First Chanel bag - buy new or preloved?

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wanderlust26

New Member
Sep 13, 2020
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#1
Hi everyone! I am new to this community and excited to be sharing my first post.
I am hoping to buy my first Chanel bag soon (I have my sights set on the medium classic flap in black lambskin with gold hardware) and was curious to hear everyone’s opinions on buying new from the Chanel store vs vintage from a consignment shop. I have heard that the vintage bags are better quality / more luxe looking - thoughts? Another major consideration for me is this years price increase. Would really appreciate any and all opinions.
 
#2
They both have their pros and cons. The biggest pro about buying preloved is saving money, especially with the constant price increases but make sure you do your homework so that you know what to look for when purchasing. On the other hand, buying your first Chanel from a boutique is an experience! If you’re lucky with the boutique/SA, buying your first Chanel can be an opulent experience that I think everyone should experience once. The biggest con here of course, is the crazy prices! If you’ve saved enough and you care about having that Chanel experience, go for it! If not, preloved is always a great option to save a good amount! Check out websites like Vestiaire Collective or Fashion File etc.
 
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#3
You have to be so so so careful with fakes when buying preloved. Always get your items authenticated and buy from reputable sites/buyers.

Buying a Chanel wallet brand new is a great way to get the store experience! I prefer to buy wallets brand new from store. Whereas for bags I love to go preloved. This applies to LV and Chanel.

Vintage is a great option. I recently bought myself a vintage Chanel mini in black lambskin ghw from 1986 to 1988 as a birthday present. Hehe. Here’s a pic for fun!
209B4CBD-B2D9-4BE3-899C-F677503992A0.jpeg
 
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#4
I would personally save enough money to buy my first classic flap brand new to have a worry free experience. You can always go for the vintage route on your next bag for more unique pieces that are no longer available in stores. Goodluck on your decision! :tup:
 
#5
My first Chanel bag was new. Nowadays I'm not sure I want to buy it new - you can shop online from trusted/reputable sellers or have it authenticated before purchase and there are plenty unused or used a couple of time bags at lower price.

But keep in mind that there is still a risk to buy a fake one.
 
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#6
Wondermuffin said:
You have to be so so so careful with fakes when buying preloved. Always get your items authenticated and buy from reputable sites/buyers.

Buying a Chanel wallet brand new is a great way to get the store experience! I prefer to buy wallets brand new from store. Whereas for bags I love to go preloved. This applies to LV and Chanel.

Vintage is a great option. I recently bought myself a vintage Chanel mini in black lambskin ghw from 1986 to 1988 as a birthday present. Hehe. Here’s a pic for fun!
View attachment 4846507
Click to expand...
Your bag is so gorgeous!! What sites do you use for buying vintage? I’ve been looking at Rebag - should I feel safe buying from them or would you still recommend getting the bag authenticated after receiving?
 
#8
There are so many things people mention here, from the amouth of stitches to pricetags, and it's different all across the globe. I even read that they sell superfakes with reciepts. I rather spend that money and not worry about authenticity.

I also know that if I buy a pre-loved bag, I would always want a new one. Since prices are only going up, I'll get a new bag first. I can always take the pre-loved route later.

There is a pretty big price difference between pre-loved and new, but there is more than just the money you pay for a bag.
 
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#9
I think it also depends on how you as a person "feel" about the preloved route...If you have bought other luxury items/brands preloved and had a good experience with the process then going down this road with your first Chanel will likely be easier. If this will be your FIRST time buying any expensive item preloved then I would suggest really reading up on all the potential pitfalls so you can avoid any disappointment.

I personally don't buy preloved and would rather buy fewer bags but just buy brand new from boutiques/Dept. stores. I know I would not love the process of authenticating/ potentially dealing with embedded perfume smells, etc... However some on the forum are very happy with the preloved experience...so it really depends on your personality/views/expectations...

Good luck with your decision!
 
#10
I’d say buy vintage from a reputable seller. Lots of threads about where to look for vintage Chanel on TPF. I have three vintage and one new Chanel and am pretty convinced at this point that buying new is not for me. Releasing multiple collections every year is meant to create more opportunities to tempt buyers, even if it’s not feasible for anyone to make that many purchases.
 
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#11
There are some sites that guarantee authenticity. So, if you save a bundle, and the bag is in excellent condition, you can always have it authenticated and return if fake.

If you can afford to buy your first bag new, saving yourself the hassle, I'd buy new.
 
#13
I think purchasing your first bag brand new is really exciting, and it’s a nice experience if you’re working with the right SA. You should go for it if you have the opportunity to, because you have the guarantee of an authentic bag so your first experience is stress free.

Buying preloved saves you a good amount of money, especially when it comes to lambskin and vintage pieces. It’s especially great when it comes to seasonal pieces that you can’t purchase at the boutiques anymore, although classic flaps are quite common (but sell very fast) on the resale market. If you decide to go the preloved route, please make sure you do your research! There’s a lot of sketchy sellers, and ones that sell super fakes. There’s a thread here for recommendations for consignors, but also sites like fashionphile and yoogiscloset have a great selection and guarantee authenticity.

I have purchased brand new and preloved before, and there are items I wish I bought preloved to save money. But some items are seasonal and/or hard to find, which justifies going to a boutique for me.
 
#14
If you can I would suggest buying your Chanel in Europe. Either personally or if you know someone flying over for vacation to grab one for you. The amount you save on Vat tax is the same as buying peel over and you get it direct from the boutique. I bought a boy bag last year and saved $1200cad.
 
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