It is no secret that I love handbags and Chanel is one of my favorite fashion houses. But with price tags on a brand new from-the-boutique-bag soaring over $6,000 (1.5 months of my very expensive Bay Area rent) a Chanel bag seems unreachable for most luxury bag lovers.
The bag I had currently being coveting from Chanel was the Vanity Bag, or as my fiance loving calls it- the lunch box. The mini size of this bag starts at around $4,000 and varies based on material. Not only is the bag expensive, it is next to impossible to even find in a Chanel boutique. At this point I was obsessively pinning pins on Pintrest, stalking hashtags on Instagram, and trying to find every blog post I could about this bag. As I was doing all this, I came across the most amazing discovery- Chanel’s latest vanity bag release was based on a vanity case design from the 90’s and it was amazing! Being the bargain hunter I am, I knew I could find this vintage piece for less and in great condition, so I started googling away.
To my surprise, every search result I tried came back with an eBay result! eBay had a huge variety of sellers and among all those sellers there was an amazing collection of vintage Chanel bags. To make the process even easier eBay’s authenticity verification process authenticates designer goods from certain sellers before you even buy them. After I found out this, I quickly created a saved search for “Chanel vanity case caviar” and had eBay send me updates via email. (You can even receive updates via text, but then i knew i would be shopping all day!)
Bargain.Hunting.Blonde eBay Tip: Make the saved search work for you! If you are like me and are not the best at auctions, make sure your saved search is “Buy It Now” only. If you are a deal hunter, also like me, make sure your saved search sorts from lowest price+shipping. There are tons of ways to customize your searches so don’t forget to use these tools!
After a couple weeks of checking my saved search emails i received every morning, I found the perfect bag at a budget friendly price. It is the Vintage Chanel Vanity Bag in Black Caviar with gold hardware. It came with its matching strap and was the small size I had been hunting for. Its size and color goes with almost any outfit. I am so happy to add this beautiful piece to my collection!
Bargain.Hunting.Blonde Tips on What toLook for When Shopping for Vintage Chanel Bags on eBay
- Check the seller’s rating and how many pieces they have sold- the higher the seller’s rating and the more pieces sold the better. (Plus it never hurts to read the reviews as well.)
- Check to see if the piece has the “authenticity verified” label
- Check to see the rating the seller has given the piece AS WELL AS read the description and check all the pictures. (Make sure to look at the pictures on both your phone and your computer. The ability to zoom on the computer is key!)
- Check to see what accessories the piece comes with. Just because it’s in one of the pictures does not mean that it is included with the piece for sale (dust bag, matching strap, box, authenticity card, original tags, receipt).
- Don’t be afraid to ask the seller questions and for more pictures- most of the sellers are very nice and willing to accommodate your requests.
Looking for your own vintage piece? Shop some of my favorite vintage Chanel pieces right now that are all “authenticity verified!”
Thank you eBay for kindly sponsoring this post!
