Buying resale bags online is terrifying. I’ve been there, done that more than a dozen times, and sending a thousand dollars or more to a stranger in exchange for a bag which I have not yet seen in person does not get any less nerve-racking after repeated attempts. In fact, I’m feeling a bit of residual anxiety just thinking about it.

If you’re thinking about taking the eBay or Bonanzle plunge for the first time in search of your one true bag love, the number of hurdles that stand in the way of a successful purchase can seem daunting. Let my past experiences be your guide – we’ve got five ways to get yourself started on the path toward resale shopping success.

1. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is. This is the first and most important rule of online resale shopping. An Hermes Birkin for $100? Don’t do it, honey. The seller has a dozen Balenciaga bags, all in the same hard-to-find 2005 color, listed at the same time? Run the other way. If you find your dream bag on eBay or Bonanzle and it’s going for a fraction of the original price, it’s probably fake. If you’ve got a bag in mind, look up old transactions and find out how much the real thing goes for when resold or consult the Online Deals threads in PurseForum’s brand sections for links to authentic bags that our members have found.

2. Know your payment options. PayPal, Western Union, Google Checkout, bank transfer, mailed check…which ones are safe? Are any of them safe? Never do a bank or wire transfer or mail a check unless you can trust the seller with your life (and really, even then, don’t). PayPal and Google Checkout have more safeguards in the event that your bag is damaged or fake, but no system is foolproof. Using a credit card with a liberal chargeback policy (I’d suggest American Express) through a third-party transaction partner like PayPal is probably your safest option (and the only one that is technically allowed on eBay), but make sure to read the terms and conditions of any service or credit source before you spend your money.

3. Educate yourself and consult the experts. Our PurseForum is great, and I’m not just saying that as a veteran member and moderator. The people that post over there are an absolute wealth of information about bags present and past, and most sections also have a very dedicated, knowledgeable group of volunteer authenticators that will give you their opinions on resale bags that may have caught your eye. Remember, though, they’re just opinions.

4. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. After you’ve learned about the bag and what best indicates authenticity, make sure you get any necessary pictures that weren’t already included in the seller’s listing. If he or she expects you to pay hundreds or thousands of dollars for a bag, you have every right to every last photo that you want in order to assure yourself that you’re getting what you think you are. If the seller hems and haws about providing additional photos or information, it might be a good idea to walk away. Which leads us to…

5. Listen to your gut. If something seems off about the bag or the seller, don’t ignore it. Even if you can’t but your finger on exactly what’s wrong, that suspicion is likely there for a reason. Another must-have purse will always come along; don’t risk your hard-earned dollars on a purchase that might come with some, uh, baggage.

Resources

• PurseForum
• eBay discussion section on PurseForum
• Authenticate This on PurseForum
• PayPal Security Center
• eBay Policy Center
• Bonanzle Terms of Use

Everything is fixed! Please let us know if you experience any more problems logging onto the forum.

We have been dealing with an ongoing problem with PurseForum members having troubles logging onto the forum. Apparently the forum is not remembering user names, passwords, and frankly not letting people in. Not sure what we all did to make the forum software mad, but it sure is giving us and many a hard time!

Vlad has been trying to work on this for a long time, seeing ways to help people out. Unfortunately, it didn’t seem to fix the issue for everyone every time. But now a member of tPF tried something and it worked, not just for her, but also for quite a few other members. If you too were having a hard time with the forum, try the suggestion below and let us know if it works. We hope it does, and hopefully somehow it will resolve the headache and problems for everyone!

If you are having problems logging on, even trying Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, Chrome, try the suggestion here: Scroll all the way to the bottom of the main page of the PurseForum. Change the display from tPF Liquid to tPF Mobile. Log in on the mobile version with your user name and password. Then scroll back to the bottom of the page and change back to the tPF Liquid version.

Let us know if this works or if you are still having problems. Also, check in on this thread of the forum to post comments or questions.

Around 1:30pm Eastern Time, the barrier of 200,000 registered members on tPF was broken. Welcome beaks!

Here’s to another few hundred thousand members for the future!

In other news, I will be flying back to the States tomorrow. Things will be back to ‘normal’ Monday, which regular posting, new information, mid-month giveaways, and more designer interviews!

If there’s one thing I’ve learned working on a bag blog for the past three years, then it is that women take a lot of pride in their handbag collections. To most males, the realm of the bag is a ridiculous one, after all it is just a bag that allows you to carry your lipsticks around. Guys, wake up and stop being so dense. We all have our cars, our watches, our collections of vintage collectible comic books or silk ties. Let the women indulge in the passion of their own.

This being said, I’ve met a few ladies through tPF whose handbag collections sum up to a combined worth higher than the GDP of a country like Luxembourg. PBC comes to mind, star3337′s collection ain’t shabby, either. It is hardly a requirement to have the world’s most amazing, rare and expensive bags in your closet in order to impress. In our Bag Showcase forum, 1100 people have already showcased their bags, ranging from small indi designer collections to the aforementioned cream-o’-the-crop. One of the latest in collections was resident Purse Blogger Megs’ collection, that I shot by the pool a few days ago. You are welcome to check it out and more importantly, sign up at the Purse Forum and post your proud collection for the world to see.

… I know, you already know. I got the messages on Face Book, the text messages to my phone, the emails are piling, and I keep staring at Vlad wondering when this ‘update‘ will be fixed. To be honest, I haven’t a clue and he is looking quite stressed. But the update is for the good. He says it should be up within a few hours as Vlad and the techs “finalize some complications that occurred after fixing a hardware failure”.

We’re happy to announce that tPF is back up. Sorry for the wait!

This week, Voodoo wants to see your Christmas loot. This thread discusses what bag will most likely be the new ‘IT’ bag for the upcoming year. The tPF Balenciaga Inventory is growing like mad, the BalLadies so mean serious business!

The Your Chanel In Action thread in the Chanel Forum is also going strong, it is a fantastic visual reference for any Chanel bag lover.

In Hermes, ilovemylife asks the community for help on what to wear for the day. A visual feast for Hermes lovers. I can see why she loves her life!

With over 56,000 replies and over 3/4 of a million views, the Authenticate This Louis Vuitton thread is the busiest on the whole Purse Forum, by far. It is undoubtedly the #1 destination for answers for your authenticity questions.

With over 210,000 ongoing and past discussions, the Purse Forum is the most active handbag community on the Internet. Register today if you haven’t and join the fun!