Top Tips for Buying a Vintage Chanel Bag

Where to Buy a Vintage Chanel Bag

If you’re an avid follower of the blog, you know my motto is always to go vintage. Whether it’s handbags, jewelry, or clothing, I’d much rather spend my hard earned cash on classic and unique than what’s popular at the moment pieces. For example, my vintage Louis Vuitton cosmetic bag that I’ve had for years is probably the most popular bag I have because no one else has it! One of the pieces I love to collect is vintage Chanel especially bags and jewelry. Over the years, I’ve learned from experience and bit of research about buying authentic vintage Chanel bags. Every time I’ve walked into a consignment shop, I’ve studied vintage Chanel bags and asked a lot of questions. Plus, I’ve done the shopping myself and have learned the questions to ask and the resources to use before I buy. You guys asked me for the best tips for buying a vintage Chanel bag. After months and months (part of it was me lagging actually sitting and writing), I’ve pulled together all the intel, info, and tips to help you shop for and buy your perfect vintage Chanel bag.

Top Tips for Buying a Vintage Chanel Bag

WHERE TO BUY VINTAGE CHANEL BAG

Fashionphile. Fashionphile is one of the OG eBay sellers that I trust that has since launched its own online shop and brick and mortar stores in Beverly Hills, San Diego and San Francisco that you can shop in person. They have a great selection of vintage and second hand Chanel bags and are one of the most trusted resale shops.

What Goes Around Comes Around. For nearly 20 years, WGACA has been the go to for rare designer vintage finds and they’re known to have those hard-to-find vintage Chanel bags. While their pricing is on the pricier side, they do have a beautiful and curated collection.

Farfetch. Farfetch is a luxury retailer that recently started selling vintage. They have a great vintage Chanel bag collection and are a reputable seller. Note that their prices are higher since they have done the hard work of finding the most unique vintage pieces to add to their inventory.

Vestiaire. Vestiaire Collective is a curated collection of thousands of new, pre-owned, and vintage luxury items. They check every item to ensure quality and authenticity before it is sent to you. (use code US4U6V for $50 off any purchase +$150)

eBay. There are thousands of sellers on eBay so you need to really get to know the top sellers that are legit and offer eBay’s authentication guarantee. I have used this service and have always received an authentic bag (cross authenticated by Leather Surgeons or Zeiko). You can also check out this list of Chanel resellers, which includes eBay sellers as well as other online retailers.

HOW TO SHOP FOR VINTAGE CHANEL BAG

Shop around. If there is the best tip for buying a vintage Chanel bag, it’s to do lots of research and shopping around before you buy. This helps you narrow down the style you want, but also gives you access to various types of bags and prices. Trust your gut and use common sense when shopping. If a certain bag is way underpriced as similar bags on other sites, then it’s likely a fake. But if the pricing is pretty consistent, then dig deeper to ensure it’s authentic as well as check the store policy.

Check the store policy.  Each shop and even each seller on eBay will have it’s own return policy, shipping rates, and other specific shopping policy. Be sure to read every store policy before you buy. I think Fashionphile offers a great return policy.

Get all the details. Find out everything you can about the vintage Chanel bag including if it comes with the dust bag and box. All resellers should provide an authenticity card or certificate of authenticity. This is one of my other tips for buying a vintage Chanel bag; find out everything about the bag that you can. If it sounds too good to be true, then maybe it is.

Ask for pictures. Every shop will include pictures, but they may not be exactly what you want, so ask for additional pictures. For example, I always want to see a handbag modeled so I will ask for images with the purse carried as a messenger, shoulder, and also carried as a clutch.

Double check measurements. Pictures can be deceiving and sometime they make a bag look larger than it actually is. In addition to asking for more pictures, ask for exact dimensions of the bag.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN SHOPPING FOR VINTAGE CHANEL BAG

Leather. Chanel leather bags are offered in lambskin and caviar leather. The lambskin is super supple, while the caviar has texture and is better at hiding scratches. It’s good to know which   As long as an item is priced correctly, don’t hesitate to purchase a bag that needs some TLC. Whether the leather needs cleaning, chain needs polishing, or lining needs to repaired, you can save money when buying a vintage Chanel bag by picking the not-so-perfect one.  One trip to the Chanel Spa or Leather Surgeons, your bag can be repaired to near perfection. I have a Chanel woven bag that

Stitching. The devil is in the details as they say, so check for straight stitching pattern. Also, all of the stitching should line up and meet where the flap folds over in front of the bag. If the handbag comes with a small pocket on the backside, then the stitching should line up here as well. If the stitching is crooked and doesn’t line up, then you are most definitely looking at a fake bag.

Authenticity Card & Serial Number. All Chanel bags should come with the authenticity card and have the hologram sticker and they should have matching numbers. Note that bags before 1980s don’t have hologram stickers, but anything produced mid-1980s onward should have both a hologram sticker and authenticity card. Fake bags will come with hologram stickers and authenticity cards! Google the serial number and run a reverse Google image search and see if the number pops up. If it does (and if it’s for an active listing), then you know it’s a fake. Serial numbers are like fingerprints, they are unique to the individual bag.

Check the Cs. On Chanel bags, the CC stitching and CC lock has a distinct pattern: the right C should overlap the left C at the top and the left C should overlap the right C at the bottom.

AUTHENTICATION OF A VINTAGE CHANEL BAG

Chanel Boutiques do not authenticate bags; I rely on Leather Surgeons or Zeko for authentication of my designer handbags. If you’re buying from an online store that doesn’t offer returns or you’re looking for an online authentication, then turn to The Purse Forum community as a back up. You can submit information, links, and images here and The Purse Forum community will review and authenticate for you. Note that not all requests are answered. TPF is also a good resource for tips for buying a vintage Chanel bag, although you’ll have to read through threads and threads of various comments to find tips.

Check out my Tips for Buying a Designer Bag for Less and How to Restore a Vintage Chanel Bag.