Once upon a time, I was obsessed with owning as many designer bags as possible. I avoided selling any of my bags, regardless of if I had reached a point of being over them or not. And each year, as I picked up one or two new bags, my collection got bigger and bigger until it hit a peak well into the double-digits.
Sure, it was a rush for me to feel like I could actually call my ownership of handbags a collection, but neglecting to sell bags I no longer used or had fallen out of love with was foolish, not to mention, financially unsound. I was sitting on a lot of money that could either be saved for a rainy day or put towards something I would love (and actually use).
Thankfully, my attitude has shifted towards the quality of bags (meaning ones I truly love) over quantity. And if something no longer brings me joy or gives me that unmistakable butterflies in my stomach feeling, I know it’s time for me to part ways with it.
To Sell or To Trade
Over the last few months, I started to realize that I was reaching for my Louis Vuitton Multi Pochette Accessoires less and less. While I still love the bag, it wasn’t bringing me much of a thrill, and I began to toy with the idea of letting it go. I did a little research and, with my educational background in fashion, concluded that the popularity of the LV Multi Pochette (and the multi-bag trend in general) is likey hitting, or has hit, its peak.
To get a maximum return, I felt that now would be the time to let this much-hyped bag go. I purchased it for $1,640 back in late 2019, and its retail price is now almost a full $1,000 more, so I knew that I would make my money back, and then some being that the condition of my bag was nearly perfect.
I toyed with the idea of selling it on my own (via eBay or Instagram). Still, I ultimately decided to use Rebag’s Clair Trade program, which gives you the most return if you’re looking to get something new in place of what you’re giving up. I wasn’t (at first) looking to trade, but then I started digging and found that I could trade my Louis Vuitton Multi Pochette for a bag I’ve been eyeing for some time.
Its current retail is $2,500, so immediately, I was sold (more on what I snagged soon!) I could part ways with a bag that no longer served me and one I had paid $1,000 less for than the bag I was trading for. A win, win, in my opinion!
Out With the Old, In With the New
Though not on purpose, I followed the one in, one out rule, and after watching a YouTube video from fellow handbag lover Alyssa Lenore, I’ve been thinking about this rule more and more. Collecting, by definition, is systematically seeking and acquiring items of a particular kind as a hobby. If the whole point of a collection is to acquire more items, does the one in, one out rule really make sense?
Yes, it makes sense in many cases, and the example I cited above perfectly illustrates this. While this isn’t necessarily a rule I will follow routinely moving forward, I know many collectors who’ve reached a point where they feel this rule is necessary. Eventually, if I were to have, say, 20 or more handbags, I may feel this rule is non-negotiable. What do you think?
