All I Want for Christmas is Chanel

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🎶She’s making her list, she’s checking it twice 🎶 Somehow Christmas is less than a month away and December is right around the corner. So I decided to make a Christmas list- but for my present to myself!

I recently have really been into Chanel but with the price increase it makes buying in-store in the US basically impossible. (Or okay lets be real, I could save up but it would mean instead of getting like 5 bags I would only be able to get 1 and where is the fun in that?) The latest Chanel price increase raised bags about $100-$200 after the roughly $500 price increase last year. And even if the price hasn’t gotten to you yet trying to find the bag you want in stock can be really difficult. Plus really popular colors have insane prices on the resale market.

So where do I turn to find my Chanel under retail? eBay. They have a huge selection of both vintage and current season Chanel pieces on eBay. Plus most pieces are under retail which is a huge win in my book!

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Bargain.hunting.blonde’s Christmas List

  1. Chanel Supermodel Tote– I think this would be the perfect work tote and I love that it’s leather. It has the cc turn lock on one side and a less obvious cc in matching leather on the backside. I have been try to find more leather tote after the horrible product that was my canvas Faure Le Page tote.
  2. Chanel Urban Spirit Backpack Small– I am totally having a backpack moment. Thanks to my Louis Vuitton Palm Springs mini I am loving backpacks and I love the handle on this urban spirit backpack. I do think though I would need a bag organizer to stop the collapse of the quilted leather.
  3. Chanel Coco Handle– I almost bought this bag when I was in Paris on my honeymoon and I am kinda wishing I did. I love the practicality of having a long strap (crossbody depending on the size) and a top handle. I am still undecided on size and color though so I will probably wait to pull the trigger.
  4. Chanel XXL Flap– I am so in love with this bag. It’s huge, great for travel and yet so chic. Since I am 5’10” I don’t think it will dwarf me in the true classic xxl flap size (versus the small xxl flap size that’s newer). I also like the cc clasp version and not the xxl reissue version. Lastly, for such a big Chanel piece, the price on eBay isn’t bad. My saved searched sends me emails everyday I just haven’t found the perfect one!
  5. Chanel Classic Flap– I have a lot of Chanel pieces but I don’t actually have a black medium double flap with gold hardware flap bag. I definitely want a vintage lambskin piece for both the savings and the gold plated hardware. But I also lately have been intrigued by the medium double flap in a jersey material because when Chanel first started releasing bags they were in jersey and not leather!

What bags are next in your wishlist?

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This post was kindly sponsored by eBay. All opinions are my own.

Buying on eBay like a pro- Tips and Tricks

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Let me start by saying I love a bargain, deal, discount, steal- whatever word you want to say- I love the thrill of savings. But I also love luxury and those two things seem at odds with each other. But really they aren’t if you know where to shop, how to find the deals and how to be smart about it. Below are the tips and tricks I use to deal hunting on eBay– including my favorite sellers.

1- Many searches but just one item.

One eBay every seller gets to create their own listing title so that often means that the piece you might be looking for might be listed under a variety of things. For example when I was looking for my Lady Dior Medium Lambskin bag in black with gold hardware I had the following saved searches:

  • Lady dior
  • Dior lady Dior
  • Dior canage bag
  • Dior lambskin bag

The key is to try to capture keywords in your searches that might bring up the bag. I normally start with a basic search like ” lady Dior” and see what other words are used in the title on the listing that come up. Also I always create saved searches so that I get email updates every day. (You can also get text message updated but I prefer the emails.)

2- Check out the seller.

One of the best things to do when looking at an item is check the sellers rating and how many items they have sold. With luxury goods you have sellers of all sizes so rating is important to me. I also see if the positive reviews are for buying or selling. In general I normally prefer to buy from the bigger sellers but I have also bought luxury pieces from individual sellers as well.

3- Ask questions.

If you have any questions about an item your looking at ask! Sellers all have various response times but I have found that most sellers are friendly and happy to answer your question. If they are not then probably not the item for you. Some questions I have asked before are

  • Does the item come with the dustbag, box, care card, and/ or some other accessory? I know a lot of people ask about receipts but that is not as much of a worry to me since I like to use eBay verified authentic sellers and I always authenticate my bags through Real Authenticate who has a partnership with eBay.
  • Where did you purchase the item?
  • When did you purchase the item?
  • Could you send me a better picture of x? The picture question I ask a lot as sellers are limited on the number of pictures they can post. I normally am asking for detail shots to see wear.
  • Are you open to offers? Sometimes people are and why not save a few dollars?

4- Sometimes it’s all about the long game.

A lot of times I have to wait for my perfect bag in the condition and price range I want to come along. To me this is just part of the hunt for a deal and to enable myself to get the best deal I make sure to great saves searches that allow me to stay up to date on what new pieces are coming in.

5- Pay attentions to promotions and coupons- especially eBay bucks!

This is one of my favorite ways to save a little money on my luxury pieces. You can save up to $150 on a luxury piece with their 5-20% off coupons. You can also get money off by earning eBay bucks during a quarter. Once you register for eBay bucks almost every purchase you make qualifies you for a certain percentage back in eBay bucks. As part of eBays’ promotions they do days where you can get 8-10% back in eBay bucks (up to $100). So you can easily earn yourself a couple $100 to spend off of your next luxury purchase just by buying other goods on eBay!

Bonus– My favorite eBay sellers for luxury goods!

1- G Rare– this verified sellers is one of my favorite sellers for finding hard to get pieces at reasonable resale prices.

2- Brand off– this verified sellers has both newer models and more vintage luxury pieces. I really want to go to one of their stores!

3- Purpose.jpn– this verified seller is one of my favorites for Hermes. Reasonable prices and the pieces are normally in good condition.

*this post was kindly sponsored by eBay. All opinions are my own.

The Actual Price Increases- Chanel Classic Bags Going Up Again

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It’s the same story every fall- designer bag prices go up at Chanel. Last year it catapulted some of their most classic pieces into the $6,000 range- I am looking at you Chanel Jumbo! This year the prices increase on October 31st.

This year’s price increases aren’t as steep and some bags are safe from increases- like the Gabrielle and the new 19. Also classic flaps in the mini, small and maxi size will be spared from the increase!

Prices of the Chanel classic flap and the 2.55 reissues are going up by $200 in the medium and jumbo sizes (which means the 225 and 226 in the reissue). These are of course the most popular sizes for the classic flap.

  • Medium classic flap– $5,600 to $5,800
  • Jumbo classic flap– $6,200 to $6,400

The boy bags are going up $100 across all sizes.

  • Small boy bag– $4,500 to $4,600
  • Old medium boy bag– $4,900 to $5,000
  • New medium boy bag– $5,400 to $5,500
  • Large boy bag– $5,700 to $5,800

Overall these increases are a lot better than the $500-$700 increase that happened last year. I do think though Chanel needs to be careful about their prices because as they near Hermes price point a lot of people are going to switch to Hermes due to price and quality.

Finding the One that Got Away- Handbag Edition

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Sometimes I overthink a bag purchase. Or other times its not the right time for such a big investment. Or I have even bought the bag to then return it thinking I didn’t like it. But all I know is that at the end of the day I wish I still had the bag in my collection. Whenever I try to locate the bag again in a boutique or a department store I am always met with the same “sorry it is sold out.”

So what is a handbag addict to do in this situation? Clearly giving up is not an option so I turn to the preloved market- specifically my favorite place to shop preloved eBay!

Why Shop For Handbags on eBay?

  • The variety! Whether you are looking for a brand new bag, a limited edition piece, or a vintage item it is likely that an eBay seller is going to have it!
  • The security! I know you are all probably thinking but wait this is eBay, it is not know for being a super safe place to buy luxury goods. My response to that would be that is so not true! Not only is eBay very buyer friendly with the ability to return a good if it is fake, they also have luxury pieces that are guaranteed authentic and are part of eBay authenticate. Already authenticated goods= no need to worry!
  • The savings! I mean let’s be real all of us luxury addicts know that we need to save money whenever possible- I mean the more money saved the more items you can buy right?

My Favorite Unique Pieces from eBay

I have been shopping eBay consistently for a couple of years and I have been able to find a lot of pieces that I missed out on. Some of my favorites include:

  • Louis Vuitton Totally GM in Damier Azure– This bag was discontinued by LV in 2016. At the time I was still a student and besides my one vintage LV speedy 25 I did not have any other high-end luxury bags so the price tag on the bag was shocking to me. I was lucky to get this bag for $648 in February of 2019.
  • Dior Saddle Bag (pictured above) – I loved the Dior saddle bag when it came out in the early 2000s but at that time I was in middle school and high school so my lifeguarding income definitely wasn’t enough for a new bag. Fast forward to 2018 when Dior re-released this bag. I still loved the bag but the sticker shock was intense, especially when months before you could get the bag preloved for a couple hundred dollars. After stalking my saved search for a Dior saddle bag I was able to find a brown and raffia version of the bag with vintage gold hardware. This bag was such a steal at $425.
  • Louis Vuitton Monceau- This bag is the vintage version of the very popular and very hard to get Pochette Metis. I was lucky enough to add the red epi leather Monceau for $612. That means I now have this bag in the monogram, epi noir, epi kenya fawn and epi red- clearly I love this bag!
  • Chanel Paris Edition Medium Flap– This beige lambskin flap bag is from the 80’s in amazing condition. The hardware is both silver and gold. I got this bag to remember my engagement in Paris since it is the Paris edition flap. I would never have been able to purchase this bag without eBay as I was not even born in the 80s! I purchased this bag from eBay for $1,100 in May of 2018.

Favorite Vintage Pieces

Favorite Hard to Find Pieces

So what is your handbag that got away?

Thank you to eBay for kindly sponsoring this post.

How do you save money purchasing bags in Europe?

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I am sure many of you have heard from a variety of sources (me included) that if you are going to buy a luxury item new you should buy it in Europe. You can get the same exact good for cheaper in the boutique. And if you were like me the first time I heard this you are wondering how exactly this works- so let me explain it to you.

How To Save Money

1- When you go to purchase the item make sure that you have your passport and ask for the sales associate to help you with the VAT back process. The name on the passport must match the name on the credit card if you are paying with card. [Note there are certain places where you must not have a passport from that country but if you are a US citizen traveling in Europe you should have no issues!]

2- The sales associate will fill out the paperwork and have you sign it in certain places. You will then take the paperwork he or she gives you and NOT loose it. If you loose the paperwork there is nothing they can do for you.

3- Take both the goods and the paperwork to the customs office before you leave the country or the EU depending on where your leaving from. For example Switzerland is not part of the EU so if you are traveling from Zurich to London you need to make sure to stamp the paperwork in Zurich at the customs office. If you are traveling from Spain, to Italy, to France, you would get all your paperwork stamped in France. You must also have the goods with you and in unused condition. I have seen many many a person loose their refund because they put their goods in their luggage which they checked before going to customs. To get around this problem I simply carry on all my luxury goods.

4- Get the paperwork scanned or stamped. In Zurich you must get the paperwork scanned and then take it to the Global Blue office to get it back on your credit card or in cash. In Paris you just have to scan the paperwork and get the green check mark. If something goes wrong with your paperwork you can be required to mail that in but it’s free.

5- That is it. It’s really that simple and you get a fresh from the boutique good!

Bargain Hunting Blonde Tip: Always get your VAT back on your credit card. It takes anywhere from 2 days to a month but you get more money back in the long run and I have never had problems with it.

Example

I bought a Chanel 19B (so this is the prefall collection that is just out right now) mini rectangular flap in blue/ grey lambskin with silver hardware at the rue Cambon store. That means I bought my bag at the most famous Chanel boutique in the world and saving money still holds true.

The bag cost €2,850. When my credit card converted that I paid $3,166.78. [Note that I do not pay foreign transaction fees on top of the conversion. So card will charge an extra 3-5% on top of the conversion from Euros to Dollars.] I then received back from scanning my VAT form at the airport customs $384.28 directly back on my credit card in less than two weeks. That means the bag cost me $2,782.50. If I went into the Chanel by me in Palo Alto the exact same bag (without the Rue Cambon experience and the famous white packaging) would cost me $3,500 plus tax of $323.75 bringing my grand total if I bought it in the US to $3,823.75.

That means by purchasing my mini rectangular flap in Paris I saved $1,041.25.

Moral of the story- If you are traveling to Europe (specifically the EU) save up those dollars because there are a lot of savings to be had!

Tips for Shopping in Paris During the Busy Season

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Paris is honestly beautiful at anytime of the year but at certain times of the year it’s crowded with tourist from every country wanting to see and experience Paris! For a lot of people part of the Parisian experience is shopping- myself included. But in Paris during the summer (especially in August) there are a couple factors that are going to affect what stock you are going to find.

First, in France (and a lot of other European countries) workers get off all or most of August. That means a lot of the artisans that work for the big luxury brands get off August making stock lower. Second, the summer time is a very popular time for people to travel to Europe meaning you have both locals and tourists competing for the same items. Most of the time locals have a better relationship with a sales associate meaning the good is going to be put on hold before it is even available to shopper at the store. And lastly, if your looking for a Louis Vuitton canvas piece, LV has slowed production on their canvas pieces to encourage customers to purchase leather goods making popular canvas pieces hard to find.

So with this sort of shopping atmosphere what is one to do? Below are the tips that I found worked for me this last August. I was able to score some key pieces on my wishlist with these tips.

  1. Go Early– When I say go early I mean try to go as soon as the store opens. The stores open at various times in Paris. For example a boutique in a department store in Printemps will likely open at 9:30 am while a stand alone store might not open till 10:30 am or 11:00 am. Make sure to check online. You will likely have to wait in a line but you will get first crack at the new stock that came in last night or that morning.
  1. Check Multiple Stores– In a big city like Paris there are often numerous stand alone boutiques and small boutiques in store. In Paris I can think of 5 Louis Vuitton boutiques off the top of my head. That means that any of those 5 stores could have the piece you are looking for. If one boutique doesn’t have the piece you can totally ask the sales associate helping you to check the stock in other stores. The only store that won’t do this is Hermes.
  2. Try to build an SA relationship– If you are there for more than one day, try to build a relationship with a sales associate. Let them know your going to be in town for so many days and are really interested in this piece. That is how I got my latest LV bag and I even got to skip the line when I showed up the next morning.
  3. Go to the Flagship Store– A lot of brands have their flagship store in Paris and these boutiques are often well stocked and get in the most new stock each day. I was told by numerous LV SAs that my best chance to get the bag I was looking for was to go to the Champ d’elyses store at opening. Luckily I made that relationship with an SA and got to avoid that store as it gets very crazy and hectic in there.
  4. Check the website– Certain fashion houses (like Celine and LV) will tell you if a piece you want is in stock near you. This is not always completely accurate as I don’t believe it’s updated every minute but it can give you an idea of what store you should head to.

I hope these help and happy shopping!

Best Bags for Summer 2019

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I know we are solidly into Summer 2019 but honestly in the Bay Area with our indian summers it will be summer weather through October so for me the heat is just getting started.

So you maybe asking what makes a summer bag? Is it something you don’t want to get rained on? Is it a white bag? Is it Damier Azure for LV? What is it???? Well for me it is the bag material- like canvas, raffia, straw and wood. (Plus if I followed the bags I don’t want to get rained on rule every bag would be a summer bag!)

At the beginning of the summer (so say around end of May/ beginning of June) I was eyeing two summer bags- the Saint Laurent Rive Gauche and the Loewe Basket Bag. I was luckily enough to find both on sale for cheaper than retail. Here are my impressions of both bags:

The Saint Laurent Rive Gauche

saint laurent rive gauche tote

Dimensions- W: 18.7 Inches, H: 14.0 Inches; D: 6.2 Inches

Price- $1,070

The Saint Laurent Rive Gauche tote bag only comes in one size and is actual unisex so you will see it listed in both the men’s bag section and the women’s bag section. It comes in a natural canvas as well as an all black canvas. My personal preference is for the natural canvas as I think that makes it look more like a summer bag. It is made of a coated canvas but not a coated canvas like Louis Vuitton’s which is heavily coated but more of a cloth feeling canvas. The handles are black leather which is a nice plus to a canvas bag. The writing on the bag is printed on the canvas.

Even straight out of the box the bag did not hold its shape well which was a bit of a disappointment as I was expecting the bag to have more structure after the pictures and reviews I had seen online. Also I wanted to use this bag as a work bag/ travel bag and the straps were too short to make that comfortable when the bag even had a reasonable amount of stuff in it. Short handle straps are definitely a pet peeve of mine and at that point I knew the bag wasn’t for me even at the sale price.

Overall– If I had gotten the Rive Gauche at the $450 price point I initially saw I likely would have kept it. But for the $770 price point I ended up paying it just didn’t feel worth it to me. The canvas was coated but not like Louis Vuitton canvas and after looking at pictures of the bag used I noticed it didn’t hold it structure well. I will only repurchase this bag if I find it for a steal and I would not pay the retail price of $1,050 plus tax. But you know if someone gifted it to me…. (eh one can dream!)

The Loewe Basket Bag

Dimensions- Height 9.5″ x Max. width 18″ x Depth 6.5″

Price- $490

When I initially bought this bag on found it on Farfetch for a steal in the large size– $367!. But when I got the bag the large size was about the same size as a Louis Vuitton Neverfull GM. I love a big bag but with this bag being woven straw it solidly put the bag in beach bag only territory. Also the bag was very green in appearance and I knew that I wanted a basket bag that was more of a tan color. Once I returned it I made up my mind to buy a smaller size and to buy it in store. I was lucky enough that I could buy it in Europe with my fabulous Loewe SA. Not only did I save money but i got to compare 5 different bags!

I ended up settling on the medium size because it was the perfect size for me. The small looked too small on me and as I already knew the large was too big. I choose the most evenly shaped and tan of the five I looked at because that was what was most important to me.

Thinks to look for in a Loewe Basket Bag

  • The Color– is the bag more green or is it more of a tan? The bags can really vary and you just have to find what you like.
  • The Size– Do you want a much smaller handbag size (the small size) or more of a tote/handbag size (the medium size) or a beach bag size (the large)?
  • The Shape– Since these bags are handmade each bag is very different. All the bags have a different shape and will be tied off in different places so if you can look at more than one at once that will help during the decision making process.
  • The Details– The leather on these bags varies in color and some of the bags even have more detailing such as studs.

Overall– I love this bag and even my fiance likes it! Its a really beautiful handmade bag but it is just raffia so you are definitely paying for the name here- which I am okay with. My advice for purchasing this bag is to go to a store that carries the bag (be it a Loewe boutique or a department store) and try on all three sizes. Once you pick a size compare a couple of the bags as they all vary in size and color due to be hand made. If you cannot go to a store I recommend looking at pictures online to try to gauge the sizes and ordering more than one bag to see what you get.

Buying Designer Goods Not During Sales But Cheaper Than Retail

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All of us luxury addicts out there know that we should wait for a lot of luxury pieces to go on sale. Especially if the item is not a classic piece it will go on sale. But sometimes we cannot wait. We might “need” it for an event, or season, or just because we feel we do. So when that happens what is a fashionista to do? Below are the steps I take whenever I “need” an item I know will go on sale.

1- Check the Other Country’s Websites (especially the European ones) 

Check out sites like MyTheresa, Luisaviaroma, FarFetch, Italist, Tessabit, Ssense, Matchesfashion, and Selfridges. Since a lot of these sites are based in Europe they often pass on their cheaper prices to you. A lot of these sites also do not require that you pay taxes and if you spend over a certain amount (aka most luxury goods) the shipping is free.

But of note-depending on where you live you will have to pay taxes ( I can tell you as a CA person I always have to pay tax if the company collect taxes). Plus if the item is over $800 you will likely have to pay import duties. With some of these sites the duties are already included in the good and with others the duties are included at check out much like tax.

2- Check Ebates and TopCashBack

topcashback logo        ebates.rakuten video

One way to save money, albeit not at the time of purchase, is through cashback sites. My two personal favorites are Ebates (now referred to as Rakuten but still the same service) and TopCashBack. I have been using Ebates since December of 2016 and TopCashBack since April of 2018. The highest cash back I have ever seen was 15% and the lowest at 1%.

Out of the two I prefer TopCashBack because they pay out as soon as the purchase is confirmed and they are paid by the retailer so that means money is always rolling in. Ebates does this slightly differently and pays out for a couple months on a specific date. But ultimately both pay out so I normally go with the site that has the higher percentage.

Plus you can easily do tip 2 in combination with either 1 or 3.

3- “Wait” for a Sak’s or Neiman’s Promotions 

neimans giftcard event

Both Sak’s Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus run roughly monthly sales where you either get a discount if you spend so much or you get a gift card when you spend so much.

The discount when you spend so much if obviously going to impact how much you are spending at the time of sale but if often has heavy brand restrictions which can be beyond frustrating. (Think of basically anything you want to buy on sale and its probably excluded- sometimes you get lucky and Saint Laurent, Loewe and/or Chloe will not be excluded.) Also I noticed that the amount off (especially if it has a unique discount code) will vary based on person. So one person could spend $1,000 and get $100 off and another person could spend $1,000 and get $200 off.

My personal favorite is the gift card promotions. The gift card promotion often includes more brands and the gift card is like a normal department store gift card. That means the gift card can be used on any item in store including Gucci and Chanel which are often excluded from every promotion. I have seen gift card amounts range from $20-$500. Make sure if you are trying to use this promotion that you buy the items that qualify for the promotion AND put in the code.

Also with both of these sites make sure you are getting free shipping (especially on Saks). You often have to enter a specific discount code or log into shoprunner if you have that service.

And as always there is the preloved option especially if you are looking at handbags. Even if its not a handbag you can also check Tradesy, Poshmark, Mercari or Depop because you never know what people might be selling!