5 Reasons To Buy a Vintage Chanel Bag

I love shopping for vintage Chanel bags! My first vintage Chanel was from the 90s, and I absolutely fell in love when I saw it. There are 5 main reasons to buy a vintage Chanel bag compared to a new Chanel bag which include, vintage Chanel bags have 24k gold hardware, they are more affordable, better quality and craftsmanship, have unique and rare designs, and because it’s sustainable.

Why buy a preloved Chanel bag
© lenaterlutter

Vintage Chanel bags have 24k gold Hardware

Chanel using the 24k gold hardware closeup
© aoriste_tokyo_vintage

One of the best and most appealing things about purchasing a vintage Chanel prior to 2008 is that Chanel used 24k gold-plated hardware! The reason why this is important is that the 24k gold-plated hardware doesn’t wear off as long as you take proper care of the bag. For me, this is the main reason why I love purchasing vintage Chanel bags! When shopping for vintage Chanel bags, inspect the hardware. The Chanel 24k gold hardware bags feature a unique marking on the Chanel logo (see picture above) 

Today, Chanel bags use a gold toned hardware, and the gold can wear off over the years and needs to be retouched. This makes vintage Chanel bags extremely desirable.

Vintage Chanel bags are more affordable

Reasons to buy a vintage Chanel bag
© classic_coco

Over the last 3–5 years, Chanel has been making crazy price increases, and the retail value of a Chanel is almost the same price as a Hermes Birkin now. The average price of a good condition Classic Vintage Chanel bag is between $850-$4500, while the retail price of a new Classic Chanel bag is roughly $10,000.  That’s a savings of 50-90% for purchasing a vintage Chanel! 

If you want a Chanel bag but don’t want to pay full price for a bag, then buying a vintage Chanel is a great alternative! It’s important that you go to a reputable place that has a rigorous authentication process, such as WGACA, The Real Real and Fashionphile.

Better Quality and Craftsmanship

Benefits of owning a vintage Chanel bag
© thehighendamsterdam

Over the last year, I’ve received hundreds of messages from people saying how the Chanel quality has gone down. Last time I was at the store, I saw a leather bag with crooked stitching and uneven leather. Can you imagine paying so much for a bag only to realize that the stitching is crooked? I would be livid. Today, Chanel bags are mainly sewn by machines, and only a small portion of a Chanel bag is still stitched by hand. 

Vintage Chanel bags are notorious for having impeccable craftsmanship, high quality leather, and are fully made by hand. Which means that each bag before it was sold is inspected by the artisan and the inspector for quality control. This is why Chanel bags are often referred to as investment bags. I’ve seen bags from the early 80s that are in incredible condition, you’d have no idea that they are 40 years old! Shop vintage Chanel bags.

Unique Design that are Rare

Rare vintage Chanel bag price
© classic_coco

One of the reasons why I love vintage shopping for Chanel bags is that oftentimes you can find rare, unique bags that you won’t see every day! While, the Classic Chanel style are great, you can find extremely rare colors, designs, that were discontinued years ago! A few months ago when I went vintage shopping in NYC, I found a bag from the 90s that I’ve never seen before it was a bag shaped like a coin bag in a dark green! That’s the great thing about vintage Chanel shopping, you never know what you’ll find!

Sustainable Fashion gives life to an old bag

Vintage Chanel bag from the 90s
© singulie_

The final reason why I think you should buy a vintage Chanel bag is it is sustainable fashion. By purchasing a vintage bag, you are giving a new life to a previously unwanted bag and reducing the environmental impact. My favorite reason, is when you purchase a vintage bag from a store, there are also economic benefits, such as stimulating the economy and helping a small business. Shop vintage Chanel handbags.

Final thoughts

Small black vintage chanel bag
© box_room_vintage

Overall, if you are considering purchasing a Chanel bag, I highly recommend that you consider purchasing a vintage Chanel bag! As someone who owns several vintage bags, I can assure you that I enjoy wearing and styling my vintage bags! Do you own a vintage Chanel bag? I’d love to hear about it in the comments!

Sincerely Petite in Paris,

Diane 

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