Thank you. Yes, I have two friends who have managed to get a Hermes bag from the boutique and neither of them had a huge purchase history there.
Selling Chanel for Hermes
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So I do have all the 3 bags you mentioned.
I would let go of the Chanel 19 first even though it is your most used bag because I don't think you love it. I feel it will soon lose it's popularity and hence the resell value will go down. Chanel 19 in the leather looks pretty sad and sinking after the first year.
I would let go of the Black Classic Flap if you are totally done with that bag, meaning you are totally ok and at peace if you let that go and won't be buying it in the future. My #1 bag is the classic flap but I don't think that is a must have bag for everyone.
Trendy being your favorite bag (and #2 bag for me), I would not sell it. Don't sell a bag you are in love with (if you ask me).
"At the moment, I have my heart set on getting a Hermes Kelly 28 in black..."
Kelly is not easy to get in and out of. This bag is on my no buy list. I went to several consignment stores and tried on many different Kellys for like a year. I like the way it looks but I crossed it off the list. It is too annoying to open and close.
The Birkin, which I had no interest, made it on the list.
"But would it be worth it for a Hermes?!"
Sounds like you have doubts. Selling Chanel for Hermes is not worth it for me.
I have a question, you can always buy Hermes next year or two years from now. Is there a rush?
You don't have to sell Chanel. You could buy it a bit later, no? Just curious.
Hope that helps.
I would let go of the Chanel 19 first even though it is your most used bag because I don't think you love it. I feel it will soon lose it's popularity and hence the resell value will go down. Chanel 19 in the leather looks pretty sad and sinking after the first year.
I would let go of the Black Classic Flap if you are totally done with that bag, meaning you are totally ok and at peace if you let that go and won't be buying it in the future. My #1 bag is the classic flap but I don't think that is a must have bag for everyone.
Trendy being your favorite bag (and #2 bag for me), I would not sell it. Don't sell a bag you are in love with (if you ask me).
"At the moment, I have my heart set on getting a Hermes Kelly 28 in black..."
Kelly is not easy to get in and out of. This bag is on my no buy list. I went to several consignment stores and tried on many different Kellys for like a year. I like the way it looks but I crossed it off the list. It is too annoying to open and close.
The Birkin, which I had no interest, made it on the list.
"But would it be worth it for a Hermes?!"
Sounds like you have doubts. Selling Chanel for Hermes is not worth it for me.
I have a question, you can always buy Hermes next year or two years from now. Is there a rush?
You don't have to sell Chanel. You could buy it a bit later, no? Just curious.
Hope that helps.
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Chanel quality has dropped in recent bags. I kept my old Chanel coco handles while switching to Hermes. If yours is ageing visibly, get rid of it but if it is still good, DO NOT GET RID OF IT.
Classic flap has entered Hermes-like lottery - DO NOT GET RID OF IT. People waitlist for a black classic flap.
Black bags are hard to acquire in Chanel. Goatskin 19s are toughies, the new lambskin ones I saw are meh. Just remember that.
If you want white, YSL offers cheaper but functional and good handbags.
Kelly 28 is hard to come by. I suggest that you go to Hermes and request to ‘try on’ the ones on display. They may not sell to you but there is no harm in asking to ‘try on’ and see if you REALLY WANT it. There are things about the Kelly which will irk classic flap/19 users. TRUST ME ON THAT.
And you may not EVEN get the color you want for a Kelly 28 easily, especially if it is popular, unless you are willing to go the option of colour grouping. Or you have a super VIC friend who can waltz in and get them to pull those bags out for you to choose, you may be stuck like those on the infamous ‘Hermes journey’ to the point of bitterness, or else willing to take a colour not of your choosing.
With Hermes, it is the luck of the draw if you meet an SA with the power to offer that bag.
I have Kellys but the 32 and 35s - those are not outing bags but work bags.
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A Kelly 25 or 28? Or just the usual non quota bags like Evelyne, 24/24 and Bolide?
Another suggestion I would give is to see if you can acquire a Hermes kelly first and then pick which of the Chanel bags to sell.
This is a tough question, as I have parted with half of my Chanel collection for Hermes. Albeit, I had a small Chanel collection, I parted with 4 bags caramel boy, caramel 19, black 19 and a woc.
Only bag I regret parting with is my black 19. I purchased it back in early 2020 and it was my most used and practical bag in my collection. Some thought I was nuts for parting with the caramel bags, but I had no regrets, because I did get a gold kelly and have a caramel classic flap.
That said, I don’t think there is anything wrong with parting with your Chanel for Hermes, but try not to get influenced whether the bag is dated or not. You said your 19 is the most used, I would keep it because of that. I’m at a point that I am looking to repurchase another 19, probably not in black but will now have to pay the higher price tag when I initially purchased it under $5k from the boutique.
I wouldn’t part with the your classics, those bags will serve a purpose in your collection despite you are not carrying on the daily. I have 2 classics and 2 reissues left in my collection and I haven’t carried my classic flap since 2019, but I know I would have major sellers remorse if I parted with it, since it’s almost doubled since I initially purchased
As others said, I would keep in mind that Hermes and Chanel are very different aesthetics and would probably serve different purposes in your wardrobe.
Only bag I regret parting with is my black 19. I purchased it back in early 2020 and it was my most used and practical bag in my collection. Some thought I was nuts for parting with the caramel bags, but I had no regrets, because I did get a gold kelly and have a caramel classic flap.
That said, I don’t think there is anything wrong with parting with your Chanel for Hermes, but try not to get influenced whether the bag is dated or not. You said your 19 is the most used, I would keep it because of that. I’m at a point that I am looking to repurchase another 19, probably not in black but will now have to pay the higher price tag when I initially purchased it under $5k from the boutique.
I wouldn’t part with the your classics, those bags will serve a purpose in your collection despite you are not carrying on the daily. I have 2 classics and 2 reissues left in my collection and I haven’t carried my classic flap since 2019, but I know I would have major sellers remorse if I parted with it, since it’s almost doubled since I initially purchased
As others said, I would keep in mind that Hermes and Chanel are very different aesthetics and would probably serve different purposes in your wardrobe.
If you go to the secondary market there are BBK28s and 32s. Prices are dropping and there are reliable authentication and third party professional spa services. Especially if you want box or heritage leather, older bags with patina can be quite beautiful. I waited for the right time and bought some nice covid deals in 2020. Prices may not go as low again, but certainly they will drop further. I dont see a need to let go of Chanel you use or love.BBK28, phw, purchased during Covid SIP, for about 7KUSD. Bordeaux BBK32, for about 5K USD (IMO there is an enormous difference visually btwn a 32 and 28, and I have always preferred PHW and size 28, even a decade ago, when 28s were not as popular). From Japanese resellers BrandJFA or Brandoff. Structurally sound, perfect handles, no holes, no cracked or dry leather. Some cosmetic suntanning of color, color corrected and brushed HW by @docride.
My advice is be patient and wait for the right bag at the right price.
@papertiger , I haven’t looked for bags recently, but prices are softening for many types of luxury items as the recession deepens. Ive often thought watch and bag prices on the secondary market go in tandem, and my DH read that some secondary market Rolex Daytonas have dropped 20%. (He’s not a Rolex or secondary market collector, but he loves to read about it) I’vealways thought Japanese resellers, if you hunt carefully, authenticate, and pay very careful attention to condition, offer the best value.
I do believe it’s significantly more expensive in the UK or EU. I can only advise based on my personal experience. If one is patient, i do think you will be able to find solid condition deals certainly under retail. while some members have found deals on TRR or Vestiaire, I prefer fashionphile, AFF, or yoogis closet in the US. JMO and YMMV depending on location. my apologies for going off topic. It’s just if a bargain can be found, perhaps OP will not have to part with her Chanels lol.
My advice is be patient and wait for the right bag at the right price.
@papertiger , I haven’t looked for bags recently, but prices are softening for many types of luxury items as the recession deepens. Ive often thought watch and bag prices on the secondary market go in tandem, and my DH read that some secondary market Rolex Daytonas have dropped 20%. (He’s not a Rolex or secondary market collector, but he loves to read about it) I’vealways thought Japanese resellers, if you hunt carefully, authenticate, and pay very careful attention to condition, offer the best value.
I do believe it’s significantly more expensive in the UK or EU. I can only advise based on my personal experience. If one is patient, i do think you will be able to find solid condition deals certainly under retail. while some members have found deals on TRR or Vestiaire, I prefer fashionphile, AFF, or yoogis closet in the US. JMO and YMMV depending on location. my apologies for going off topic. It’s just if a bargain can be found, perhaps OP will not have to part with her Chanels lol.
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I bow to your knowledge, but I haven't seen the prices dropping lately through usual (/TRR/HEWI etc)unless you can find an off-radar, off-line seller that picked it up cheap. I'm always stunned how expensive BBKs are, I used to see 28 retournes regularly for £1.5-2K, now the cheapest I see is £4-5K.
I would keep all your Chanels and start saving. What's the hurry?
I hardly wear my Chanels and don't much like chain bags (on me) but my collection has gone up x 100. H creeps up but H Ks are always around, and as @880 reported fairly easy to get a pre-spa preloved for a good price.
I agree with all you said about selling the 19 even though it’s my most used bag. I think because it’s not a discreet bag and it has a very chunky chain and hardware, I can see myself in 5 years not loving it anymore and it will look very dated. It’s definitely a trendy bag.
You’re right, there is no rush for me to get Hermes. If I had all the money on the world to spend on bags I would definitely not sell any of my Chanels.
Agree about not selling my classic flap. I love the bag but I think the thing that bugs me about it is the hardware. I used to only buy silver hardware. Then one day I decided I loved gold more. So I sold my black classic flap with SHW and replaced it with one with GHW, and two years later I kind of regret it! To be honest, I don’t love gold or silver on the black classic flap. If they did a champagne/light gold that would be perfect!
Yes, I was thinking of YSL or Bottega for a white bag but I wanted something that wouldn’t date and was very classic.
My friends both got Kellys. One got a 25 and another a 28. To be fair, one of them got hers in Paris and was very lucky.
I wish I could do as you suggested, and it had crossed my mind, but I would need the funds for the Kelly from the sale of the Chanel, so I’d have to allow myself plenty of time to sell my bag or bags.
Thank you for your advice. I agree that selling classics is a bad idea. It’s also a great piece of advice that many of you have given me to bear in mind that Hermes and Chanel are very different so one cannot really replace the other.
Your bags are beautiful! However, I have never been into buying from the secondhand market and would rather buy new from the boutique.
You’re right, there is no rush at all. I realise anyway that it’s going to be a long process. It is definitely an attractive option to start saving so that I can keep my Chanel bags. But does Hermes have crazy price increases like Chanel does?
In the event that you do end up selling your Chanel bag, you need to consider if you may be unlucky like those influencers tied into a game with Hermes. Locking into that pre-spend journey quest of a game will end up costing you more.
I didn’t outright own a Hermes Kelly until much older and established in my career with healthy savings plus passive income stream and zero mortgage debt to indulge in luxury. My mother did but when she was alive, I cannot touch her Kelly.
My first Kelly without the prespend thing was obtained through a friend who introduced me to the SA. His family is a major VIC with them. That’s how I bypassed the process.
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More steady but regular (about 10-20% per annum) either once or twice a year.
Chanel seems to have steep increases to create the perception of exclusivity, and in the CF's case, scarcity too.
The difference is, Hermes is a leather specialist, and Chanel a fashion one.
I would enjoy your Chanel bags as dress-up accessories. Once you get a H bag, you will be able to think longterm, maybe even consider whether you need all your Chanels too. But for the moment, just enjoy what you have and plan for the future.
No one has price increases like chanel thank goodness
Absolutely agree with this. I was significantly older than many TPF members, age 40 or so, before I slowly started to buy Hermes (back then mostly deals and fixer uppers lol) and only a few things at retail. I also think that if you buy Hermes goods only thinking about prespend and QBs, it will be a risky and expensive proposition. Only buy what you love and can absolutely afford without touching savings, retirement, and housing expenses, and other funds. Good luck!
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Thank you so much everyone for your valuable opinions. You’ve definitely given me a lot to consider.
I would personally keep the classic and sell the 19! The 19 is still really trendy right now but if you know you will fall out of love with it in 5 years then it might be a better idea to sell it now while you can still get most of your money back for it. I also moved from purchasing Chanel to Hermes and once you start going the Hermes route it’s hard to go back to Chanel. I sold most of my wocs and one or two trendier pieces since I never reach for those anymore but kept my mini and small classic flap, and I don’t regret my decision. I’ll still buy Chanel once in awhile but only if I am really absolutely in love with the item. If you are confident that your SA or store boutique can pull through at hermes with little prespend then I would make the switch but keep the classic flaps since those are harder to find/ are constantly increasing in price so might be harder to buy back again if you regret selling it in the future. Just remember that most people think they’ll stop at 1 Kelly or 1 Birkin but it’s really hard to stop and you’ll probably want another after getting your first 