Top 10 Chanel Bags with the WORST Collection Value (Full Report!)
Posted by The Ban Island Team
January 26, 2023
👋Hello everyone, it’s that time of the week where you hear from me. Welcome to this week's members-only edition of Ban Island’s Collection Guide.
In the last two weeks, we’ve highlighted the Top 10 Best Chanel Bags Based on Collection Value (Miss that post? Catch up on it now).
From there, I’ve received just as many requests for the opposite of the spectrum - the Top 10 Worst Collection Value Chanel Bags. So here it is, numbers 6 to 10 of the of the bunch.
Thank you Premium members! Next week we will publish numbers 1 to 5 and you will have the exclusive scoop. 🤩 Spoiler alert: some of the bags are only worth half of the retail as soon as you buy them.
Don’t forget to join our Facebook Group, ask me questions and I’ll humbly offer actionable handbag buying and selling insight and advice.
Top 10 Chanel Bags with THE WORST Collection Value (#6-10)
Ban Island Members, you know how we do things around here, just a quick recap:
- Took 3500+ Chanel bag resale listings in new or excellent condition only
- Averaged out the of price of all sizes unless indicated (excluding the lowest and highest price outliers)
- Compared against retail price with latest price increase (Gosh it’s exhausting to keep up)
- As always, all currencies in USD
10. Chanel Medium Trendy CC Bag
Seeing double? The Chanel Small Trendy CC Bag was #10 on our Top 10 Best Collection Value Chanel List, so why is its slightly larger sister on the worst collection value list?
Comparing small vs medium, you’ll notice 2 key differences:
- The medium costs $500 USD more.
- The medium is bigger by a mere 2 inches in length
Is 2 inches more of space really worth half a grand? It seems that most people don’t think so.
Takeaway: If you like the Trendy CC - save your money and wait for the small.
Takeaway: If you like the Trendy CC - save your money and wait for the small.
9. Chanel Medium Classic Flap
Wait, what? A classic flap made this list? 😱
You’ve probably heard from people that “Chanel classic bags hold their value,” this statement is mostly true as value does go up over time. For example, someone who bought a Medium flap a few years ago would have paid $5,300 USD, and yes they made money now that it’s worth $6,364 USD.
For the purpose of this post, we are comparing collection value against current retail price so unfortunately Medium Flap is selling under current retail price.
For the purpose of this post, we are comparing collection value against current retail price so unfortunately Medium Flap is selling under current retail price.
It is also important to point out that the Medium Classic Flap features a double flap design. While having 2 flaps may preserve the structure of the bag better, many people do find double flaps harder to get into and heavier so it is less popular.
8. Chanel Boy Bag
Launched in 2011 as part of Chanel’s Fall/Winter Collection, the Chanel Boy Bag features a boxier silhouette and a wider chain-link strap to give off an edgier vibe.
Ironically, these same features happen to be what some Chanel lovers dislike about the bag.
To summarize the public’s contentions with the Boy Bag:
- The silhouette is way too boxy and stiff.
- The wider chain-link strap is too heavy making the bag uncomfortable to wear.
- The design lacks the classiness and femininity that is synonymous with the Chanel brand (in other words, this bag is a bit too edgy).
- Personally, I also find the medium boy flap really large and hard to open and close.
7. Chanel Shopping Tote
You have probably seen many variations of the Chanel Shopping Tote circulating around the preloved market, including the GST (Grand Shopping Tote) which was discontinued.
While Chanel tote bags are both stylish and practical, they lack versatility. The roomy silhouette of the Chanel Shopping Tote makes this bag a more casual-leaning style. To be fair, I haven’t seen many totes that have great collection value…
6. Chanel CC Filigree Vanity Case
The Chanel CC Filigree Vanity Case is a seasonal bag initially launched in 2016. While the bag has returned for many seasons in various sizes, its collection value is still always below retail.
Seems like most seasonal bags just don't typically hold their value unless you buy and sell them within the same “hyped-up” period of time as the small fan-base fizzles out quickly.
5. Chanel Straw Raffia Deauville Tote
The Chanel Deauville is inspired by a tiny beach town in France. Playing into the beachy vibe of this tote bag, the Chanel Deauville can be found in canvas, straw raffia or leather.
As beautiful as this tote bag may be, once again, another bag that loses over 22% off the lot.
4. Chanel Gabrielle Hobo Bag
When launched in Spring 2017, the Chanel Gabrielle was not an instant fan favourite and received many mixed reviews.
As this hobo bag targeted Chanel’s younger customer base, many Chanel fans consider the bicolor design of the Gabrielle to be more “trendy” than “classic,” and therefore won’t hold its value in the long run. We’ve also heard that its zipper design makes it difficult to take your things in and out of it.
All in all, it seems like Gabby is a meh in the collection value world.
3. Chanel Jumbo Classic Flap
Yikes! You would assume that an increase in market demand is responsible for the Jumbo Classic Flap’s price increase this past year, but it seems that the retail price is outpacing the actual value of the bag.
What ultimately throws Chanel fans off from this larger-sized classic is the bag’s proportions. As a result of sizing up this bag by extending the height, the Jumbo size appears to have a more square (or boxier) silhouette than the other, smaller sizes.
Because this bag is so large and squared off, many people consider the Jumbo size to be unflattering to wear (the bag might even be wearing you, instead).
You would think that a bigger bag = more space would be a good thing, but with the case of the Jumbo Classic Flap, many people find it too heavy to carry (especially with an awkwardly long chain strap) when full so there are ALOT of them on the preloved market, driving the cost down.
2. Chanel Reissue 2.55 226 Bag
The Chanel 2.55 is the OG crossbody bag designed by Coco Chanel herself while the Reissue 2.55 commemorates the 50th anniversary of the creation of the bag itself. Since 2010, the retail price of the Reissue 2.55 has gone from $2,850 to more than $6,200!
Arguably the plain Jane of Chanel bags, many people find the design of the Reissue 2.55 to be underwhelming. Even smaller sizes such as the 224 and 255 are selling below retail. Often compared to similar bags by Rebecca Minkoff, the Chanel Reissue 2.55 lacks the iconic CC Logo clasp - a symbol that is commonly recognized by almost everyone.
1. Chanel Bowling Bag
Released as part of Chanel’s latest 2021 collection, this Bowling Bag loses 86.6% of its retail value, pretty much within the same season. Eeeek
Similar to almost all of the other larger Chanel bags, many people find the Chanel Bowling Bag to be difficult to carry due to its large proportions, and only suitable for travel. (And we all know what happened to the travel industry this year).
Similar to almost all of the other larger Chanel bags, many people find the Chanel Bowling Bag to be difficult to carry due to its large proportions, and only suitable for travel. (And we all know what happened to the travel industry this year).
It is important to note that Chanel Bags with this silhouette have typically flopped on the preloved market, and are often priced at below retail.
For Example:
- Just Mademoiselle Bowling Bag (released in 2011, but was discontinued) is priced at under $2K (across all sizes) on the preloved market.
- Smaller, everyday Bowling Bags, such as the Small Trendy CC Bowling Bag retail for $5,600, but are still priced below retail at about $4K.
Are you surprised to see these bags make our list? Join our Facebook Group to vote on what content you want to see next!
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