Fashionable Investments: 15 Handbags With Best Resale Values
While many purchase luxury handbags purely for the love of the bag and brand, others are looking for bags that appreciate in value. Some look at designer handbags as profitable investments. Others realize their taste may continue to evolve, and they expect each bag they choose today to help pay for future purchases. Let’s explore the 15 luxury handbags with the best resale value.
Understanding Resale Value in Luxury Handbags
An item’s resale value is the price you can expect to sell it for on the resale market. While most products decline in value once they have been owned by another, some luxury bags appreciate in value and have yielded impressive returns. Vital elements that distinguish the handbags with the best resale value include:
- Brand reputation for quality and demand
- Scarcity and exclusivity
- Rapidly increasing retail prices
- Timelessness of style
- Condition and care
Each point is critical in the resale value of any given bag, but there is a decidedly top-down approach. Even a badly abused special edition bag from a top design house will sell for more than a pristine bag from a lesser brand. If the brand’s reputation and popularity are less than stellar, its handbags will not hold their value well. The luxury bag brands with the best resale value are, in order:
Each has earned a reputation for exceptional quality. It is no accident that two of the three ateliers are also extraordinarily exclusive. And now, Chanel is aggressively making changes to pricing and availability as they strive to attain greater exclusivity for their bags. Chanel’s rapid and significant price increases are central to this goal.
Let’s see how these elements play out in our top 15 handbags with the best resale value.
Top 15 Designer Bags with the Best Resale Value
Many collectors look for designer bags that hold value, reselling for at least 80% of their retail price. This is an excellent gauge to use, but today, we’re just looking at luxury bags that appreciate in value.
Hermès Kelly Bag
For many years, the Birkin topped all Hermès bags in demand and resale value. However, today, the Mini Hermès Kelly bag indisputably tops any list of handbags with the best resale value.
Hermès Birkin Bag
In recent years, many Hermès Birkin bags have increased in value by 127% - 138% on the resale market. The Birkin 25 cm is the most sought-after size.
Chanel Classic Flap Bag
Chanel’s iconic Classic Flap bag consistently appreciates in value. The small Flap bag is the best investment, even more so than the mini.
Hermès Constance Bag
Considered the third in the brand’s “holy trinity,” the Hermès Constance consistently appreciates in value, generally by about 105%.
Chanel 22
The Chanel 22 was introduced in 2022, so there is not an extensive track record to evaluate. However, it has already distinguished itself as a bag that appreciates in value.
Chanel Boy Bag
Distinctly edgier than the feminine Flap bag, the Chanel Boy bag remains enormously popular on the resale market. Interestingly, the small and the large sizes outperform the medium.
Chanel Deauville Tote
The chic Chanel Deauville tote has proven that luxury shopping bags have a place among designer bags with the best resale value. It often resales at 114% of its retail price.
Goyard St. Louis Tote
The Goyard St. Louis Tote is the epitome of understated elegance. It is lightweight, chic, durable, and reversible. On average, it resales at about 112% of its retail price.
Hermès Picotin Lock
Less celebrated and certainly less expensive than the Birkin or Kelly, the Hermès Picotin Lock is nevertheless one of the handbags with the best resale value. The 16cm size can fetch 120% at resale.
Chanel Coco Handle
The Chanel Coco Handle was an instant hit when it was introduced in 2015. The small size performs best at resale, often going for 111% of retail.
Fendi Baguette
The most classic Fendi bag, the Baguette, delivers strong resale value, routinely selling at 113% of retail.
Goyard Anjou
The Goyard Tote, particularly in the mini size, is another designer bag that holds its value well.
Louis Vuitton Neverfull
Designed in response to the Goyard St. Louis, the Louis Vuitton Neverfull has a waitlist and holds its value well, reselling for about 91% of retail.
Goyard Belvédère
The chic Goyard Belvédère shoulder bag consistently maintains 82% of its value at resale.
Hermès Evelyne
The casual and breezy Hermès Evelyne rounds out our list of designer bags with the best resale value. The smallest, the TPM or Evelyne Mini, retains 80% of its value.
How to Choose a Handbag with High Resale Potential
We continue to narrow our focus to help you choose your next luxury bag. Thus far, we have discussed the vital elements that all handbags with the best resale value have in common. Then, we highlighted 15 of the best-performing models on the secondary market. Now let’s take a closer look at factors to consider as you choose a specific bag.
Once you have chosen the designer bag you are most interested in, the following characteristics affect its resale value:
- Rarity
- Materials
- Size
- Color
Let’s say you have decided to invest in an Hermès Kelly bag. Your next consideration should be to choose between the classic version or one from a limited edition with even greater value. For instance, a mini Kelly Doll or Picnic bag is far more rare — and expensive — than the classic bag. For our purposes, say you plan to choose a classic Kelly. Next, consider the materials, size, and then the color. If you intend to wear the bag before reselling it, be sure the leather or fabric, size, and color suit you, but keep in mind these factors do influence which handbags have the best resale value.
In general, the design house’s classic colors and neutral shades perform best on the resale market. For instance, for a classic Mini Hermès Kelly bag in Epsom leather, neutral colors like black, gold, and Etoupe are your best choices to maximize the resale value.
Discover Your Investment Bag at Madison Avenue Couture
Whether you’re shopping for a luxury handbag with the best resale value or one that speaks directly to you, we at Madison Avenue Couture are delighted to assist you in finding your dream bag.