How to buy authentic Louis Vuitton bags at huge discounts
Since I was about 12 years old, I have been completely obsessed with Louis Vuitton. I used to buy Vogue Magazine just so I could rip the Louis Vuitton ads out and hang them on my wall. I painted the interior of my closet to resemble a multi-color Speedy. I literally wanted to be Paris Hilton because she was always dripping in multi-color Louis Vuitton items. I'm a 90's child and I love color and things that are slightly tacky....whatever, I'll admit it!
My husband bought me my first brand new Louis Vuitton bag in February of 2017. I had just given birth to my son that previous October, so my "push present" was more than deserved. We traveled 3 hours down to Boston and I finally got my hands on the Artsy bag I had been eyeing for over a decade. I was so happy I cried leaving the store-- and I have no shame.
My dog, Phoebe, modeling my Artsy
Alas, receiving my brand new, super expansive $2,000 bag only made my Louis Vuitton addiction that much more intense. I NEEDED to grow my collection. Spending thousands of dollars on dozens of bags is not in my budget so I knew buying bags second hand would be more doable. But what I found was buying bags that had imperfections and needed to be restored made my dream of growing my Louis Vuitton collection that much more achievable.
I joined the Facebook group LV restoration and dying and I was absolutely AMAZED with the creativity in this group. People were taking bags that looked like they had been run over by a bus and making them look fabulous again. I plan on blogging about how I restore my bags, but today we will try to stick with the basics: how to get Louis Vuitton at bargain prices.
1. From Peter Green at J-Ports America (Facebook)
J-Ports offers the best deals on luxury goods. Peter is my absolute favorite seller with J-Ports America. Not only is he super personable, funny, and gets really excited when people join his live-stream, but he has everything from Louis Vuitton to Chanel, Gucci, Hermes scarves, etc. Every item is guaranteed authentic. Shipping and invoicing is included in the sale prices and where Peter lives in New York, the bags arrive within a week of purchase. Did I mention Peter is super nice? The last live sale I watched he told everyone watching that he would bring a speedy to the Louis Vuitton store in NYC to have the pull-tab replaced for an extra $30 (so the charge for just the pull tab) and not charge an extra service fee. Now that's excellent customer service!
Peter sells his bags via live Facebook video. He always has a list of the items he will be selling and the first person to state "sold" followed by the price on that product, wins! I have yet to be lucky enough to win a bag from Peter, but I am always in awe on how low his prices are. A vintage speedy 30 in A grade condition sold for under $300 a few weeks ago. Since I'm super thrifty, his "broken bag" sales are my favorite. A speedy 25 that was in A+ condition and just needed the zipper head put back on went for $199. I tried to win it, but I was having internet issues and I lost. Boo! His bags are amazing and I can't recommend him enough.
2. eBay
I sometimes am a little weary of eBay since a lot of people post knockoff bags. My one tip for eBay is to try to purchase bags from sellers who are in Japan. I find most Japanese sellers are very honest and accurate with the bag descriptions. Often times, I am presently surprised when I receive my package and the bag is in WAY better condition than what the seller had described.
I purchased a vintage speedy 35 from the 1970's for just $132. It was listed as "junk" because the zipper pull had fallen off and the handles were dirty. The canvas was a little dull but no rips or tears. I easily replaced the zipper head and dyed the vachetta handles black. It is one of my favorite bags and I use it for traveling.
My second favorite purchase was a compiegne 23 that I purchased for $73. I dyed the vachetta black and turned it into a cross-body for a mere $15. I get so many compliments on it! It looks like it cost me hundreds of dollars at a Louis Vuitton store when in reality I spent under $100.
3. Mercari
I just recently started using Mercari and so far I have been able to purchase one Louis Vuitton bag at a steal. I really wanted to purchase a brand new mini pochette for my niece's first birthday, but they have been sold out in stores for months! Since they are hard to get a hold of, people are buying them when they are in stock and selling them for twice the original price on eBay.
I was able to find a slightly used mini pouchette on Mercari for $160. They are selling for over $500 on eBay. It had a slight imperfection where the D ring was inserted in the canvas, but i fixed it in less than 5 minutes and spent less than $5 to do so.
Whether you want a gently used back or one that needs a lot of TLC, it is possible to find exactly what you're looking for at a fraction of the price of a brand new bag. If you have any sites you purchase from, please email me! I'd love to hear of your experience!