Buy Vintage Chanel

As most of you know, I love vintage bags as much as I love new and I get a lot of questions on buying vintage Chanel bags and authenticity. My most recent vintage Chanel bags were purchases from a resale shop in Japan.

buy vintage chanel

It can be hard to find vintage or pre-owned Chanel bags as I find that Designer consignment shops do carry some, but the selection is not great and it always changes so you would need to stop in pretty frequently.

Fashionphile is one of the first online retailers for vintage Chanel bags that I found and I have purchased from them quite a few times. All of my experiences have been great and I feel that they offer very fair prices for their pieces. They give great descriptions of each peices as well as what the condition is so you are well aware of the flaws before buying. Other perks that they have is a 30 day return policy as well sell your bag (or any bag you may have) to them.

Thank you so much for this post, Tiffany! I was sad to hear that Chanel raised their prices again. With this rate, I probably can't afford a new one. I don't mind vintage/preowned as long as they are authentic. I have no idea where to start looking for one. This post is very informative. Thanks again for sharing great tips ?

I love TPF and have been a visitor for many years for many types of items (ladies there are great at authenticating Hermes scarves too). I've seen a lot of resellers in Singapore and Hong Kong but am still slightly weary. I bought my first vintage Chanel through the TPF MP.

Think I might be working extra hours, I want a Chanel bag more than anything in the world, these sites will be very useful, gotta find the perfect one before I invest on it, but definitely want vintage!

Thanks so much for sharing. I have seen fashionphile before but I am going to check out the others ! I desperately want a vintage Chanel but like you said vintage does not mean they are "cheap" (not even close! ha) LOVE your bags!!

I've been searching high and low for a vintage chanel piece ( ideally i would like one in an exotic leather but the prices for vintage exotic are still crazy) because I do agree with you as much as I love my new chanel babies the vintage ones def have more character.

Great post Tiffany! And very timely, considering the pending Chanel price increase that will send many ladies hunting for better priced vintage handbags. TPF is the best resource for any and all used handbag options, not to mention full of drool worthy reveal photos!

Hi the other day I found this cute little vintage store, and I saw this Channel bag, it seemed very real to me, its sand colour, the leather feells real, and there is no serial numer inside and it doesnt say chanel Also the logo on the outside lost a little bit the color so from gold it turns into silver a little bit , its a litle damage but its driving me crazy the owner told me that its real that in the 70s it disnt came with a number inside the so idk can u please help me thank u my email is dani05gsgmail.com

This is odd but i just came across your post and then immediately read another post that was the same. maybe you already know about it, but this is just a heads up anyways ? -fashionistas-guide-where-to-buy-vintage-chanel-bags/

FYI, not sure if it's already been mentioned but your article has been copied and pasted (without reference) on another site. I guess you should be flattered! -fashionistas-guide-where-to-buy-vintage-chanel-bags/#comment-63582

Have you ever considered buying a vintage Chanel bag? Well, it has not been high on the list of my shopping priorities as I always preferred fresh-out-of-the-box items. However, a few years ago I was desperately looking for a small Chanel flap bag in navy blue with a golden chain and at the time the colour was unavailable in boutiques. As my mind was firmly set on the navy classic and no alternative would do, I decided to explore other options and, somewhat reluctantly, directed my search at the online second-hand luxury market in hope of finding the coveted bag.

While the buying of a vintage Chanel bag seemed like a great idea at first, I soon realised that there were a lot of traps along the way which made the process not as straightforward as I originally anticipated. Eventually, I ended up with the bag of my dreams but the journey was, by no means, plain sailing. On the flip side, the first encounter with the pre-loved designer goods market has taught me a few valuable lessons about buying vintage online and this is exactly what I would like to share in this post.

Hence, for anyone thinking of buying their first vintage Chanel bag I have listed in the five things which may be worth bearing in mind before committing yourself to this somewhat extravagant purchase.

While some may be enchanted by the fact that a Chanel vintage bag has its history, the truth is that the older the bag the heavier the signs of usage. This is not to say that every vintage bag will always be heavily weathered. However, a classic vintage Chanel bag from the 90s in a good condition will never have the same look and feel as,for instance, a 10 years old bag. It may sound obvious but when buying vintage online one should manage expectations and be prepared to receive a well-used item even though it may be a used item in an overall good condition.

This is exactly where I got caught out. My vintage Chanel bag was clearly pre-owned by a smoker and it never crossed my mind to ask the seller if the bag smelled of cigarettes. It took me forever to get rid of the scent which involved not only having the bag professionally cleaned but also having it stuffed for a long time with quite pungent rose soap bars. Now the bag suffers from a strong soapy smell but at least it is some improvement on the smell of cigarettes!

While some may like the idea of a pre-loved bag, the reality is that by buying vintage you are investing in a well-used item. Especially with a vintage Chanel bag which is 20 or 30 year it is only reasonable to expect to see some scratches on the leather, the colour wearing off, the bag losing its shape or the chain losing its shine. Some may be happy to accept all of this as a price to pay for a used Chanel bag which would not be otherwise available or affordable. However, for those who are longing for the feel of a newer bag there are ways to improve the appearance of a pre-loved item through a handbag spa service.

So for anyone who, like me, prefers new bags but for one reason or another ended up buying vintage Chanel, my advice is to consider a handbag restoration service which can give a new lease of life to a second hand piece and allow it to shine again.

I hope you have found this post helpful, if you have any other tips regarding vintage Chanel bags please share them in the comments. For reviews of other Chanel products, please click here. [Back to menu]

Realistically, many vintage items offered on the secondary market have already undergone some degree of restoration to command higher asking prices. Also, people often buy vintage bags with a view to having them reconditioned. On that basis, I do not think many buyers nowadays would be particularly alarmed about the new lock, as long as you can prove the substitute is authentic and replaced by Chanel. Especially, if the bag is from the 80s!!

Given the most sought after vintage Chanel bags are 20+ years old there are a few things to consider when buying a vintage Chanel bag or accessory. The most important thing to keep in mind is that vintage Chanel bags aren't new so there should be some expectation of age and patina depending on the condition. Vintage Chanel bags will generally show the most wear on the bottom corners of the bag. Additionally it's important to inspect hardware for scratches and marks. Other things to inspect is the stitching for loose threads and leather for scratching. The good news is you can find excellent vintage Chanel bags on secondary markets and at auction. Sotheby's handbag specialists are always seeking out the best vintage Chanel bags and accessories. Given the high demand for vintage Chanel bags, the availability of high quality counterfeit bags has also grown. Only buy from established resellers and auction houses that have experience authenticating vintage Chanel bags. Prices for Vintage Chanel bags are generally lower than new Chanel bags but there are some rare limited edition styles that are significantly more. A Chanel vintage classic flap bag is around $6,000-7,000 if it's in excellent condition. A vintage Chanel Full Flap and Chanel Diana Flap are closer to $4,000-$5,000.

An authentic vintage luxury leader, What Goes Around Comes Around's meticulously trained experts guarantee high-end and carefully inspected authentic Chanel pieces so that the search for genuine luxury is easy.

With the recent price increase, which saw rises of up to 15% over some product categories, Chanel customers worldwide have been left feeling like their love for the legacy Coco Gabrielle built is far out of reach. Chanel's increasingly tight-rein on bag allocation, smaller production runs and quotas, has resulted in a thriving resale market where the best pieces are purchased brand new and resold at a profit due to scarcity. As a result, many chic customers have cast their quilted gaze to the vintage and pre-loved market.

Vintage and pre-loved offer Chanel lovers a way to get hold of what they want, without breaking the bank for it. Officially vintage is classed as anything over 20 years of age, but any slightly older bags from Chanel, circa 2008 have a vast difference in quality, customers report.

Buying vintage can not only guarantee a better price over the modern bags, but also better quality. Due to pressure in meeting demand, the quality of modern bags is not always consistent. The forums are full of reports of uneven stitching, indented lambskin and sticky handles. Then there was the Spring Summer 2022 Runway show where the media went wild at the dodgy stitching on Chanel's newest heart shaped bag. 041b061a72