Can You Buy A Chanel Handbag Online?
Big question! Can you Buy a Chanel Handbag Online? Yes! You can. However, like the best things in life, it’s not as simple as going over to the Chanel website and placing a quick order. Why?! Because the Chanel website is not shapable! That’s right! One of the biggest and most loved brands in the world STILL have not figured out e-commerce! You can view the collections online and you can even see prices (which you couldn’t a few years ago) but you can’t buy your Chanel bag on the Chanel website. So if you want to buy a Chanel handbag direct from Chanel you will have to go into one of their stores (personally, I like the Bond Street or Brompton Road stores in London, I find them really friendly in both stores, especially if you go in the week rather than at the weekend) or head to one of their department store branches like Selfridges or Harrods.
Also, in case you were wondering, the Selfridges and Harrods websites don’t sell Chanel handbags either, they only have them in-store, just like Chanel themselves. I’m guessing they have strict rules around their retailer partners.
As for Net-a-Porter, who you would assume would sell Chanel, that’s also a no-go for Chanel handbags! Also, it might be worth reading this post on buying preloved Chanel handbags. The only exceptions here are Matches, who occasionally sell pre-loved Chanel bags online. but trust me, when it comes to buying brand new Chanel online, it’s tricky! Today we are going to chat about everything you need to know about buying authentic Chanel bags online, when, where, how and of course… HOW MUCH! Let’s chat!
Where To Buy A Chanel Bag Online
OK, so before I get into where you CAN buy Chanel handbags online, I need to put something out there… avoid places like eBay (although, we will chat about their NEW authenticityguaranteeproducts in a bit!), Gumtree, Etsy and AliExpress. Whilst I’m sure there will be some people selling genuine Chanel handbags on these sites, it’s honestly not worth the risk. There are so many fakes on the market, as well as ‘super fakes’ (which are really convincing fakes which are often made to look vintage to confuse people) and because the sale is person-to-person, there is no independent authenticator to confirm it’s real and look after you and your hard earned cash. Instead you would need to buy the bag on trust, pay for an authenticator to assess the bag and then if it’s not real, you would need to try and organise a refund which might be hard, especially through Gumtree or Facebook marketplace. In short, don’t do it. It’s not worth it. The amount you would save, is not worth the amount you are risking.
As for AliExpress, there is not even the slightest chance that this will be authentic Chanel. There’s a reason they are listed as ‘CC’ handbags on here and shot from the back with no visible branding. Fake. Fakety. Fake! The only place I can recommend is eBay… but you have to be careful. Let’s chat!
Can you buy Authentic Chanel bags on eBay?!
The short answer is yes, but you have to be careful. There are two main ways to buy Chanel on eBay. First of all, they have just released an ‘Authenticity Guaranteed’ collection on eBay. This is a small selection of curated designer finds which are literally authenticated so you KNOW they are real. These items can be found HERE and they tend to be buy it now products, rather than an auction, so you are less likely to find that eBay unicorn bargain. HOWEVER, they are still good prices and occasionally they will offer discount codes and seller discounts so you can grab your dream bag slightly cheaper.
Just to talk you through how these bags work in terms of authenticating them, the sellers will send the items to eBay where they are checked and authenticated and then eBay will send onto the buyer. It’s a VERY similar model to Vestiarie Collective. Of course, if eBay can’t authenticate the bag (or whatever designer items they are offering in this section) then the item will be returned to the seller and the buyer will get a refund.
If you are hoping to get lucky on eBay with a designer bargain and you fancy doing some bidding, then you can totally find authentic items, you just have to be careful. Personally, I would recommend buying Chanel (or any other designer items) once you are already an owner of other items from the brand and you have some good knowledge on what to look out for when it comes to authentic items v fakes. Once the item arrives, I would advise you to get it authenticated by an expert FAST and if it’s not deemed to be genuine, I would contact the seller for a refund pronto. If the seller doesn’t comply, open an eBay case stating that you believe the item to be inauthentic. If you do this, eBay will insist that the seller accepts returns and you can send the item back and get a full refund. The cost of shipping will also be returned to you too, so you aren’t out of pocket. Except for the price of the authenticity – if you have to pay, But please be aware, you can’t do this after around 3 months. So be quick!
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Chanel Bags At Specialist Auction
OK! Next up, one of my fave ways to buy Chanel is at specialist auctions. I’ve bought (and sold) Chanel pieces at auction, please note, this is not eBay or any other online auction, but actual Specialist Auction houses, the kind where real expert valuers value, assess, authenticate and date each piece. Think about Antiques Roadshow and the valuers they have, that’s the kind of people running these auctions!!! I have bought and sold through Chiswick AuctionsandBonhams, both of which have been via their websites too. I generally leave absentee bids, but you can bid on the day too. There are other specialist auctions in the UK who sell Chanel bags (and Hermes, Louis Vuitton etc) including Sotheby’s, Christie’s and Fellow’s. All of which you can bid online and all of which only deal with authentic designer items.
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Chanel Bags At Vestiaire Collective
Vestiaire Collective is always worth checking out for Chanel. As I mentioned above, sellers list their items, the items sell and are shipped to VC headquarters, where they are checked that the condition matches the listing and then they are authenticated and then VC send the buyer the item. Totally authenticated. Totally safe!!
Reasons To Buy Chanel Online
I used to buy Chanel products in store, however, now that I don’t live in London, I really resent spending a fortune on a train ticket in order to spend another fortune on a Chanel bag. Especially if I am eyeing up a seasonal bag which may or may not be in stock. Plus if you go into a Chanel shop at a peak time, it can be hours before you get served. So I am always a fan of buying online.
I also love buying pre-loved Chanel because it tends to be a LOT cheaper! I have been able to buy authentic Chanel bags for £1000 preloved, when they start at £2800 in store – and that’s for the smallest bags they have! So it’s well worth thinking about buying pre-loved, just to save some money!
Finally, as pleasant as my Chanel shopping experiences have been, I know some people find designer stores intimating and I totally get that. I’ve been spoken to badly in other designer stores and it’s quite upsetting. So buying online is a lot more comfortable if you feel intimated by designer shops. It’s also easier because the prices are right there and you never need to awkwardly ask for prices.
If you do decide to shop for Chanel in store, I would always recommend trying to go at a non-peak time like a weekday morning, rather than a saturday afternoon. The sales assistants tend to be less busy then and more friendly, I would also try and speak to someone younger too, but that’s just my experience. Also, some people find the larger stores and department stores are friendlier, so the Bond Street store or Selfridges, but I have only had good experiences at Chanel, so try not to be worried about going shopping. It should be a fun experience!
FarFetch
Another great source for preloved Chanel handbags is Farfetch, they have a great selection, so many amazing and rare styles you’ve probably never seen before. However, in my experience, they do tend to be fairly high price points. I often go here to look, but not buy.
Chanel Online Retailers Who Sell AUTHENTIC Chanel
Tips for buying Chanel bags on ebay
- Look for Authenticity Guaranteed items
- If it is not guaranteed to be authentic by an independent source – Be very cautious and inspect the photos carefully
- Do research on how to spot fake Chanel bags
- When you get the bag, check the condition and markings match the photos
- Pay for authentication of the Chanel bag as soon as you receive the bag and if it’s not authentic, raise a dispute to return the bag – the seller will pay your shipping fees and you will get a full refund
- If it seems too good to be true – it probably is
What department stores sell Chanel bags?
Chanel have concessions or small boutiques within department stores, the department stores which have Chanel Boutiques include:
- Selfridges
- Harrods
- Nordstrom
- Brown Thomas
- Neiman Marcus
Where To Buy Chanel Bags In The UK?
- Chanel Boutiques (store only)
- Harrods (store only)
- Selfridges (store only)
- One Kings Lane (online and instore – preloved)
- Vestiaire Collective (mail order only)
- therealreal.com (mail order only)
- Farfetch (mail order only)
- eBay (look for Authenticity Guaranteed items)
- Bonhams Auctions (bidonline & in the sale room)
- Chiswick Auctions (bidonline & in the sale room)
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How To Save Money On Chanel Bags Online!
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…And there we have it, Yes you can Buy a Chanel Handbag Online and hopefully now you have an idea where you can do it! Also, this post contains affiliate links.
