I think we are more or less on the same page. But my point still stands.It’s not shocking to me in the least that someone(s) may do this. To the contrary, my stated point is that there may be a myriad of reasons as to why someone does something.
I’m simply speaking to the fact that this is not the sole and quite possibly not even the most common reason. Just like obsessing over a stitch does not necessarily mean a person can’t afford the bag or that checking resale doesn’t necessarily mean a person doesn’t buy bags that sparks joy. I’m saying we are all different. So, we can see actions but, it can unintentionally come off as presumptuous and insulting when we assign a “negative” motivation.
Is anyone else fed up with all the talk of resale value?
- Thread starter BlueCherry
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So eloquently put.As a former financial advisor I commend the dialogue around investing in worthwhile assets but the reality is that the most sound investment strategy is diversification. Putting all of your savings/discretionary income into a stock portfolio or a home or a painting is not a good idea, but allocating portions to all three (or a number of others) is a great way to not only protect your assets, but also enjoy the fruits of your investment.
Investments are just that: you can invest time, money, emotion - the point is to get something back in return. Some people are looking for joy, some for cash - but we are all invested in these bags some way or another, as we are everything in our lives. If you pay attention to something for even 5 minutes a day, you are invested in that thing and you SHOULD reflect at some point why you are spending time/attention/energy on said thing. Life is too short to be squandered. For some, the act of “not worrying” about something has as much value as it does for someone else to worry about the exact same thing; as someone upthread mentioned, for some it’s a challenge or a game.
I love that this discussion is so lively and mature, I really admire this community and think it’s a privilege to have such a diverse group connecting in one place over a shared interest in bags
Excellent analysis.As a former financial advisor I commend the dialogue around investing in worthwhile assets but the reality is that the most sound investment strategy is diversification. Putting all of your savings/discretionary income into a stock portfolio or a home or a painting is not a good idea, but allocating portions to all three (or a number of others) is a great way to not only protect your assets, but also enjoy the fruits of your investment.
Investments are just that: you can invest time, money, emotion - the point is to get something back in return. Some people are looking for joy, some for cash - but we are all invested in these bags some way or another, as we are everything in our lives. If you pay attention to something for even 5 minutes a day, you are invested in that thing and you SHOULD reflect at some point why you are spending time/attention/energy on said thing. Life is too short to be squandered. For some, the act of “not worrying” about something has as much value as it does for someone else to worry about the exact same thing; as someone upthread mentioned, for some it’s a challenge or a game.
I love that this discussion is so lively and mature, I really admire this community and think it’s a privilege to have such a diverse group connecting in one place over a shared interest in bags
No need to try to correct me as that part of my comment was not directed at your quote but at the other quote I included.
I will have to read through the replies tomorrow, but to answer your question: I am tired of hearing about resale value more than you will ever know.
Totally agree. Although my an even bigger annoyance to me is the fear of using the purchased items, be they bags or shoes, and having a nervous breakdown over every little scratch or dirt (on shoes!?!). If it's going to cause that much angst, it's probably better not to buy.
I think some people enjoy the "game" of buying and selling as much as the bag. For them it is a rush to buy low, use for a while, then sell for a somewhat good price. Others look for bags that make their hearts sing and are functional for their lives and expect to wear them to death. I fall into the latter camp, as it's too much work to constantly research the fickle resale market and hope you like a bag that may have a good resale value when you tire of it. Bag flipping is a pain to me.
Thanks to everyone who replied, it has indeed been a lively debate. I would like to point out that I am not averse to any form of thriftiness, I regularly indulge and I too get excited when I have had a good deal or made a saving.
Anyone buying or selling bags regularly, sourcing their purchase carefully, researching their values etc., can indeed be construed as shrewd. Many posters - some on this thread - are shrewd buyers but haven’t felt the need to stress over resale publicly, they just post their beautiful bags proudly for us all to admire which is exactly what I want to see on this forum when I log on.
However my original post was more about those people that post about resale before they’ve even bought a bag. That want to consider resale of an item as opposed to the fact that they love the item enough to want to buy it, that make a post asking which item will be worth more if they sell it, that make no mention of the bag in other ways other than resale.
Anyone buying or selling bags regularly, sourcing their purchase carefully, researching their values etc., can indeed be construed as shrewd. Many posters - some on this thread - are shrewd buyers but haven’t felt the need to stress over resale publicly, they just post their beautiful bags proudly for us all to admire which is exactly what I want to see on this forum when I log on.
However my original post was more about those people that post about resale before they’ve even bought a bag. That want to consider resale of an item as opposed to the fact that they love the item enough to want to buy it, that make a post asking which item will be worth more if they sell it, that make no mention of the bag in other ways other than resale.
I agree with all of this. I think overthinking resale keeps people from buying high end, underrated, great quality bags like Ferragamo, Tod’s and Bottega Veneta. I’ve been on here for over 7 years and cannot believe how much Chanel has gone up in price, yet people think it’s fine.
I think the reason resale value talk annoys me is because I will never buy a used item unless it is dramatically cheaper than the new one. Plus, I just don’t get why anyone thinks they should not lose money when selling a used item.
I am REALLY enjoying this discussion. Thank you guys for making me think!!!
I agree in general, it really only works that way with Hermès, at least when prices go up. Maybe ten years ago a 35cm sellier Kelly cost $6500....now it’s in the vicinity of twice that. You use the bag but keep it in good condition - bring it in for service, take care of it but don’t go nuts - and now that $6500 would be a rock bottom price. (I do laugh, however, when I see what resellers try to charge. Over current retail for a ten year old used bag? Yikes.)
Beyond that, though, I have to agree with you. Most bags are not made to last forever, nor do they have great after-sales service.
I personally consider resale when buying bags, because while I always love and appreciate what I have, my style and needs often change...I needed a larger bag when my boys were little, now I carry smaller bags for a variety of reasons (style, ease of use, not killing my arms or my back)
...and quite honestly, I have found that I just need to live with certain things for a while before I decide if they really work for me (crossbody: still a “no” for me).
I had to LOL when I saw the comment about the shoes. Bags I enjoy, but shoes....yeah, I know, I am THAT person. I’m working on it!!! I only own two pair that I’m ‘afraid’ to wear.
I agree in general, it really only works that way with Hermès, at least when prices go up. Maybe ten years ago a 35cm sellier Kelly cost $6500....now it’s in the vicinity of twice that. You use the bag but keep it in good condition - bring it in for service, take care of it but don’t go nuts - and now that $6500 would be a rock bottom price. (I do laugh, however, when I see what resellers try to charge. Over current retail for a ten year old used bag? Yikes.)
Beyond that, though, I have to agree with you. Most bags are not made to last forever, nor do they have great after-sales service.
I personally consider resale when buying bags, because while I always love and appreciate what I have, my style and needs often change...I needed a larger bag when my boys were little, now I carry smaller bags for a variety of reasons (style, ease of use, not killing my arms or my back)
...and quite honestly, I have found that I just need to live with certain things for a while before I decide if they really work for me (crossbody: still a “no” for me).
I had to LOL when I saw the comment about the shoes. Bags I enjoy, but shoes....yeah, I know, I am THAT person. I’m working on it!!! I only own two pair that I’m ‘afraid’ to wear.
I can see the different sides to this debate, and yeah... going to either extreme is really the issue. Having an eye on potential resale value isn't a bad thing, because let's face it, we've all made handbag mistakes. I've got two of 'em sitting upstairs, waiting for me to photograph them to put up for sale. I bought them thinking I'd love them and use them straight into the ground, but it didn't happen. I'm lucky in that one is Coach 1941 and the other is MCM, both of which sell decently on the secondhand market.
Does this make me wary of buying lesser known brands? So far, not really. In an ideal world, the money you don't make back on your bag is the amount of enjoyment you got out of using it. If you bought something and never really used it, and are now facing a huge loss, then that's a good opportunity to think about what it is that didn't work about the bag, so you don't make that same mistake again.
Does this make me wary of buying lesser known brands? So far, not really. In an ideal world, the money you don't make back on your bag is the amount of enjoyment you got out of using it. If you bought something and never really used it, and are now facing a huge loss, then that's a good opportunity to think about what it is that didn't work about the bag, so you don't make that same mistake again.
It gets a bit frustrating when I see it as a get rich quick mentality, look at the vastly inflated prices, and can't buy the items I want to because of the resellers. I'll also add that if I had the amount of agony over some of the situations posted about purse "investments" applied to me, I'd automatically deem not worth it.
That said, it's seems like a logical extension to concern oneself with when looking at past market history. If I'd bought bags or jewelry I knew were classics (Chanel Flaps, Speedys, VCA) when I started collecting and kept them pristine, the amount of money I could sell them for is absurd. I'd be able to sell them for 2-3 times what I'd paid. In this same time, I've seen houses fluctuate from $1.2M to $400K to $800K to $500K to $1M. I've seen people who were set to retire early lose the majority of it in the stock market.
I think the volatility of every market, including things that were once thought stable, has caused people to become overly concerned with the monetary value of everything and it shows. While I personally wouldn't spend my money on something that stresses me out that much, that's me. I don't care what they do, what they talk about, and if I don't want to read about it, I don't open the thread and expose myself to it.
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This. I’m always puzzled when people don’t consider depreciation from use or even just time owned. When I sell a bag, of course I want to get as much as I can for it but I always know that I should “pay” for the use I got out of the bag. I don’t consider it losing money. That has value I got to enjoy.
Agree with every word.
But what about reading a perfectly normal thread and someone goes off topic about resale - how could exposure have been avoided.
With regards to exposing yourself to threads that you don’t want to read about I would consider the title of this one extremely obvious to those who seem unhappy about it and could adopt your attitude to not open it...