Comments on: How Much Are You Willing To Pay For Handbags?

By: have retailers conditioned customers to expect all sales, all the time?

have retailers conditioned customers to expect all sales, all the time? — Mon, 31 May 2010 19:41:26 +0000

[...] have a sneaking suspicion that on any day of the year, retailers (particularly apparel / clothing / accessories retailers) are promoting discounted prices for whatever reason. Everywhere I go, there seems to be [...]

By: beijo handbags

beijo handbags — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 03:56:16 +0000

.., handbags are investments.. as long as it surely last a lifetime the price is not the question..

By: Toxic Money

Toxic Money — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 20:33:36 +0000

The most I ever paid for a handbag was $400 (or so). I justify spending that much money on a purse by the fact that I wear my purses to death and only buy styles that I can wear now and a few years from now. I would never spend a lot of money on a trendy bag that will be out in a few months… Also, I love Coach bags, but refuse to buy them at the Coach store because they never offer any discounts. Instead, I buy my Coach (also Michael Kors, Marc Jacobs and other designers) purses at Macy’s and other department stores when they are 25-40% off… would never pay full price for a purse. Eventually, they all go on sale!

By: TellaLuca

TellaLuca — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 20:15:23 +0000

$150 is my comfort zone — I LOVE T J Maxx and Marshalls. Target has awesome bags $50 and under every now and then too! I do have an Gucci that was a little over $700. It was a Mother’s Day, Christmas, and birthday gift. A splurge, but I absolutely love it! My 6 year old daughter is eyeing it already. She’ll get it one day…

By: chasingparadise

chasingparadise — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 20:01:21 +0000

This post is very timely to my life right now.

I have no shame in admitting that I am a sucker for Dooney & Bourke bags for their quirky, yet fashionable spin on handbags. I am a SUCKER for Coach. I have several…most of them bought as gifts for me.

I’m also a handbag whore, for what it’s worth. I have more handbags than I have pairs of work pants. True story.

Recently, I spotted a very trendy red patent leather handbag with gold hardware at a local event. The cost was $40. To some that may seem expensive, but compared to my $200-300 (and sometimes even more) daily handbags, this seemed like a bargain for a trendy bag to carry this season. One week into its use, it broke. While I was shopping. I was forced to cram it into my Victoria’s Secret shopping bag.

I was able to get all my money back from the seller, but the lesson?

I’d rather pay more for quality…any day.

By: Valerie

Valerie — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 18:02:28 +0000

Coach outlets are a great place to go for a quality bag at a good price. They may be from last season, but they have plenty of classic pieces that still look current. I have gotten $350 bags for $75 if they have a sale on top of their normally lower prices. Plus their customer service is wonderful. My mom ordered a purse for me for my birthday & it came in 1 day later than they said it would, so they sent me a $50 gift card.
When even knockoffs/cheap purses cost 50-60 & only last a few months, I’d rather spend a little more & get something that will last.

By: Mrs. Micah

Mrs. Micah — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 16:13:27 +0000

I have two purses, black and brown, which cost $15 each and were bought at Ross. One is Nine West, I don’t remember what the other is. I’m very glad they were inexpensive because, like you, I don’t want to be worrying about my bag all the time. In my case, I also don’t find purses as interesting as other things, so I only care about size, durability, pockets inside, etc. For a purse, no more than $25, I guess, though I look for them at places like Marshall’s and Ross so I can find better brands than the uber-cheap ones.

I have a nice $80ish messenger bag which I carry to work every day. I appreciate the quality and durability it’s shown, as well as its handiness. I can’t imagine paying more than $100 for a bag like it, since I could make one for less.

Sometimes I just sew them.

By: Maryam

Maryam — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 15:20:51 +0000

My comfort point is about 100 bucks…that being said, the most I have spent on a purse was 400 (including tax) for a lovely buttery fuschia leather Marc by Marc Jacobs… but I used the purse every day for 2 years…up until last week when I found a lovely suede Furla handbag marked down to $79 at Marshall’s!!! It’s currently being sold on Bluefly for 250, but the original price was 425! I will probably end up wearing this one out too

By: Sarah

Sarah — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 14:17:00 +0000

My comfort zone is right around $150 for a high quality, classic bag ($200 if it’s the holy grail of bags that will go with everything forever and ever, amen, but I have yet to find it). I have a few B. Makowksy bags, which I feel, especially when bought at a discount at TJ Maxx or Marshalls, have the best value and get the most use, which I know you’ve discussed before. I’m not interested in ever, EVER spending money on a luxury (prada) or entry-level-luxury (coach) bag… then again, I might change my mind/values if I ever become filthy rich, but I doubt it.

By: OneGirl

OneGirl — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 11:23:47 +0000

I buy Dooney & Burke. Classy but not showy (no labels, but a subtle duck-ha ha). I will spend up to $300, and I wear them out. I have a brown purse and a black purse that I interchange with my outfits. It may not be the latest fashion, but it’s good quality, and I feel good using it. I haven’t bought a cheap purse in a really, long time and have no interest in doing so. I buy quality, no matter what the price.

By: thisisbeth

thisisbeth — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 03:02:12 +0000

While a part of me would like a pretty, designer purse, I’m way too cheap to buy one! I might try the TJ Maxx/Marhshalls route for a nice one (although spending more than $25 on a purse makes me cringe! I know there’s better quality, but I’m afraid I’ll find the lemon!), but for now I have cheap Target purses–but I mostly use one I made myself. Actually, I’d like to sew a few more for myself, instead…

By: JvW

JvW — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 02:12:54 +0000

I like to switch bags a lot and use them until they are beat to death. I have a container of all my different bags and I think the most expensive one was probably $25. I buy most of my bags at Target or TJ Maxx.

Theoretically, I like the idea of an expensive bag, but I think I would worry all the time about keeping it in good condition.

By: Mari

Mari — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 01:52:56 +0000

I never really cared one way or another about handbags and accessories until I did a series of articles on Italian leather manufacturing. Now I care. I can tell the difference but definitely can’t afford to pay retail. So like Carrie – I find outstanding bargains at TJ Maxx and thrift stores. These bags last forever and can be refinished pretty inexpensively. These days I wouldn’t go more than $30 on a bag – but that goes pretty far at Goodwill lol

By: Michele

Michele — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 01:50:39 +0000

Until about 2 months ago, literally every single purse I’ve ever owned in my life came from Target and cost less than $25. I typically carry these cheap purses for a year or more and only switch out when I am well and truly bored of it. Even then, I hold on to them because I’ll no doubt get bored of the new one and go back to an old one at some point.

That said, I recently bought a Lucky Brand bag at DSW. Lucky is no Prada (or even Coach for that matter), but it’s certainly a step up from Target. The bag I got retails for $150, and DSW was selling it for $100 with an additional 50% off, so I got it for $50.

I really don’t think I could ever bring myself to spend any more than that though.

By: eemusings

eemusings — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 01:16:42 +0000

Just looking at the pix of the four bags there… the ones I like most are the very cheapest and the most expensive, lol.

All my bags have been cheapies – a few were gifts, but all have been pretty hardy actually. I just spent a record $50 on a bag, although I have NO idea what it’s made of. I agree that the higher up you go, the less goes to quality and the more goes towards paying for the brand name.

By: Paragon2Pieces

Paragon2Pieces — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 01:08:03 +0000

I agree with what you’re saying here.

Having said that, purses are a guilty pleasure of mine and I have a few too-expensive-to-mention bags in my collection. One of the other things you’re paying for is service (which, I suppose, is part of brand). I have a Coach purse that I received as a gift and just three months after purchase the edging on the bag was falling apart. I went into the store and expressed my surprise at this. After all, a nice leather bag should have a longer life under normal conditions. What I really wanted to know was whether Coach offered repair services. Instead, they insisted on replacing the bag for free. Not sure that the same could be expected at a lower end retailer.

By: Sarah

Sarah — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 01:06:37 +0000

I tend not to spend a lot of money on purses, but a big part of the reason is I’m vegetarian and don’t believe using products made of leather. When I’m not toting around a large bag with notebooks, folders, and sometimes my laptop. I’m using a smaller (but not so small bag). My two main bags are probably in the lower-mid range. The large black canvas tote is by Kenneth Cole, which I bought years ago. My smaller purse is by Nine West.

By: Carrie

Carrie — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:58:47 +0000

Oh no, my blog name is correct, I really am cheap! I just spent $24.99 on a cream-colored Nine West bag (that I’m in love with by the way, thanks TJ Maxx) and I thought that was a little high! (I’m used to buying a $20 bag on sale or something…ha ha.)

Although, I do have dreams of a Coach bag and I think one day, I might just buy an expensive purse for myself.