Designer Luxury at Affordable Deals

Lets be honest ladies and gentlemen, who doesn’t love a luxury designer name item? I want to preface my post with a little background history. I am the daughter of immigrant parents who came to the U.S. in hopes of attaining the American Dream, but before anyone starts making comments about illegal immigration, let me clarify right now, my parents came to this country with permission. They later took their citizenship tests and shortly thereafter were inducted as legal citizens of this country. With this privilege at hand my parents who, came to this country with college degrees, learned English and joined the hard working middle class of the awesome state of California. Yup! I am bias and partial to this state as it is my birth state. Three years after I came to be. I owe my parents EVERYTHING! They encouraged me to do well in school, and work my ass off! Pardon my French! I graduated salutatorian of my HS class, got a full scholarship to the University of Miami, and hell I even managed a minor in Foreign Languages and learned not one, but two. I am not bragging guys I am just explaining I have worked very hard to get where I am in life, but don’t be fooled by the pretty words because I have also seen very hard times. Like I said I came from a middle class upbringing. Luxury wasn’t something I was privy too till way after I received my first paycheck ever! The day I turned sixteen I asked my mom for a new school year wardrobe. She paused, looked at me with critical eyes, and told me to go get a job. So I did! I have been working since the ripe age of 16 and have not stopped since then.

Ok, now that you know a little bit more about me, lets get back to the topic at hand. Luxury! It’s interesting, thinking about the meaning of that word it almost even sounds discriminating doesn’t it? Luxury is a status, a moniker that denotes selectivity, only a reach for a certain type of class, but I am here to tell you that Designer products aren’t just for the super rich. Hard working middle class and lower can get that designer handbag you have been lusting for all your life, you can get those beautiful Christian Louboutins’ you have always wanted. The name of the game is to know where to look and how to look. I am here to give you all the tips and tricks on how you can buy, marked down, affordable luxury.

Ok so by now you are probably asking yourself what’s the catch? Ok there is a little catch. All of these great deals and markdowns are on “pre-loved” luxury goods. Now how would you define pre-loved? The term simply means someone went to a boutique, bought the item, perhaps used it a few times, the item just didn’t fit their life style, and then they decided to resell it. Now for those of you who have bought luxury items straight out of the boutique, you know you are only given a very slim window of time before you can return the item if you where not satisfied with it. I know for Louis Vuitton lovers its 14 days. This may not be enough time for someone to use an item and realize it’s not for them, so guess what? The rest of us get to reap the benefits of this opportunity. So where can you go to get these gently used designer luxury items? I will be breaking down the different market places and giving you a little bit more insight on what to look for and how when choosing one of these options.

Lets begin with consignment stores. These are by far the most reputable and safest ways to shop pre-loved items as they have professional authenticators who inspect every product they receive and resell it for a fraction of the price. That being said they are also a bit more expensive in the sense you don’t get the largest of discounts. On these stores you can find discounted luxury goods for a good 10-15% off. Factors that may come into play is, the wear on the item, the length of time its been for sale on the website, and who the designer is. We all know when it comes to very high end luxury Hermes and Chanel are among the most pricy! The equally great part about these stores is that if you are still not convinced you are getting an authentic product or you change your mind you can always return it. Among the most trusted ways to buy pre-loved these two websites are what I would highly recommend. Also, don’t fret if you look and you can’t find the luxury item you are looking for. If you sign up you can get email alerts when something comes in stock and jump on the deal.

Consignment Stores Online You Can Trust:

What they sell: Accessories, Handbags, Jewelry, and Shoes from Luxury brands such as Dior, Chanel, Hermes, Louis Vuitton, and Gucci

Yoogi’s Closet (https://www.yoogiscloset.com)

Fashionphile (http://www.fashionphile.com)

The second tier of pre-loved selling stores are online marketplaces, where an individual can sell his/her luxury goods directly to a seller without an intermediary like the ones stated above. The good thing about these stores is that if you receive an item that is not authentic you can get your money back without hassle. I will warn, when buying any luxury item from a personal seller it is your responsibility to do your homework on the items to verify authenticity. There are many professional authentications services you can go to that will cost you as little as $10 to get a little piece of mind. Or you can use the PurseForum, absolutely the best source of advice and tips on how to authenticate pieces! The even better news is you can get possible discounts of up to 20-30% off on these sites.

Online Consumer Sellers:

Poshmark (https://poshmark.com)

Tradesy (https://www.tradesy.com)

If you still can’t find a good deal on an item you want, then by all means EBay or FB groups will be your best bet. Warning though, be very, very careful on these sites. Though Ebay has been stepping up their game in terms of blocking non authentic goods being misrepresented on their site, my advise to you is get the item authenticated as many times as you want to gain piece of mind. Also, ask a ton of questions. If the seller is willing to accommodate your needs this is a great sign, if they are rude and unwilling to answer questions move to another listing. The great thing about these sites is they have hundreds of listing each day, so your bound to get an amazing deal on your biggest wishlist items.

Last Resort:

EBay: (http://www.ebay.com)

Facebook Groups (https://www.facebook.com/groups/412702988893131/)

https://www.facebook.com/groups/549871748486951/

Lastly, I apologize for the long-winded post and ask that if there is anything I didn’t cover or you want more of an explanation with please don’t hesitate to message me on any of my social media pages. Thank you for sticking with me and good luck with your first or next designer luxury product!

#fashionphile #poshmark #ebay #tradesy #designerluxury #looksbyli