Rather than thinking of it as spending $400 to repair a $1000 bag, would you have paid $1400 for one with the grommets and charm?
My concern is what if Leather Surgeons doesn't have the replacement charm any more in 2-3 years down the line when I go to repair the bag? Buying the charm separately on ebay would cost a couple hundred dollars.Congrats on scoring this! It looks like it's in great condition for this price! Since you say it's good enough to be used as it is, why don't you just use it first? Maybe refurbish it a year or two down the road after you've used it and more wear/tear develops? By that time, the $$ paid might be more "worth it" and if you still love it enough to refurbish it, you'll know that the $$ you will spend is $$ well spent.
100%Rather than thinking of it as spending $400 to repair a $1000 bag, would you have paid $1400 for one with the grommets and charm?
I think something like this will only increase in price to repair, if they have the piece now I'd bite the bullet and get it done so the bag is complete! It's a great staple tote, I completely disagree that it is dated, it's a classic quilt with a classic chain! All of these nouveau riche.... if you don't have a current style, blah blah blah.. a lot of the new "IT" stuff is a dime a dozen and I think more likely to actually be dated, other pieces coming out are updates of the past, what goes around comes around, bags like this that were never an IT bag I don't believe will ever be dated! I get more compliments on my old pieces these days because people don't see them coming and going, and it's a sign of being a long term Chanel customer rather than one who just jumped on the bandwagon (even if you just did with pre-loved). I see many older women in Hawaii wearing vintage and older (not yet "vintage") classic pieces and I love seeing that way more than the nouveau with head to toe brand new.My concern is what if Leather Surgeons doesn't have the replacement charm any more in 2-3 years down the line when I go to repair the bag? Buying the charm separately on ebay would cost a couple hundred dollars.
I think something like this will only increase in price to repair, if they have the piece now I'd bite the bullet and get it done so the bag is complete! It's a great staple tote, I completely disagree that it is dated, it's a classic quilt with a classic chain! All of these nouveau riche.... if you don't have a current style, blah blah blah.. a lot of the new "IT" stuff is a dime a dozen and I think more likely to actually be dated, other pieces coming out are updates of the past, what goes around comes around, bags like this that were never an IT bag I don't believe will ever be dated! I get more compliments on my old pieces these days because people don't see them coming and going, and it's a sign of being a long term Chanel customer rather than one who just jumped on the bandwagon (even if you just did with pre-loved). I see many older women in Hawaii wearing vintage and older (not yet "vintage") classic pieces and I love seeing that way more than the nouveau with head to toe brand new.
That is a REALLY GOOD POINT. I didn't think of that at all. If that's the case, and if the charm is important to you, I think it's a good idea to refurbish it and make it as complete and perfect as possible! I think your happiness index will be through the roof when the bag comes back all refurbished and beautiful.My concern is what if Leather Surgeons doesn't have the replacement charm any more in 2-3 years down the line when I go to repair the bag? Buying the charm separately on ebay would cost a couple hundred dollars.
What a beautiful tote ! Leather surgeons would do a great job. I say do itI recently got this Chanel glazed caviar tote (first pic) for an amazing price from Yoogi’s. It’s in pretty good condition, other than some chipping on the grommets and wear on the corners (but nothing excessive). The only thing is it’s missing the CC charm (the second pic shows what the bag looks like with the charm).
I reached out to Leather Surgeons to see if they could repair some of the minor wear and tear. They told me they can replace the grommets and the missing CC charm, as well as clean/spa the bag for about $400.
I’m trying to decide if it’s worth it? The bag is nice enough to use without any spa work but it’d be nice to get it refreshed. Plus I’d like to get the CC charm back. However I feel weird spending 40% of the cost of the bag on the spa service. On the other hand, I got the tote for an amazing price (the bag is from 2013 so it’s not even that old).
What would you do??
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