Owning any vintage designer handbag is the best way to assure you will not see your handbag in the possession of another woman. Vintage handbags allow you to express your fashion style in a very unique way. Vintage stores many times offer a large selection of designer bags that have been taken care of extremely well by their previous owners. Some handbags that are not quite as vintage as others more of the ”pre-owned “less aged variety will just save you money over its newer counterpart. There are also some incredibly expensive vintage bags due to their age and uniqueness that can cost thousands and actually be considered an investment in a collectible.
Most women are just looking for vintage bags to highlight their personal style. When you plan to straight-up buy a vintage handbag make sure that you pick a dealer that has a good reputation for selling genuine vintage handbags. A reputable dealer will be able to tell you the history of the handbag and how it was made. Although these antique handbags are quite expensive and not everyone buying them has the intention of collecting them. This is where instead of buying these expensive bags you can try luxurytastic replicas that will give you high-quality bags with a wide range of designs at really affordable prices.
If you’re like me the biggest thrill I get is the actual hunt for a vintage handbag. I have a friend who frequents estate sales and finds the most fabulous bags in those mystery boxes they let you bid on at the end of the sale. She eBay’s here finds but I get first dibs. If you have the time and the wherewithal to deal with acquiring a lot of junk, mystery boxes from estate sales are a great way to find vintage handbags and vintage clothing as well in general.
You can always garage sale things that you do not want or give them to goodwill. You will want to invest in various books and do some online research to get a ballpark idea of what your vintage handbag is worth. You can also sell the finds that you don’t want to carry to your local upscale consignment shop and more than makeup for your investment.
Other places to hunt for vintage handbags are garage sales, a boutique section of thrift stores, and older relative’s closets. Your great Aunt Hilda will be thrilled that you want to carry her favorite beaded dress bag. If the bag has some real financial worth be sure to compensate your older relative at a reasonable price or by organizing her closet. If she wants nothing in return; treasure the handbag and pass it on to younger girls in the family when you are done carrying it. A family heirloom vintage handbag is a very special thing. You can make it more special by finding out what great parties of the pass the handbag was carried to. This is a much better vintage handbag history to have than simply how it was made and the year.
Garage sales and thrift stores are other sources of vintage handbags. You should do some research to recognize what you are seeing at these places. You can ask the person sponsoring the garage sale the history of the bag, but don’t indicate that it may be worth something or you might find it removed from the sale.
Things in the thrift store boutique section of thrift stores have already been deemed to be more valuable by the staff at the thirty stores due to their designer label or lack of wear. Thrift store staff usually does not do research on the bags they sell or authenticate the fact they are designer bags and not reproductions or copies. If the bags are not pricy buy the bag before anyone else does. If you like it you may carry it anyway, even if it is not the real McCoy.
Depending on the value of the bag you find and the wear you may want to avoid having the bag restored. If you are buying the bag as an investment you do not want the bag altered from its original condition as it will lose value. If you simply want to carry the bag and it has minimal value even if it is a vintage bag restore away. You will get many more years to use out of a vintage bag you love.
You can find vintage handbags on eBay but you will also find a lot of fakes. If you plan to purchase a bag on eBay make sure you pick a reputable seller who will provide you with a certificate of authenticity. These corticated can be faked as well. Unfortunately, reproductions are done so well many times it is really hard for anyone but an expert to tell. If you are defrauded on eBay you do have recourse via the eBay dispute process. Still, you might in the end, really end up holding the fake vintage handbag and be out the money. Remember if it is too good to be true, it is not true.
If you are just looking for the look of a vintage handbag you should check out the various retro reproduction sites that are available online. The selection is not huge but you can intentionally pick the era of handbag you would like to carry. Vintage handbags from the thirties are hard to find and out of most of our price range.
Make finding a vintage handbag a project for the summer. It is the garage sale season and the time of year lots of folks are disposing of the things they put aside during their spring cleaning. Have fun and happy vintage handbag hunting.
