Occasionally, a colleague in the industry, an old acquaintance, or even a family member will ask me pointedly, “how did you get that handbag?” As an editor, I’m well aware that many can’t imagine forking over a pretty penny to purchase a purse, so the curiosity is understandable. Especially when the price tag of most luxury items can be equivalent to the average cost of a month’s rent in the United States. But what if I told you it is possible to find affordable designer handbags. Hear me out on this: you don’t have to be rolling in dough to be able to afford a designer bag. The secret to finding luxury accessories for less all goes back to knowing the shopping hacks that the fashion set relies on. Candidly, the only reason I’ve been able to build a collection of luxury handbags is because of a series of tricks that I’ve learned over time; but I won’t make you wait years to acquire this shopping knowledge. Ahead, you’ll find my ultimate guidebook on how to buy a designer handbag for a discounted rate. Use one or multiple tips from this story, and securing your own bag will be well within your budget in no time.
According to thredUP, the secondhand market is reported to grow 127% by 2026. That surge is partly due to how stigmas around thrifting have dissolved with younger generations, but it’s also because of the boom we’ve seen in luxury consignment platforms. With the internet, there are more places than ever before to shop online for secondhand designer bags. But, should you choose to use this hack to secure your designer bag for less, the greatest nugget of wisdom I can impart to you is to do extensive research beforehand. After all, you don’t want to drop a large stack of cash only to realize you’ve ended up with a dupe. And if you can’t spend hours yourself doing due diligence, you’ll want to shop from trusted resale retailers that will guarantee your bag’s authenticity—e.g., The RealReal, Vestiaire Collective, Fashionphile, Rebag, and LXR.
If you’d prefer to buy a new designer handbag but can’t justify the price tag, there are a few other hacks you can rely on. One is taking advantage of biannual “friends and family” from major retailers. For context, at least twice a year, some of the fashion set’s go-to retailers (e.g., Shopbop, Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue, and SSENSE) markdown massive amounts of inventory, including designer purses. When those sales happen, it’s an excellent opportunity to snag a bag for typically 20% less than the original cost.
Let’s be real: all of our inboxes are already pretty jam-packed. But, if you really want to find a designer bag for a cheaper price, then you must consider signing up for messages from specific retailers or even luxury labels themselves. For example, if you sign up to become an email subscriber for Moda Operandi or Bloomingdale’s, you can get up to 15% off your first purchase. Or, in my case, I like to receive text messages from some of my favorite contemporary brands (e.g., Staud and Brandon Blackwood) to stay in the loop on secret sales. In short, signing up will ensure you can not only secure a deal the first time you shop there but continue to know when major sales are happening.
In addition to subscribing to updates from some of your favorite retailers and brands, you also want to cast a more exhaustive search net. You can expand your chances of finding an affordable designer bag by checking international e-commerce websites. For instance, if you reside in the United States, it’s helpful to check retailers based abroad, like MatchesFashion, Farfetch, Luisaviaroma, and 24S. Most luxury handbags are assembled in Europe, so if the bag is bought wholesale within the region, it’s often subjected to fewer taxes, impacting its overall price point.
Based on where you reside in the world, another hack that can come in handy is shopping at outlets and sample sales. Sometimes, you do find the best deals in person, so don’t be afraid to shop IRL too. Of course, if you can’t shop in-person there are plenty of digital options now that are just as good. For example, some brands will invite subscribers to shop their exclusive sample sales online or host sales through third-party companies (e.g., 260 Sample Sale). You can also turn to retailers that exclusively sell designer goods at a discounted rate, like The Outnet, Saks Off 5th, and Nordstrom Rack. And when all else fails, some designer brands have their own digital outlet sites, so there are plenty of ways to find a designer bag within your budget.
With so many retailers out there, it can be hard to know whether you’re getting the best possible deal on your purchase. But there is one hack that can make this process easy: price tracking. While you can do this through various methods—for example, you can set up Google alerts or go the old-school route and stalk every site yourself. There’s an even more efficient way to track if a designer bag has dropped in price, and it’s through signing up for the fashion app, Lyst. It allows you to search for specific items (e.g., that it-bag from Valentino or Prada), pull stock from sites across the internet, and compare prices. But the best part is that if you want, you can opt-in to be notified when an item’s price is marked down so that you can snag it before it sells out.
Besides tracking prices and staying up-to-date on sales, one method that I like to employ is shopping off-season. Much like ready-to-wear collections, accessories often have a seasonality that can make the item’s value tick up or down in price based on when you’re purchasing them. For example, in the middle of spring or summer, you can often find more fall and winter-inspired pieces (think: bags with shearling, suede, or dark hues) in the clearance section of major retailers. Or when it’s mid-winter, you can find the perfect oversize raffia tote marked down significantly. While this method takes a bit more planning and research and doesn’t necessarily keep up with the fast pace of trends, it’s the ideal shopping hack for those looking to make a smart investment.
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Not only will shopping off-season help you secure a handbag for a great price but so can considering more unconventional styles. Typically major retailers rarely mark down handbags with more classic silhouettes and neutral hues—it does happen, but it’s during those massive blow-out sales that occur biannually. If you’re not trying to wait until then, another solid option is to opt for more unconventional styles (e.g., bags in seasonal colors like pastels or metallics or with unique shapes). Of course, this hack isn’t for everyone, but if you’re not afraid to choose a bit more of a fashion-forward option, and want to get a great deal it’s a hack that will serve you well.
A pivotal part of shopping for a designer bag is the fundamental understanding that it is a long-term investment. Designer handbags can accrue value over time and become a crucial part of your wardrobe for the rest of your life. So, should you not be able to find the handbag you’ve been coveting at a discounted rate, it’s worth considering using a post-purchase payment service. While I’d only recommend using this route if you’re financially responsible, there are a series of pros and cons that make this hack worth considering. One of the benefits of using a service like Klarna or Affirm is that it allows you to break up your purchase into sizable chunks that you pay back over time, making owning a designer bag on a budget easier.
By now, you’ve hopefully been able to add a few shopping tricks to your back pocket to score a deal on a designer purse. But should you still be dubious about whether you can afford such a large purchase or what style is worth investing in, I’m here to remind you that you don’t have to commit just yet. One of the best tricks I can recommend to save money on a designer bag is to try a rental service before laying down your credit card. Now, so many great companies (e.g., Rent The Runway, Vivrelle, or Bag Borrow and Steal) allow consumers to sign-up for plans that let them borrow designer bags. It’s a great way to get your hands on that it-bag you’ve been coveting and experience the item before you buy it so that you know with 100% confidence that it’s something you’d want to be a permanent part of your wardrobe. Because at the end of the day, the point of buying a designer bag is investing in an accessory you love and will actually wear. And while there are so many tricks to save money, the best way to ensure you actually do so, in the long run, is to buy less and better, starting with a great bag.
Vivrelle’s rental subscriptions range from $45-$309 per month and require at least a 3-month minimum.
Rent the Runway allows one-time rentals for special occasions or has monthly subscriptions ranging from $94 to $193.
