Happy Monday everyone!
Most of the time, I pair my bag and accessories to finish a look. But this time, I worked backwards and styled the outfit around the bag. I absolutely love orange and leopard together, and this simple yet sleek shift dress was the perfect piece to complement my Mulberry leopard ‘Alexa’. And not to mention the perforated leather is super comfortable and very cooling, which is great to combat the warm weather.
May I introduce to you… my leopard ‘Alexa’! This little gem came out in early 2010, and at that time, I was saving up for it. I was ready to pull the trigger later that year, but unfortunately it disappeared. Unbeknownst to me, this design was a limited edition and it flew off the shelves right when it was introduced. No worries, there’s always eBay. For the rest of 2011, I searched on eBay for it. I saw three listings. Two were oversized and one had a blemish on it. I held off and waited, and in 2012 a regular size leopard ‘Alexa’ showed up! I set my alarm and counted down to the final minutes of the auction. Away from my computer, I logged in on my phone, submitted my price, and pressed confirm. Woohoo highest bidder! Ecstatic, I reviewed the auction. What?! I needed to press ‘confirm’ twice?! I kept on telling myself it was not meant to be. And finally a few weeks ago, another leopard ‘Alexa’ appeared on eBay, and this time, I remembered to press confirm two times. After three years of having this bag on my wish list, I’m so happy that she’s a part of my collection!
To be honest with you, a significant portion of my handbag collection was bought on eBay or at consignment stores. My beloved vintage Celine, Mulberry ‘Alexa’ and ‘Lily’ bags, my Chanel diamond stitch tote, Proenza Schouler rose clutch, Balenciaga ‘City’ bags, Chloe ‘Paraty’, Chanel mini cross body, and more. When budgeting and saving up for an investment piece, I personally have had a lot of success on these two avenues. It’s a great way to save money and acquire patience. If you’re considering eBay, I would love to share a few suggestions to start:
- Narrow your search to a specific item to save time. It’s quite difficult to browse on eBay, so to save time and frustration, consider searching for very specific wish list items. For example, instead of searching for “Chanel bag”, consider using keywords such as “Chanel jumbo red”. Chanel -> the brand, jumbo -> the size, and red -> the color. In addition, most collectors who sell on eBay tend to be very specific on their titles, thus your search results will most likely be from serious sellers if you search with detailed keywords.
- Don’t be shy to ask questions. Most of the time, I ask for more pictures. Within a reasonable request, I kindly ask for indoor and outdoor pictures so I can see the true color of the handbag. Some sellers have a lot of pictures (pictures that have great lighting, detailed shots, etc) and I greatly appreciate their time and effort.
- Always look at the seller’s feedback, currently listed items, and previously listed items to perform due diligence. Learning their history is a great way to gain insight into the authenticity of their auctions.
I hope these tips are helpful, and if I can help in any way, please let me know. Also, if you have experience shopping on eBay or at consignment stores, please kindly share your best practices. I, and I’m sure many readers, would love to hear and learn from them.
Thank you so much for reading and talk to you soon!
:: Outfit ::
Dress :: thanks to Vince!
Bag :: Mulberry
Shoes :: YSL (old) (similar here & here)
Accessories :: Marie Todd cuff, Meredith Hahn and Tacori rings
:: Photography ::
Thank you so much for reading!