On the Hunt for Vintage Chanel

So I have been gone for a while, but graduate school has overtaken my life. Most recently I have been on the hunt for a great vintage Chanel bag. I get the whole "you get what you pay for" mantra, but I cannot see myself shelling over $2500 plus for pre-owned Chanel (at this point in my life). So at this point I have decided after my last successful venture on eBay with the Alma I am going to adventure into the land of Chanel.

After doing some research on several purse blogs I have found that many people have had great success with Chanel resellers on eBay. Also while most of the bags are in need of significant spa treatment you are still looking at pretty steep discounts. Lastly, I have been stalking Chanel bags for years. How they look, how they feel, and not that I am an expert, but I know the basic components of a legitimate Chanel bag.

After scouring eBay I have found that you can get any of the colored double flap's for a decent price. By decent I mean depending on size anywhere between $800-$1400. Granted the bags are in need of about $300.00 worth of work, but again these are still steep discounts. I have found that most of the bags are in need of a general deep clean i.e. stitch reinforcement, re-dye, sometimes even hardware replacement. Do your homework and check around. You will find that sites like LuxeDH, Fashionphile and Bag Borrow or Steal rarely go below $2000.00 for a classic black lamb skin Chanel double flap. For the other colors and fabrics you may luck up and find them priced anywhere between $1100.00-$1800.00, but do not be fooled into thinking they will not need work as well.

Now the white whale of vintage Chanel buying is obviously the black double flap. It is the ultimate classic and every bid I have been on has been serious. Don't even bother bidding until the last five seconds. The good news is if you have $1200-$1400 you can get one in pretty good shape. If you are willing to get the repairs done I have seen some as cheap as $800.00 buy it now and bids end at $710.00. My first Chanel must be black. I have loosened up my idea on what size because of the difficulty obtaining one period and decided I will be content to have it in any size. Currently, I have an offer in on a Chanel Flap mini with gold hardware. The seller is taking forever to respond, but hopefully I get some good movement on the price as the bag is in definite need of spa treatment. Overall if you are willing to wait it out you can find some good deals on eBay. For added security always have your bags authenticated by an independent vendor. Spend a few extra bucks and by a few extra I literally mean about $7-$10 and get that added piece of mind with your purchase. Remember in the quest for Chanel this is a marathon not a sprint!

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