My current feelings about MJ vs other brands (resale value, etc)

lovekoobabags

lovekoobabags

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Jun 21, 2006
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#1
I've been meaning to post this for a few weeks now but as I "tear" myself away from the computer/this forum...(and I miss it dearly but it's healthier not to be on so much I feel)......

I realized why I obsessed over Marc Jacobs so much. There are a lot of reasons actually.

First, as I look back on to my days where I easily spent 3-4 (or more?) hours on this one subforum....I realize that I was feeding into the ":yahoo:" feeling..........the feeling of finding a designer MJ bag on ebay or through the local department stores/MJ sales thread for a GREAT DEAL!

Other brands like LV, Balenciaga, Bottega Veneta do not go on sale (for the most part). So whether you want to buy that bag this month or in a month or two....it will probably be there for you. There's no stress...you just save your money - find the bag you want - and when you can, you purchase it.

However, I feel Marc Jacobs has SALES. Lots of them too...MJ bags can go down to 60%!! You don't see that with too many of the other designers.

So what happens when you get a lot of girls who love Marc :heart:...but also love sales and who are willing to wait to buy the bag of their dreams for 40-60% off? Bag stalking/Bag obsessing. :nuts: And because these bags go like hot cakes, it's crucial to stay on track of sales, stalk the sale threads frequently (like every hour?). It's great to be at the right place at the right time...but I found in the height of my obsessing...that it actually became less enjoyable and more stressfull. :search:All that searching....

Right now I am saving for a full-priced non-MJ bag that I feel in love with almost two months ago. And I feel happy knowing that this bag won't hit the sale racks a month after I buy it...and I know it will keep its resale value because it DOESN'T go on sale.

I have fallen in love with current season Mj bags that I just wouldn't pay full price for because I know it will probably go on sale in a few months.
AND even if I miss it in the stores...I see the sale bags pop up on ebay for great prices! Granted, in my situation with the Truffle Margot...I tried my luck to get it on sale and lost out. :Push: I think it would have been more upsetting actually if I would have paid full price for it and then saw it go on sale for around $$550 or so.....and a lot of us who follow the sales know exactly what the lowest price on these bags are..so posting a MJ bags retail price on an ebay auction really means very little...in the situation where one of us might have paid full price for a bag...used it a few times and then put it on ebay....I feel most of the time it will sell for so much lower than what the seller actually paid. As I venture into other brands now (ie: balenciaga) I'm finding that they hold their value ($800->$1000) where as I have seen >$1000 MJ bags go for around $250 on ebay.

In conclusion, I am finding lately that buying bags that do not go on sale is overall less stressful than bags that do go on sale.
 
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#2
very true what you said, but i also would like to add that other brands, like LV, chloe and balenciaga, their bags are totally overpriced for what they are and the quality of the bag...i find the hunt fun, not stressful, and dont think i have ever paid full price for a bag...my LV's were all purchased on ebay, and even though i know i could buy them for full price in the store, i'd never shell out that kind of $$ for the quality...
 
#3
^ I share your sentiments on the quality issue. I always said to myself that if I'm going to pay that much money...it better be beautiful leather.
Overall I think BV and Bal bags are gorgeous in terms of their quality :smile:
I guess I found the MJ sale hunting stressful b/c I wasn't great at it. (every once in awhile I got lucky..provided that many many hours of searching preceeded the find)
 
#4
Good to see you here lovekooba! It is definitely frustrating to buy a bag full-price and see it go on sale at 60% or 70% off but to be honest, I've come to terms with it. I've taken off my sales goggles and just go for bags that I truly love, full-price or at 60% off. Even after reading the book "Deluxe: How Luxury Lost Its Luster" (great book btw), I will continue to buy designer bags even if the mark-ups are ridiculous. Don't get me wrong, I would love a great deal but it's now become more important to me whether or not I really like the bag more than how much it cost me.

So what is this new bag that you have your eye on? Don't hold any info out! :graucho:
 
#5
I understand, I too have gone back and forth on this topic...All bags are overpriced when you purchase them new! I am one of those who WILL go into the MJ boutique and buy a bag at full price because I love the experience of it and love having something new, current season. I also own LV which I know what you are saying...everyone pays the same for it, which is nice..and it never goes on sale...another plus. I am at a place in life where I have the option of going that route..but there was a time when I had to get things on sale if i wanted it...so, I really can't knock anyone for looking for a deal!! But as far as the stress of stalking ebay 24 hours a day..not my thing. I usually just buy the new bags on ebay!! so, yeah..it is just a matter of preference...especially if you like the older stuff..you really have no other way to go about it.
 
#6
^oh and as far as the quality issue, I just have to chime in and say that all of my LV's have been perfect..out of the box. I have had to have more than one of my MJ's (purchased brand new) exchanged/repaired due to inconsistancies in quality.
 
#7
ITA that I would not be able to bring myself to pay full price for those bags - and what's nuts is that several years ago when B-bags were new to the scene and not that well known, their value on ebay was lousy compared to now. I actually sold a first season motorcycle bag for less than $300, which kills me now when I think of how much I could've gotten if I'd waited!

I think the fact that MJ bags DO go on sale and can be found affordably on ebay makes it MORE appealing to me, b/c at this point I don't have a huge amount of disposable income to go towards bags, plus I think the hunt is half the fun! I love feeling like I've gotten a good deal, or like I've lucked out.
I do agree that it would be very frustrating to pay full retail and then have a bag get marked down or to not be able to come close to recouping your cost if you sold on ebay later. In that case I could definitely see why bags that don't go on sale might be more appealing.
 
#8
i love finding mj bags on sale or via eBay. i never pay full price for collection stuff, but if i found something that was THAT special to me, i would. and if it went for less later, well, that's life.
i've paid out the wazoo for brands that never go on sale (LV) and honestly prefer the hunt and chase of the great deals on MJ.
to each her own. ;)
 
#9
Hi lovekooba, I've seen you refer to this topic several times in various threads and I gather that this issue of addiction has really troubled you. I sincerely hope you can find a way to enjoy bags without feeling overly obsessed or out of control.
There is a definite high when finding a sale. I think it is a chemical high in the brain, and perhaps some people find it more addicting than others. I definitely think it is analogous to other brain chemical highs from nicotine, illicit drugs, falling deep in love, chocolate, taking physical risks (like skydiving), etc.
So I'm glad you have a plan for saving over a longer period time toward a bag you truly love for what it is, and not just because it is on sale. It sounds corny, but it really is true that recognizing and outlining one's "problem", as you seem to be trying to do, helps you to think about out it and work through it. Good luck!
 
#10
since this is a topic that's been discussed so many times before, i'm not going to go into the long winded answers i usually give and save everyone the time. ;)

so i'll only say this: i've purchased three mjs on sale. have returned or sold every single one. almost all of of my mjs have been purchased full price at the boutique. the only regrets i've ever had paying retail were the balenciagas, miu mius, and chanels of my collection. now, two of those brands rarely if ever go on sale and have higher resale values too, but so what? that's not why i buy mj.

i don't think that mj is better than any other designer brand, but it's the one i love most, so as long as i can justify the cost to myself nothing else much matters.
 
#14
baglover1973 said:
^yes tad..HOLLA!! It is what it is..!!! New, used...get what you love! and enjoy it!
Click to expand...
yep! :yes:
and sometimes it takes a while to figure out what works for you. i now know (through a painful process of elimination) that i like bigger bags, prefer one strap, and prefer zip tops. ;)
 
#15
I never even THOUGHT about buying a bag at full price until this year

the last 3 MJ purchases that I made were all full price, from the boutique -- none of the items that I bought can be found at a dept store or speciality shop, so I'm not worried that I'm going to find them on sale for 30-40% 2-3 mos from now -- the items I bought will NEVER go on sale, so I got them at their BEST price.

I occassionally browse thru the sale threads, just to see if there's anything that might catch my eye -- and yes, I've been tempted to get a bag I might not really want (i.e., Bel Harbor) just because it's (1) on sale and/or (2) HTF -- but ultimately I almost always decide against it, saving instead for the next boutique exclusive that I really want.

Once I get the other bag I want, I'm done for this season -- there's maybe 1 or 2 bags that if I happened to find on sale later on, I might want to get, but if I don't, I won't be upset -- I'm sure that in between that time, I will find myself tempted by a bargain find or looking for something to purchase that will give me that "high" that you get when you buy something new or score a great deal -- but I'm not going to obsess over it. I'll be TPF's "personal shopper" by posting those ebay deals that I find or if I happen to find a bag on sale - contribute to the sale thread.

I drove myself crazy calling the Racks, OffSaks and NMLC -- always seeming to miss that one bargain to be found -- I'm kinda tired of that hunt. I can't think of anything I want THAT badly, that I need to drive myself crazy making phone calls every day for weeks -- I'm happy with what I've got -- probably more so, because I won't find it on sale anywhere else, and chances are EVERYONE doesn't own one.

As for the reasale value -- Im not worried about that either -- since I buy my bags for my own personal use -- anything I make on them when (if) I decide to sell, I consider a fair amount -- I dont buy the bags with the intention of reselling -- I buy them for my own personal pleasure/use -- if I tire of the style or decide I need to downsize in order to make room for new bags, I'll take whatever I can get --whatever I sell it for is money in my pocket!!
 
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