I know I’ve had my love/hate relationship with eBay, but this week I’m in love again! A couple of things I’d been looking for are coats, waist cinchers and leather purses. I found my coat at Macy’s so that was done. Then I did find some spandex and nylon waist cinchers on ebay. They retail for $28 and $49 respectively and I got all three for $30 with shipping. So I was on to finding a new purse.
I hate purses with short little straps. They are hard to keep on my shoulder and I inevitably end up dropping them or have them hanging precariously from my elbow while trying to juggle my two girls, a diaper bag and whatever else I might have. In my search for a purse my mom found a used Nine West bag made of microfiber and PVC. It looked less dowdy than my previous purse, but still lacked style and a long enough strap to use it as a crossbody purse. I’m learning that being a mom almost requires me to carry a larger bag on most days so I broke down and started looking for a hobo or bucket bag that would hold all my stuff. I’m hoping to be free of a diaper bag soon, but I’ll still have a need to carry wet wipes, lotion and maybe an extra pair of skivies for my little one in case there is an accident while we are out in public. Translation – I need a big honking purse.
I hate PVC bags. They rip, wear and tear way sooner than leather. My last genuine leather purse I dropped $70 on and it lasted me for 7 years before it literally was falling apart. Ten dollars per year – less than a dollar a month doesn’t sound too bad.
Typically I go for black purses. Very utilitarian and little style. This time I thought I would go for something a little more colorful. This way the bag could add some interest to my outfit even when I’m wearing neutrals.
Admittedly I had never, before last week, heard of Tignanello. All I searched for was leather crossbody purse on ebay and many choices were presented. A large number of them were Tignanello brand. Turns out there is an ebay seller who is going out of business and posting all her remaining purse inventory at .99 starting bid and no reserve. If you are smart and follow the auction and set a limit (based on your research of what an item retails for and what percentage of that you’d be willing to pay for an item on ebay with a NO RETURN policy) you can get a purse for a very reasonable price. I’ve become more frugal in recent years so it is rather hard for me to purchase anything without really mulling it over and researching all my possibilities. The Tignanello purses retail from anywhere between $80 and $200. Way more than I would be willing to spend on one purse. After watching a couple of the auctions end the purses she was selling were going for approximately $30 each plus 9.95 shipping. Not too bad. These were also the large crossbody hobo purses. The first ones to end were white and light blue. My thought was those colors are nice, but they would get dingy looking way too soon. Then I came across one that would be colorful and not show dirt too soon – peridot green. Typically, I would not like green, but I was trying to think outside the box. What Not To Wear is a frequently watched program in our house and I thought I should try to put into practice some of what I’ve learned. The second bag I had my eye on was a medium sized organizer purse in a color named Sunshine. Talk about cute.
Persistence is the key. Don’t get bummed if you are outbid especially if there are more varieties or similar styles still listed. I missed out on 7 auctions before I finally got my purses at a price that was well below retail and at or below my cutoff price. Counting in shipping I probably got a 80% discount compared to actual retail. For the price I paid I would only have gotten a plastic faux leather purse at a local retailer or some really cheaply made patch leather purse. Can’t wait to get these purses and post reviews for each.
Firstly, I’m a mom and wife. Professionally, IT consulting is my job and blogging is the outlet for my passions. I write about things that affect the everyday life of a stay-at-home parent or any parent for that matter such as parenting, relationships, discipline, the media, product reviews, giveaways, social media, food, cooking, gardening and anything else that might come my way.
