BagBible

I don’t usually spill anything on my bag as I’m always very carefull with my bags.  However, when I was sitting on an airplane’s cramped seat with a full tray of food in front of me all bets are off.  Luckily, I decided to bring a cheap purse.  Unfortunately, this cheap purse also happened to be my favorite everyday throw around purse.  So, I was kind of sad when I realized that I had dried sticky apple juice all over it.

Needless to say, I turned to Google to find out how to clean it. (What would we do without the internet?) The remedy was actually very easy. I only needed to wipe my bag with a damp towel.  That way, the stain is diluted.  After wiping the whole bag with a damp cloth, I air dried my bag.  When everything was dry I didn’t see the stain anymore. Yay!

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Here is how:

Step 1: Buy your bags at deep discounts.

I usually can get my bags at deep discounts. Especially in this economy when everything is pretty much on sale.  I don’t buy my bags right when it comes out because it won’t be on sale. To be a smart bagaholic you should be patient in shopping. Always look around and find the best price.  It’s really not that hard. All you have to do is just click, click, click.  I like to go on eBay, Bluefly and the private sales sites such as Ideeli, Gilt, Hautelook and Rue La La.  If I happened to go out, I like to check out Saks and Neiman Marcus outlets. They sometimes have very good deals.  If you are not an experienced eBayer I would suggest to be extremely careful when shopping on eBay for designer bags, such as Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Hermes, Prada, Bottega Veneta, etc. These particular brands are a common target for counterfeits. If you are new to eBay, start by buying contemporary designer bags such as Rebecca Minkoff, Bulga, Gustto or other similar designers, because those brands are not widely counterfeited yet.  If you don’t mind buying vintage designer bags, there are also some reputable sites that sells pre-owned, gently used, authentic bags such as, Yoogi’s Closet, Authentic Bags for Less, and Fashionphile.  I don’t have any experience with these sellers however, I’m sure you can go to the Purse Forum and ask for tips from those that have done business with them.

Step 2: Keep your bags in good shape.

Use you bag gently and maintain your bag well, so that it will look almost new. Read here on how to keep your bag looking nice and new. This step is very important in order to recoup most or a big part of your investment.

Step 3: Sell the bags that you haven’t worn in a year (except for classic bags).

I’m the kind of person that gets bored easily. Whenever I have some new bags I tend to use the newer bags more often compared to my old ones.  Set aside the bags that you haven’t worn in two seasons (I’m talking about fashion season which is spring/summer and fall/winter).  Try to sell it. I prefer selling my bags on eBay, because I usually can recoup most of the money I paid. Sometimes, I even make a little profit. However, if you are not familiar with selling on eBay, you can always sell it to  someone you know or to the pre-owned bags seller that I mentioned in step 1. With the money you made selling your old bags that were just sitting in your closet inside the dust bag, you can now shop for your newest obsessions.

As for classic bags, you probably don’t want to sell them yet after a year because these bags tend to appreciate in value over time.

Image from Polyvore