One of the best places to buy vintage Chanel- ebay!
Tag: Chanel
Where to Buy Preloved- Tradesy
Tradesy has the honor of being the first online store I ever bought a preloved item from. It was an Alma PM and it was $300. It worked perfectly in my law student budget and it made me feel so legit. (Yes I still say legit all the time. Yes I know there are better works but nothing describes my feeling of carrying that LV bag then legit!)
Since then I have bought a couple different bags from Tradesy. I picked up a Chloe Mini Marcie at the time they were super popular for about $300 off and I bought my 25th birthday present to myself, my Chanel Diana, from Tradesy as well. I have even picked up two SLGs- the Louis Vuitton continental multicolor blanc wallet and the Louis Vuitton Compact Zippy in Damier azure.
I also unfortunately have bought two fake bags on Tradesy. I’ll tell both stories below and in both instances Tradesy refunded me even for one that was at least a month later.
So first the not as exciting story plus a little known fact about Tradesy. Starting with the Tradesy fact- you can contact Tradesy regarding authenticity of your item and they will send you a shipping label so you can send it in to be authenticated. You can then specify that they send it back to you once it’s authenticated or you can request a site credit. In this instance I had purchased a beautiful vintage Dior bag in a lovely shade of grey. When I got the bag it just didn’t feel high enough quality to be authentic but I don’t know much about vintage Dior. I sent it in and unfortunately it ended up being a fake. Tradesy refunded me my money promptly.
The second story is actually crazy. I bought a beautiful vintage Chanel crossbody in black lambskin with gold hardware from a reputable seller who also ran a consignment boutique in the states. This would have been my first Chanel bag ever and I did not know of Tradesy authentication policy at the time. But I wasn’t worried because the bag came with an authentication certificate from Authenticate First, a third party authentication service I had used before. So I received the bag and admired it but noticed the authentication certificate wasn’t as clear as I would like. I messaged the seller and she apologized and promised to email me the electronic copy. I waited a bit and then kept reaching out to the seller who never responded. Needless to say the electronic copy never came so I reached out to Authenticate First to ask them to email me an electronic copy. When I emailed Authenticate First they said sure and could I send over more information so they could locate the certificate. I scanned what I had and email it to them. Authenticate First promptly replied that the seller had faked the authentication certificate and showed me what was wrong on the certificate. By this point I had solidly had the bag for a month (maybe even longer). I reached out to Tradesy with what I had found out and they had me send them a copy of the emails and certificate. Once they got that the information they sent me a return label. When they got the bag they refunded me. I was shocked and very happy with this customer service because I had at this point had the bag for almost two month! Moral of the story: Tradesy does say everything is authentic but it is possible to get a fake bag. If you do get a fake bag Tradesy will help you get back your money.
Pros of Tradesy
- FREE AUTHENTICATION SERVICE- seriously this is very nice and is available for anything you buy on Tradesy.
- Lots of vintage bags which are often not available on sites like Fashionphile and Rebag.
- Some great deals to be found! Plus you can always message the seller and see if they are willing to negotiate with you.
- Buyer and Seller Protection
- SALES- Tradesy often has sales that are either a set amount or a percentage off! These sales can really provide a discount so make sure to take advantage of them.
Cons of Tradesy
- Not all bags are authentic
- Sellers get to choose their list prices so they can often be way over retail or over the general price on the preloved market.
- If you do sell an item on Tradesy it takes forever for you to get your money via paypal. And to make it worse they add another fee to transfer it out of Tradesy– this is on top of the 20% fee of the sale they already take.
Have you seen the rest of my places to buy preloved series? If not check out my Fashionphile review and my The Real Real review.
Chanel on Sale?!?! Unicorns (or at least unicorn sales) do exist!
Owning a product from Chanel is often for lux lovers like myself the ultimate goal. Besides Hermes, nothing is harder to obtain than a very coveted item from Chanel. Not only is Chanel expensive but often produced in limited quantities. So it would seem very odd that they would have sales. I had often heard whispers about Chanel being on sale but that always seemed to be in relation to find a gem at the outlets like Saks Off Fifth and Neiman Marcus Last Call.
But then i started following Luxe Hunt (seriously you should all follow her) and realized that Chanel sales happen TWICE a year at places like Saks and Neiman Marcus. These sales are in store only and normally require the help of a great sales associate (or SA for short). To even know what is on sale you normally need an SA to send you pictures of the item as nothing about these sales appear on line. Each store gets different stock and sometimes regardless of how on top of the sale you are the item you want in the size you need never went on sale.
So what does go on sale? Anything that is seasonal minus handbags and small leather goods (or SLGs). So think seasonal shoes, ready to wear and jewelry. That means if you have been dying after a pair of ballet flats but want the beige and black ones that you are out of luck finding them new on sale (but check out here for the options The Real Real has which is wear I bought both my pairs of ballet flats from.) But you COULD find last seasons bright colors classic ballet flats on sale! Unfortunately for me the bigger sizes are often already sold out (my theory is that Chanel does not produce as many of these sizes) so I had never been able to partake in the sale previously- even though believe me I looked!
Thanks to Luxe Hunt I was able to score a pair of beautiful espadrilles for $507! Yes that is not crazy savings (only about 35% off since retail is $725 plus tax on the particular pair I got) but for Chanel espadrilles I had been eyeing for years, that often resell used for about as much as they cost retail, it was worth it. As you can see the pair I got is a very classic pair. They are what Chanel calls a “flat white” but in fact they have a little bit of sparkle to them (more of an ivory), with the black cap toe. They came with their box and dust bags which is not something I would get with a used pair of espadrilles. Plus they are not worn in and stretched out by someone else which for me having bigger but thinner feet is often a problem.
So what are some tips for the Chanel sales?
1- Know When the Sales Are- Every year the exact days of the sale change but there is always one in the summer (around June or July) and one in the winter (around December or January). I normally find out about them via Instagram or my SA. I try to post about the sales as soon as I heard about them so make sure you follow me. (And if you don’t click here.)
2- Have a Relationship with an SA- This was really hard for me to build because I am often ignored by SAs because I look young. Luckily, I now have a great sales associate who loves that I am a bargain hunter and is always helping me try to track down things I want during a sale. The funniest thing is that she doesn’t even work in the Chanel boutique or the shoes at Neimans- she works in designer handbags!
3- Know Your Size- Chanel sizing is a little weird. Not all of their shoes come in half sizes (which is really annoying) and in general their shoes run about half a size small. So for example, I wear a 41.5 in the ballet flats and a 42 in the espadrilles. I have never tried on their heels but I bet I would probably need a different size in those too!
4- Luck- Honestly, have of the sale is being lucky enough to be the size that is on sale or lucky enough to snag the last one or the return. So best of luck to everyone out there!
Once In a Blue June- Week 1 Update
So its been one week since I decided to stopped spending. Luckily I have been pretty busy with work but I still found time last weekend to head to Nordstrom and Nordstrom Rack. Thankfully I didn’t crack but the challenge is still young. I almost did crack because I sat on my favorite and trusty BP sunglasses. I was devastated and at $15 I figured I could buy myself another pair. Luckily I was with my mom and she bought me my new pair so crisis averted- and thank you mom!
Plus the challenge has a new member- Grace Cardenas from Cantwearpink on Instagram! If any other bloggers or followers want to join in feel free to and tag #onceinabluejune and #nospendjune!
Also just because I cannot buy anything now does not mean that I am not starting a wishlist that I will visit when my shopping ban is over. See below to see what I have been eyeing!
- Chanel Deauville Large– I am soo obsessed with this bag. I spend most of my time checking out this bag on Pinterest and Instagram! (Large Pink– $1,825; Navy Blue– $3,195)
- Lovers + Friends Jack High Rise Short– I have seen these shorts on a couple bloggers and them seem to be better suited for people with smaller waisted and bigger hips and thighs which is me in a nut shell. ($138)
- Celine Box Bag– This is a classic that has been on my list for awhile. I think for durability purposes I want the liege leather and not the box leather. While the box leather is beautiful it marks way to easily. (Black Goatskin– $2,995)
- Show Me Your Mumu Great Wrap Shorts in Point Dume Stripe– I love SMYM’s shorts (particularly the carlos) and love that these look like a skirt but are actually a skort! ($118)
- Dior Lady Bag– I cannot decide between the medium and the large in the black lambskin with gold hardware. Literally such a beautiful classic bag. Plus I definitely need a strap on my bag. (Navy– $1,850)