#10 - How I was able to buy 6 LV Bags in a year

Happy Saturday! 

I hope you're all bundled up at home and sipping on a warm up of tea 🍵  My current beverage situation is hot chocolate tea. YES. M*** F****ING hot chocolate tea. And why would anyone want to drink hot choc in tea form when you could just smash down milky hot chocolate? WELL first of all, I'm not a fan of milk and my PRIMO friend, Derek, brought back chocolate husk shells from his recent trip to South America.

(Serving method) You encase the husks in a tea strainer, dunk it in hot water and voila! Hot choc tea is served 😋

Moving right along!

Today's blog post is going to be about how I was able to acquire 6 Louis Vuitton Bags in a year. Yeah, buddy. You didn't misread the title nor was it a typo. I actually purchased 6 Louis Vuitton bags in the year of 2016. Hahah I'm guessing range of thoughts are running through your mind right now. I assume they're a mixture of:

*All bags were purchased with my own money, one of the bags was gifted 

Here's a picture of what my current collection of LV bags looks like:



My collection has grown quite a fair bit and here's how I did it.*

I purchased from the pre-loved market.

What exactly does that mean? It means that I purchased these bags second hand either from Gumtree, eBay or through friends! 


Now why would anyone do that? 

Because they're significantly cheaper (they range anywhere between $150-$650), vintage bag designs are cuter, the quality of vintage bags are much more sturdier than current style bags, because I'm eco-friendly and as much as I love fashion and accessories, I'm also conscious of being part of the chain. Buying 'second-hand' contributes to a movement against fast fashion exploitation.

How do you know if the bags are authentic?

You can tell whether the product is counterfeit or authentic from doing your research. Start by extensively researching into the defining characteristics of the bag: go online and view close up images of the bag, in particular, inspect the metal hardware, the date code, the stitching, the canvas, the vachetta leather. Not only will this educate you about the defining features of the bag, but you'll also get a feel for the grade of condition of the bag and the price they should go for. i.e. if the bag is in tatters, it will be worth $100, but if the bag is in pristine vintage condition then it could be worth $500. 

Then look into the seller history: refer to buyer feedback on eBay (do they have a bunch of dodgy feedback? If they do, stay clear), request for more photos if necessary from the seller to confirm the characteristics of the bag, request for the receipt, ask where they purchased the item from.

For peace of mind you could use a third party authenticator or my personal favourite method is to take the bag into Louis Vuitton repairs. If LV customer service is happy to repair your bag that's a pretty darn clear sign that your bag is authentic. It's against their policy to service counterfeit items :) 

Isn't it dirty?

Nope! You can use a damp cloth to give the canvas and the interior a quick wipe and then the bag is good to go! It's a matter of mindset. If you believe the item is dirty and it's a huge complex for you, then don't by second hand. Simple.

How do I buy on Gumtree?

Buyers beware. Always pay after inspecting the item. If you cannot inspect the item physically, make sure you pay using PayPal Goods and Services. This gives you buyer protection. Never pay using bank transfer, because in cases where the seller is a scam, you won't be able to recover your money back. 

Beauty of Gumtree is that you can haggle/ negotiate on price. Also, who knows, the seller might be one street down! Super quick and easy.

How do I buy on eBay?

There are a significant number of legit Japanese consignment sellers on eBay! Their feedback scores are generally a great indicator of how legit/or not they are. 

eBay Money Back Guarantee is also available on the platform so that always gives me peace of mind whenever I make purchase.

Follow my  advice in "How do you know if the bags are authentic?" above.

Beauty of eBay is that you can haggle on price to get the best deal or time your purchase to coincide with one of the sitewide 30% off sales!!

Here are a few close up shots of my beauties:

The Drouot 

The Tambourine

Speedy 30

Montsouris MM

Bucket bag GM

Petit Bucket Bag PM (sold.)

Toiletry Pouch 26

Papillon Pouch

*I am in no way rich. I'm a uni student, and I work part time. Without going into the details, I make a few hundred a week and I pay for everything on my own. This is to show that you can still own "nice things" without having to pay $$$.