An investment bag has many hallmarks: timeless design, craftsmanship, and the best materials. It connotes luxury when you wear it and has a cultural legacy and lore to go with it. “These are all factors that ensure a bag will look good in five or 10 years and can be passed to the next generation,” says Rachel Koffsky, Auctioneer and International Head of Handbags at Christie’s. “When bags look beautiful and desirable after years of use and wear, you can sell [them] again.”
So yes, an investment bag can make the outfit you wear running errands look incredible, but let’s put the investment back in the investment bag. Which ones hold their value over time and could be feasibly resold on the secondary market to recoup some portion of your investment—or turn a profit?
In this economy? Yes. The prices of designer bags on the primary market have increased so steadily over the past few years that collectors can expect those numbers to keep climbing. And according to a ThredUp survey from April of this year, the resale market is going to be worth $350 billion by 2027.
When it comes time to consign your bag, it can be worn, but condition is always a huge factor in resale, so there are a few general rules of thumb. Keep all the packaging, from boxes to authenticity cards. When storing the bags, stuff them with tissue or soft fabrics to retain their shape, put them in a dust bag, and make sure they’re kept upright. And now, four bags to get the most out of your money.
