thing....

 

[sexycombover]

I'm going through a purge fail right now.
Not that I don't want to get rid of the bags, but like others have brought up, I can't seem to let my bags go for dirt cheap. If I sell them for dirt cheap, I might as well just donate it to goodwill. Seriously.

I also have a lot of flakey buyers. There were a bunch of people who were almost committed to meeting up, then right before we meet up, they back out. Totally annoying me. And I notice that there are only a select few bags with resale value. My Coach bags have been selling for EXTREMELY low, probably due to the abundance of outlets. My Juicy Couture items have also been suffering the same problem. Luckily, I don't buy those brands at full price anyway.

I've been really good about not buying anything since my MbMJ bag though, so that's something to be proud of...right?

I think I'm still at around 20 bags since I last checked. One bag's zipper is coming off, but since I use it for work, I don't really care, and I kind of want to use it for what it's worth, then I can throw it out without guilt. That was a poor investment though, considering that bag only lasted me a year (maybe less) and I don't even use it every day.

 

[chloehandbags]

I can't imagine ever doing this - there is no one bag that I'd ever sacrifice all others for.

Selling bags I don't really love and don't use is one thing - but selling bags I really love, just to buy one extremely overpriced bag? Never.

Even if there was some amazing bag that I, genuinely, felt was worth the many thousands, or tens of thousands, of dollars it cost (yeah, right!), I still wouldn't want to just have one bag of that value; as nothing is so good, or versatile, that you want to use it all the time, for every occasion, forever and what if something happened to it, or me while I was using it?!

Some people will kill for a pair of sneakers, so how many more would do so for a $10,000+ bag? :s

 

[ellacoach]

I used to be a big Coach fan, but about 2 years ago I sold every single Coach item I owned to fund my growing Louis Vuitton addiction. I've never looked back!

 

[Indybop]

I love this thread. I really enjoy reading everyone's input and handbag journeys. I have been caught up in what feels like an endless cycle of buying and selling in the pursuit of my perfect collection. I often find myself falling in love with the 'idea' of a bag and then when I get it it is not practical for me. I love to look at it in my closet, but if it doesn't serve me as a handbag then what am I doing with it! I love to look at lots of the high end designer bags, but these don't fit my lifestyle, I know that I'm a midrange bag girl (rm, treesje, lp, hh). I guess this is a good thing, since I really can't afford those anyway. I would really be happy with myself if I could get down to not having any duplicates of bags in my collection and no more than 10 bags. I think that is more than enough for me, since I don't change bags that often. I'm actually getting pretty close and I just hope i can stick to it. I'm so easily drawn in by beautiful reveals on this forum, ugh! I need to learn to be happy and enjoy what I have instead of looking for the next best thing....

When I reread my post I felt a bit ill, I mean isn't it crazy to have four bags in the same style but different colors! I need help! I'm now on a mission, only one bag in each style I love, that's my plan and I'm sticking to it! (i think.... please help me be strong!)

 

[chloehandbags]

I am so frustrated with trying to NOT loose money on my bags. It seems like everyone wants something for nothing. I already have my bags marked low, but people still ask for 100 off.

That's supply and demand for you, I'm afraid.

Between 2005 and 2008 A LOT of people bought A LOT of bags and now many of those people want (or have) to sell them...