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Please explain why a handbag is worth $500?
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amother
OP


 

Post Thu, May 30 2019, 7:54 pm
Full disclosure - I have a Michael Kors handbag that I received as a hand-me-down. Come to think of it, there were two, & one wasn't my type, so I gave it to my cleaning lady. Having no idea of its value. Gosh, I coulda sold it on ebay.

I kind of understand why somebody would wear jewelry that cost a couple thousand. But what status or self esteem do you gain because your pocketbook cost more than my couch?
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simba




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, May 30 2019, 7:55 pm
One can also buy underwear that no one sees for that price.

You either care for the brand name or you don’t.


Last edited by simba on Thu, May 30 2019, 8:21 pm; edited 2 times in total
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thunderstorm




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, May 30 2019, 7:55 pm
Fox will be able to explain it. She's a pocketbook geek.
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Simple1




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, May 30 2019, 7:57 pm
$500? I always see them at Tjmaxx for $150. Still a lot more than I pay for handbags.
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soap suds




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, May 30 2019, 8:10 pm
You're not paying for the handbag. Your paying for the status symbol.
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penguin




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, May 30 2019, 8:12 pm
I think I once read that you can buy a Mercedes hood ornament & put it on your Buick. If status symbol is what you need.

So why do people need these status symbols? Is it all about low self esteem, perhaps?
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giselle




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, May 30 2019, 8:13 pm
I’ll admit it. I like designer handbags. I guess you either do or you don’t.
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amother
Aqua


 

Post Thu, May 30 2019, 8:14 pm
I have one that cost $450. I saw it and fell in love. I had never spent that much on a handbag before and I went home to contemplate the idea for a few days. Buying it wouldn’t break the bank for me and I justified it by claiming it as an early birthday + anniversary gift.

It’s not about worth, it’s just one of the prettiest mid-level designer bags I’d ever seen and I enjoy having it and using it. The monetary value doesn’t matter to me and neither does the name. It’s just beautiful and I want that near me.
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dancingqueen




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, May 30 2019, 8:17 pm
There are some materials that are legitimately more expensive, the craftsmanship and attention to detail. But yeah, there is a huge markup on designer purses, clothes etc.
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amother
Aqua


 

Post Thu, May 30 2019, 8:18 pm
penguin wrote:
I think I once read that you can buy a Mercedes hood ornament & put it on your Buick. If status symbol is what you need.

So why do people need these status symbols? Is it all about low self esteem, perhaps?

What is it that makes you think people buy expensive items for the status? Is it jealousy? I own some expensive things that people don’t know I have. I enjoy the items for their beauty, convenience or quality. They don’t earn me any kind of status.
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SuperWify




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, May 30 2019, 8:21 pm
Michaels Kors aint worth $500 honey.
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amother
Scarlet


 

Post Thu, May 30 2019, 8:26 pm
My handbag is worth over $500. I honestly don't know what brand it is and it has no logo on it. But it is so exclusive and different. The design & colors are very interesting. I keep getting comments on it's beauty. I have yet to see any other women with the same handbag. I love different things.
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southernbubby




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, May 30 2019, 10:53 pm
My niece gave me a Burberry tote handbag that got coffee spilled on the back of it and it permanently stained the suede. If I want to convince people that I am rich, than all I have to do is show them just the front of the bag. How's that for snob appeal?
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causemommysaid




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, May 30 2019, 11:04 pm
MK is pretty cheap when it comes to designer handbags. I got mine for $100 on sale.
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amother
Gray


 

Post Thu, May 30 2019, 11:16 pm
causemommysaid wrote:
MK is pretty cheap when it comes to designer handbags. I got mine for $100 on sale.


Oh. I really don’t know much about handbags but I’m trying to learn.
Is it the same thing as Kate spade?
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Fox




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, May 30 2019, 11:33 pm
thunderstorm wrote:
Fox will be able to explain it. She's a pocketbook geek.

I truly worry about what is going to be said at my levaya at 120, I"YH.

To answer your question, OP, means we have to define "worth"? What makes anything "worth" X amount or Y amount? The answer, if you've studied economics, is that value is determined by what someone else will pay for it.

So the short answer to your question is that certain handbags are "worth" $500 because there are people in the world who will pay that much.

But you weren't really asking for an economics lesson, were you? You were probably asking, "What on earth would make somebody pay $500 for a handbag -- any handbag?"

To someone who is a "handbag geek," a title I think I'll use from now on, it's a complex combination of style, craftsmanship, durability, and history.

It's not simply about a designer brand or trying to impress people. Handbag geeks are tough to impress, and many non-handbag geeks wouldn't recognize my bags as Louis Vuitton. They think all LV bags have that monogram thing going on.

So the bottom line is that I simply love a well-made handbag that reflects not only good craftsmanship but also occupies a niche in the history of fashion and/or leatherworking. An iconic handbag can dress up an otherwise dull or super-casual outfit, and it says to onlookers, "Yes, right now I may be wearing a denim skirt, DH's old athletic socks, a sweatshirt with spit-up on it, and a tichel that's drooping sideways, but I have a different side, too!"

If you check out the "how much are the clothes you're wearing" thread, you'll see that I wear a synthetic hair shaitel that cost $210. Now, I personally can't imagine spending more than $500 on a shaitel? I honestly don't believe most women look that much better in a $1800 shaitel than in a $250 shaitel. But there are objective differences, and those differences matter to the women spending more. I completely respect that.

There are also women who can't imagine spending $500 on a handbag but who go on vacation trips at least annually. I haven't been on such a trip since 1997. If you said, "Fox, you can have $500 toward a new handbag or toward a 3-day getaway," it wouldn't even be a question. That handbag would be ordered before you could blink.

So basically, handbags are to some people like shaitels and vacations are to others. Handbag geeks wouldn't dream of spending on a shaitel or vacation before a great handbag, and I've even know some extreme handbag geeks who worked extra part-time jobs to save for a Birkin or the equivalent (typically $20K+).

People do all kinds of things. We don't know why. Test on Friday.
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sequoia




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, May 30 2019, 11:42 pm
I don’t get it either... but everyone has their “thing.”

Of course the richer you are, the more you suddenly “need” that you had no idea of before. So I would urge caution.
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naturalmom5




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, May 30 2019, 11:54 pm
Supply and Demand madam

Basic economics 101
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Fox




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, May 30 2019, 11:56 pm
sequoia wrote:
Of course the richer you are, the more you suddenly “need” that you had no idea of before. So I would urge caution.

This, 100 percent!

When you have the money, it's a very slippery slope. People tell themselves that they won't spend excessively, but then they discover the "best" not only in handbags, shaitels, orvacations, but also in shoes, furniture, make-up, kitchen accessories . . . and pretty soon they're asking where to find the finest dancing bears.

My own rule is no more than 2 or 3 "things" that I splurge on, and I skip a lot of potential purchases because I realize that I don't truly love the item; it's not going to make me smile when I see it five years from now.
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amother
Cerulean


 

Post Fri, May 31 2019, 12:08 am
Tbh I think it's not tznius to invest so much money in something like a handbag. Even if you do have the money to spend. It's excessive and disproportionate.
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