Two Reasons I NEVER pay full price for my Luxury Bags

I've been really blessed to find so many great pieces at the thrift. Thus far, other than the host of designer items and bags, I have found a Fendi mini bag, a vintage Fendi cross body bag, a yellow epi Louis Vuitton, a black roomy Lancel bucket bag, and the two below. I may never have to go into a Neimans or Nordstrom if this keeps up. Here are two stories to illustrate what I mean:

Goyard St. Louis Tote

By now, you all know the full story behind this bag and how much I absolutely love it. It has become my go to tote.

Typically, according to PurseBlog, Goyard sells this PM size for about $1200 for normal colors and $1500 for special colors, which my orange one would qualify as.

I paid a whopping $10 for mine from a dusty shelf in the back of a consignment shop.

Not bad.

Balenciaga Classic City Bag:
This one was a total surprise (like most of my luxury finds). I found this bag, currently being sold for about $1900 on a rack in the back of my favorite thrift.

After sifting through a bunch of fakes and look alike I happened upon this supple greenish leather bag. A quick flip incited revealed that it was a Balenciaga bag.

Quickly, I Googled to an authentication guide and compared the details I found there to the bag I was holding, progressively excitedly checking off every correct detail.

After confirming the bag was the real thing, I all but floated my way to the register, laying down a whole $5 (yes, FIVE DOLLARS) for it.

And I am not special or unique. Every day so many women are finding amazing luxury pieces hidden on dusty shelves and forgotten racks. And you can find these great pieces without spending the mortgage money.

My Tips for finding authentic bags for cheap:

Do your research:
If there is a bag that you are interested in, know its details inside and out. Check out authentication guides. Purseblog, The RealReal, and even eBay have good authentication guides that will help you learn ore about the bags you want or the bags that you find that you may be unsure about.

Use your phone:
We often forget that we have a pocket sized computer with us (yes, it does more than just take selfies and text people). I am apt to use my phone when I am out thrifting, heading to those trusty sites I just mentioned to do quick research on the details of whatever bag I have found. While we are on the topic of time...

Be patient:
It takes time to search out and find these luxury goods. It takes even more time to make sure they are authentic. But all of that time spent prevents those heartbreaking buys of inauthentic goods, so take the extra time to do a bit of research. In the end, worst case scenario, it will save you cash from a bad purchase and in the best case, you will be walking out of the shop with an authentic bag for cheap.

Pay attention when thrift or consignment shopping:
I can say without batting an eyelash that if I had not been paying attention, I would have NEVER found any of the luxury bags I now own. I can also say confidently that paying attention has been a major lifesaver when it comes to eliminating those almost bad buys because I might have noticed a detail or the like. When you are shopping, it is essential that you focus. In the end, it pays dividends.

That's it for my shopping tips! What are your best thrift and consignment finds? Let's talk! Drop me a comment below!

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