I Bought A Vintage Chanel Bag on eBay for $275

Let's talk about it.

You’ve heard me talk about my best friend Ruby before. After nine years thick as thieves, it feels like we know each other better than we know ourselves—including the other’s eBay watch lists. Ever since my wedding, when I bought my first vintage Chanel piece (slingback rosette kitten heels for $273 on The RealReal), I’ve been slowly collecting affordable Chanel pieces in black and white.

First of all, it’s Chanel. Hard to beat the timelessness of the brand, but also, the resale value is higher than say, Jacquemus. The plan to collect dozens of Chanel pieces over my lifetime and then dole them out to adoring goddaughters and gay sons down the line, but for now, it’s all for me. Besides the heels I have a little white skirt, ballet flats, a wallet, and now, a crossbody bag.

The bag in question

Back to Rubes. She sent me an email on a quiet November night with the subject line “cheap chanel” and simply a link in the body of said message. We’ve been doing this for years, so I didn’t think much of it, until I realized the bag she sent was under $300. My mom (hi!) had just sent me some money to spend on a holiday gift and it all felt too good to be true. Plus, the seller was based in Iowa. I clicked Buy Now with reckless abandon.

The “receipts”

I ordered the bag knowing it was in “fair” condition. This could mean anything on eBay, so I kept my expectations low. The exterior was just fine, a sturdy jersey and gold clasp, but the interior needed some work. That’s where Tony at Modern Leather Goods came in.

She was rough around the edges but lovable

We had a quick phone call. Christian dropped the bag off valiantly. And a week later, a near-perfect Chanel bag was back in my possession.

Tony did that! Call him at (212) 279-3263 and tell him I sent you

Rubes and I have long joked that even if we had all the money in the world, we’d rather shop this way. There’s something exciting about never knowing what your saved search might hold or what someone is selling for $30 at an estate sale. And for me, the best part is experiencing it all with her. She’s going to hate how sappy I’m making this story about us being Midwestern deal hunters ❤️

Since I’m generous and haven’t paywalled this issue, here are some “cheap chanels” in the words of Ruby you can shop on your own.

Not a bag. Sue me! But these 40.5 ballet flats are immaculate for $350.

If I went into an office, I would carry this and intimidate everyone for $450.

This is a better MZ Wallace and it’s $450, too!

A Chanel tweed moment for $405!

I love how strange this Chanel bag is. Almost bug-like? But in a cool way. It’s $312.

Tiny cute bag for your phone and cash on a night out. This one’s $400.

Honorable Mentions

I’m hosting my second-ever EV Salon tonight. Follow along here :)

I’ve been wearing this bracelet every day.

I’m still waiting for this to arrive for my bday, but you guys seem excited about it, too.

Money With Katie is my fav podcast and this ep was good.

Try listening to birdsong while you work. My friend Grace Clarke recommended it and it’s sort of changing my life.

Thank you for reading Long Live. It means so much to me. You can shop my favs here, follow along on Instagram + Tiktok, shop my Notion template, and as always, respond to this dispatch for my direct line x