Louis Vuitton

Should You Keep a Limited Edition Bag Solely for Potential Resale Value?

I spent a lot of time debating what to do with my Limited Edition Louis Vuitton Escale Onthego

Note: As of right now, 10:45am EST, the Escale Onthego is available on LouisVuitton.com! Act fast!

Some of the most sought after handbags today were Limited Edition when they were originally released. The Watercolor Speedy from the Louis Vuitton x Richard Prince line instantly comes to mind, which coincidentally is one of my top Holy Grail bags. In addition to the Watercolor Speedy, I also dream about owning a Stephen Sprouse Graffiti Speedy, just about any piece from the Takashi Murakami Multicolore line, and of course, the highly coveted Takashi Murakami Cerises or Cherry Blossom lines. If you search any of these bags on the resale market, you will see that they are hard to find and usually come with big price tags. I’ve read countless threads on The Purse Forum of members trying to track down pieces from these collections and (unfortunately) often failing.

I have been very vocal about my passionate love of Louis Vuitton’s Onthego bag. It’s one of my favorite bags released in recent years and I just adore everything about this handbag. I own an Onthego in the reverse monogram color scheme and it’s become one of my most frequently used handbags. When Louis Vuitton released their Escale collection, I was instantly smitten. Truth be told, when I first laid eyes on the Escale collection I was immediately disappointed I had already pulled the trigger on the reverse monogram Onthego because I was so obsessed with the pastel version of this bag. The Escale collection is one of my favorite Limited Edition collections that Louis Vuitton has had in recent years and I couldn’t stop thinking about it after seeing it. Pink is my all time favorite color and I loved the pastel color scheme, it became my newest handbag obsession (which I’m sure if you are reading here, you can probably relate to).

Every time I looked at the pastel Onthego online, which was a lot, it gave me the dreaded “notify me” on the site. Fast forward two months later when I was perusing the Louis Vuitton website late at night (anyone else have a tendency to do this or is it just me?). Imagine my surprise when I saw the pastel Onthego was available to place in cart. This bag had been sold out on the site for weeks, so I decided to take the plunge and order it when I was half asleep (I woke up in the morning and had to double check it hadn’t been a dream!). I couldn’t believe how beautiful the bag was when it arrived at my house, it truly is a stunning piece.

I really do love the look of this bag, but when I went to actually wear it there was just something about it that felt off for me. I’m not shy about loving logos, my monogram Onthego is one of my favorite bags in my collection, but the bright colors combined with the large nature of the bag was just felt a little too flashy for my comfort level. This is coming from someone who loves bold prints and logos, so I was very shocked when I realized this bag was not for me. I felt self conscious with it, which is the complete opposite feeling a bag should give you, and in my heart I knew that I wouldn’t be giving this bag as much wear as I should (especially for the very high price tag).

Of course my first thought was that I should return it, but I found myself hesitating because this handbag took me so long to find. I was lucky I was able to even snag one, right? I was totally swept up in the hype of finding a bag that was hard to find that the idea of returning it was out of the question. I knew I wouldn’t carry this bag often, but the idea of owning a rarer bag outweighed the logical need to return. The thought of being able to sell it for a higher resale value in future crossed my mind as well, especially since some resale sites are already selling this bag for far above retail value. If you’ve followed along on my Onthego journey, I even considered paying nearly double the price last summer when I fell in love with the Creme Onthego (and truth be told I am still pining over that bag…!).

Because of the prices that some Limited Edition bags of the past are commanding, I did consider keeping my Escale Onthego. Am I just going to yearn for it in 15 years? Possibly. Is that reason enough to keep it now? Not for me. After two weeks of mulling it over, I ended up exchanging my Escale Onthego for a Pochette Métis and I couldn’t be happier with my decision. Maybe I will regret it in future, but for now, I think I definitely made the best choice.

Have you ever kept a bag that didn’t work well for you for potential resale value or because it was rare? Did it work out for you?

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