Secrets to Buying Luxury on a Budget

I am someone who collects handbags. It's something I really enjoy doing. I like to learn about luxury fashion houses and I tend to gravitate towards refreshing my wardrobe with handbags. I'm always searching for lux for less! I'm sharing all of my tips and tricks on finding discounts on luxury items, buying pre-loved and brand new.

Pre-Loved

Primarily, I'd like to start with talking about the pre-loved market. If you're someone who is drawn to luxury goods while also wants to spend their money wisely, buying pre-loved is always the way to go. This is a much less wasteful option. Buying from websites like TheRealReal, Fashionphile, Poshmark, Mercari, Ebay, Tradesy etc. are all great resources to find items that people are usually desperate to sell to refresh their own wardrobe. I have found handbags that I got at an extreme discount just by sending an offer that was within my price range. I'm not saying you should be sending people low ball offers, but if you don't try you will never know. I once offered someone 50% off the retail price on a brand new bag and somehow they accepted it. Granted the bag was not in perfect condition as it had a mark on it but it was still brand new.

Just beware of applications that don't authenticate. Ebay is one site that I would be extra careful. Check the reviews of the seller and make sure they are at least over 90% positive feedback. That's usually my rule of thumb as I was actually scammed on Ebay. However, as long as you're doing your research and making sure the seller is reputable and the authentication code is shown and is in fact real, you shouldn't have any issues. Almost all of the resell stores offer some sort of authentication now as selling fake luxury has become much more prevalent.

Additional Discounts

Fashionphile has a "Discounted" section that has pre-loved items discounted even more than their resell value. The best deals can be found under the "Last Call" section. TheRealReal has a running discount code which is, REAL, that you can apply to most full price items. When you sign up for email notifications with Tradesy, you will get $200 off your first order.

Retail Bargains

Next I'd like to mention that large department stores have these silent sales that people seem to never know about. I love to shop so the only reason I found out about this hack is by literally subscribing to getting spam emails from all of my favorite stores. I have noticed Bloomingdales, Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Dillard's, Saks all will discount luxury brands once or twice a year or they will offer some sort of spend X and get Y amount in a gift card. My personal favorite is Nordstrom's red tag event. Also, Nordstrom Rack will always get things in store that was returned after buying from Nordstrom online or they will get past season styles. Brands to look out for are Burberry, Christian Louboutin, Gucci, Givenchy, MCM, Michele, Jimmy Choo and Valentino. I bought my red rock-stud Valentino handbag at my local Nordstrom Rack for 50% off the retail price.

Another great retail store that you should look into is TJ Maxx has a Runway section in store and online. In store can be really hit or miss but if you download the TJ Maxx app and look through the Runway section you will find luxury brands like Bottega Venetta, Chloe, Givenchy, Gucci, Moschino, Saint Laurent, and more!

SALES GOING ON RIGHT NOW

1. Rebag: Use code FEB15 for 15% off everything.

2. Nordstrom: They have a sale going on for 30% select items including contemporary brands like Tory Burch, Marc Jacobs, Kendra Scott etc.

3. MyTheresa: Use code LNY100 for $100 off $600 or LNY200 for $200 off $1000 - U.S. Code

4. Luisiviaroma: 15% off sitewide using code CNY15

5. Neiman Marcus: They are offering a gift card between $75-$1500 based on how much you spend. Use code BESTFEB. Plus they are offerring a free pair of earrings or a bracelet with a $350 purchase, use code SPRINGNM.

I hope this helps you find what you're looking for at a much more manageable price point!

xo Alyssa