Between attraction and speculation: The real return on It-bags on the secondhand market

Pre-owned luxury handbags now represent a potentially profitable asset for consumers. But which models are the safest for investment?

In a recent report, vintage fashion platform Vestiaire Collective revealed the current resale prices of iconic luxury handbags and compared them to their original retail prices.

Chanel Timeless/Classic Bag: launched in 1983 for around 1,000 euros.
Current retail price: 10,300 euros.
Current pre-owned price: 2,500 euros.
Louis Vuitton Speedy 30 Bag: launched in 1930 but still sold for around 270 euros in 1985.
Current retail price: 1,650 euros
Current pre-owned price: around 445 euros
Gucci Jackie Bag, launched in the 1960s for around 220 euros.
Current retail price: 3,500 euros
Current pre-owned price: 814 euros
Dior Saddle Bag: launched in the early 2000s for around 1,200 euros.
Current retail price: 3,900 euros.
Current pre-owned price: upwards of 1,035 euros.
Fendi Baguette Bag: launched in the late 1990s for around 1,200 euros.
Current retail price: 3,000 euros
Current pre-owned price: 770 euros
Hermès Birkin 35 Bag: launched in 1984 for around 1,800 euros.
Current retail price: over 10,600 euros.
Current pre-owned price: upwards of 5,900 euros.

When a Chanel Timeless bag was worth "only" 1,000 euros in-store

While in 1983, Chanel marketed its Chanel Timeless (also called Classic) bag for around 1,000 euros, some 40 years later it is worth 2,500 euros on pre-owned platforms. These figures, like those given by Vestiaire Collective for the Louis Vuitton Speedy or the Fendi Baguette, should be put into perspective. Resale prices depend on many factors: the condition of the item; the type of leather; the type of edition (limited or not); and the resale channel.

For example, one is more likely to find the Hermès Birkin 35 bag at a lower price on a pre-owned e-commerce site than at Sotheby's auction house, where the starting price is currently around 7,800 euros (compared to 5,900 euros at Vestiaire Collective). The auction house states on its website that "most Birkins sold by Sotheby's are in a price range between 20,000 dollars and 30,000 dollars for leather models." The reason: Sotheby's is a prestigious establishment, specialising in rare bags, often in impeccable condition, which benefit from recognised expertise, significant marketing power and high notoriety accompanied by a large network of collectors. All of this justifies higher prices.

Hermès Birkin bag. Credits: Vestiaire Collective

When does buying a new luxury bag become a good investment?

Today, the purchase of a new luxury bag (apart from bags from the French house Hermès or models difficult to acquire in-store) does not often lead to a profitable investment in the short or medium term. The reason: in recent years, luxury brands have pursued an aggressive upmarket strategy, increasing their prices at a frantic pace over several decades, much faster than inflation.

As the price at which the bag was purchased in-store is already very high, if the item in question is not a particularly rare model, it is likely that it will take many years before the piece can be resold at a higher price than its initial purchase price. Then, for the bag to become a "profitable investment" in the long term, several factors come into play: the brand will have to continue to increase its prices very aggressively; the resale market will have to follow this increase; its condition will have to remain impeccable; and the quality will have to remain consistent.

The situation is different for models in short supply or not readily available in shops, such as the Hermès Kelly. In this case, the resale price on the pre-owned market can reach up to two and a half times the retail price.

Evolution of the price of a Chanel bag in-store then pre-owned. Credits: Vestiaire Collective.

What influences new price increases?

It should be noted that between 2019 and 2024, Chanel increased the price of its bags by 54 percent. The brand justifies these increases by its desire to strengthen its brand image while aiming for exclusivity comparable to that of Hermès, according to an article in the Financial Times. This strategy contributes to increasing the value of the bags on the pre-owned market but does not guarantee that the resale price will exceed the in-store purchase price as quickly as Hermès models. For this to happen, Chanel would have to further limit the production or availability of certain bags and these products would have to achieve a high degree of desirability. This is possible with the arrival of Matthieu Blazy as creative director, one of the most influential talents in contemporary fashion.

Buying pre-owned to invest

If a buyer purchases a vintage Gucci Jackie bag for around 814 euros (Vestiaire Collective's indicative price), this does not mean that they will make a capital gain on resale, but rather that they will be more likely to guarantee a low loss in value. Successful investment will depend on the evolution of the new price, the condition of the bag and its rarity (the rarer a bag becomes, the higher its price can be). Acquiring a pre-owned bag with the intention of reselling it for more than the price at which it was acquired requires an interest in market trends, brand history and their future projects. This is especially true if you want to get your hands on pieces that are currently off the radar.

With this in mind, it might be wise, for example, to look at certain Versace models. The Italian brand was acquired in April 2025 by Prada Group and should therefore benefit from new visibility and revitalisation, which could include the reissue of its iconic products, thus influencing the value of certain Versace bags on the pre-owned market.

Patience and good timing

Beyond the factors mentioned above (condition, rarity, etc.), the question of timing is central to achieving added value. While reselling an iconic, new luxury bag that is easily accessible first-hand and not from a limited edition will not, in most cases, be resold for more (than the price at which it was purchased) in the short or medium term, it might nevertheless be interesting to keep it in its dustbag or box to bequeath to a third party. As the figures above from Vestiaire Collective show, iconic models are likely to be resold for more in 30 years.

Trends also play a role in the value of luxury bags. The Dior Saddle Bag is a good example. Long forgotten after its creation in the 2000s, the piece saw its value soar in a few months thanks to the Y2K revival and celebrity campaigns. Finally, the reissue of a bag by a luxury house can also boost the value of the original model on the pre-owned market. This was the case, for example, with the Baguette model created in 1997 by the Italian fashion house Fendi.

This article was translated to English using an AI tool.

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