Over the years i’ e had two arguments with my wife that won’t go away. Both over handbags. First one was when we were dating. We saw a very delicate limited edition from a local brand that was around $500. Cherry blossom pink (?) and gold plated parts. Most delicate but not worth the money IMO. Considering what the spend on my hobbies i was a miserable rat refusing her the purse. Shame on me.
The next one was our first trip to Paris. Had to drag her to Galleries Laffayette. She bitched all the way to the door and then fell in love with a Valentino bag that was the first thing she saw once inside, no kidding. Two steps in and the got striken by lightning.
That little shit costed €1250 and was diminute and tubular. Possibly hand tailored to fit a can of Coke and nothing else. No room for a phone.

It was the first shop we saw, i tell you. She got too upset to enjoy the rest of the visit. We bought some stuff, presents mostly.

But that shitty (useless) bag still haunts me to this day and has become a recurring argument.

Next time i promise i’ll let her have what she wants.

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Mrs. Lee wanted to go to the Galleries Lafayette too, as the LV store on the Champs Elysee had ridiculous lines. But they had the bag she wanted and they gave her the VAT refund paperwork too, so she got that back at the airport. If you're into that kind of stuff, it's usually cheaper to buy in Europe even with their high VAT, but then you get most of that back upon leaving at the airport.

^^^^^ Wife is definitely NOT into that kind of goods. That is why i stepped on it refusing her.

Also it is not advisable tor us Argies to reclaim tax refunds abroad as local government gets wind of it (maybe the use of CC?) and they come after us chickens with over 100% taxes, administrative fees and fantasy whatnots. Mum’s the word, wesuck on it hem VAT. Wife’s a CPA and kearns from her clients mistakes. And boy are they dumb.


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Oh, all this stuff is well over the personal duty free exemption for Americans, but all those luxury brands in tourist areas advertise the VAT refund and their refund locations are pretty conspicuous in the airports too. I would think it'd be easy pickens for US Customs to police this stuff more if they wanted to. I have Global Entry and have never been asked anything upon return home since I got it.

Are high priced items worth it, not really because most of the time there is something cheaper that will function as well or better. I like to watch Youtube videos on how a lot of luxury items are made. If you look at the attention to detail, design, material and HOURS! spent making them you can understand why the prices are high to begin with. Then you add the desire and rarity and brand hype to it and also lots of excess currency chasing exclusive items and you end up where we are today. Although watch prices have been declining lately.

I’ve bought a Coach bag for my partner before, and honestly, it was a pretty smooth experience compared to the frenzy surrounding brands like Hermès. I got it at a discounted price from an outlet store, and she loved it. The quality was solid, the leather felt premium, and it’s held up well over the years. It’s not cheap, of course, but it didn’t come with the whole “spend a fortune first to even get in line” situation some people described here with Hermès.

If you’re into luxury brands but looking for something a bit more accessible and less theatrical than Hermès, there’s a wide range of Coach bags out there to explore with great designs and craftsmanship. For more details and models check https://coach-bags.co.uk/

This message has been edited. Last edited by: rcpylon,

Mrs. Lee was given the opportunity to buy a Hermes bag at the Frankfurt airport last summer. When we walked in, the sales lady told us nothing was in stock, absolutely nothing. She was wearing a very well-patina'ed Rolex Pepsi GMT, which I asked her about. She said it was 1971. I asked her if she'd consider selling it to me. She said hell no. I showed her my modern Pepsi GMT I was wearing and then she said, "Please wait here for just a few minutes." She came back with a bag Mrs. Lee wanted and she was able to buy it. True story.

For many guys here, "buy once, cry once" is a way of life. For women, handbags and shoes, it's "buy 100, don't cry at all!"

quote:

“Hermès recently raised the cost of a basic Birkin 25-centimeter handbag in its U.S. stores by 10% to $11,400 before sales tax…

That’s the cheap one.
$499,500 Hermes Birkin purse, that’s right half a million dollars.

And yes, you have to establish a “relationship” with a salesperson and then maybe you’ll be invited to buy a Birkin.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: trapper189,

I am glad my wife is not materialistic, for the most part, when it comes to items like this. I bought her a nice purse/wallet combo years ago from one of the outlet stores, Coach and she appreciated it but said not to do it again.

Handbags? LMAO, no different than diamond engagement rings. 100 years ago diamonds weren’t worth a drop of piss. It’s a worthless stone only made expensive because of marketing, same as these handbags. I don’t buy anything where marketing dictates the price, and it’s a false price, an exclusivity price, etc.

I purchased a Coach leather wallet just before the turn of the century at an outlet store. It finally got to the point I needed to replace it last year - lasted ~25 years. Not bad. Replaced it with a Hanks leather wallet. We'll see how that goes....

Interesting set of responses. Fortunately, my late wife was a practical woman who appreciated quality not overpriced brands. Once I started visiting online dating sites, a woman friend shared an insight: if a woman's profile prominently featured a handbag with initials, move on--in all likelihood, she was only interested in a man's wallet and what he was willing to buy her (talk about sublime messages!).