My secrets to buying designer vintage: how I get the best deals, where I shop, & more
There is no better feeling than scoring a great deal on something that’s been on your wishlist for awhile. For me, it was this Gucci x Chateau Marmont bag- I love the vintage look and the size of the Jackie bag.
My first stop when looking for a designer bag? The Real Real. I search key words like “tessuto” (for nylon prada) or “Birkenstock” (to see all possible designer iterations) or “oversized sunglasses” (and then filter the designers).
With my last search (aka the Gucci bag hunt), I ended up finding the bag in new condition on Vestiaire, which I had not shopped on before. It was a lot less expensive than it was NWT (new with tags) on The Real Real (by about $800).
Quick tip on The Real Real- create a “my hearts” section, with your favorite pieces and they will email you when they get marked down! I find this so useful and a great way to keep an eye on pieces I’m 'thinking about’.
Another important topic: shipping. I know we all despise paying for shipping, but The Real Real pretty much always charges $11.95. Annoying, but they’ve kept that rate for years and it probably won’t change. My Gucci bag shipped from Europe, which cost $24.99, but was still significantly cheaper than if I had purchased the bag from TRR. I typically try to avoid international shipping because it can take a lot longer but it only took about 8 days total.
TIP: You can get small discounts (around 15%) when it’s your first time shopping on Vestiaire. Mine was WELCOMEUS50, applies to purchases over $200. Not sure what The Real Real offers but they’re constantly having sales, signing up for their e-mail list is worth it.
Another place I find vintage pieces (sometimes designer, sometimes not) is my local Salvation Army (& Goodwill). I’ve found most of these stores are taking lots of precautions to keep shoppers safe and are inundated with inventory because people have been spring cleaning. Obviously, I don’t go to these stores assuming I’ll find an amazing designer piece, BUT I have walked away with some of my favorite staples (leather jackets, white button downs, etc.).
I recently found one of my dream bags on Shopbop, in their designer vintage section. They have a small selection they update periodically- mostly classic pieces. I’ve only purchased the one piece from them (seen here), but this is a great way to go if you want to take advantage of their two day shipping (through amazon) or have a gift card.
I’m linking a few of my faves below. Happy shopping!
