Editor’s Note
This article explores the surprising resale value of well-worn luxury items, revealing that even stained or scratched designer goods can command significant prices in Japan’s secondhand market.
Based on the results of actual appraisals submitted to 9 services this time, it was found that even worn-out brand bags and wallets with old stains and dirt can fetch prices ranging from a few thousand yen to several hundred thousand yen.
A total of 15 brand items were appraised this time. Among them, 7 items had stains, dirt, scratches due to aging, or overall fading from sun exposure. However, most brand resale services did not offer 0 yen, and even relatively inexpensive brands like Coach and Kate Spade received offers.
For example, some services offered buyback prices of 2,000 to 3,000 yen for a Coach bag purchased about 10 years ago with noticeable overall dirt, or a Kate Spade bag with pen ink on the inner lining. Instead of giving up and disposing of items thinking “it’s a used brand item, so it probably won’t get a price…”, it’s worth getting an appraisal.
We introduce the “4 key points” you should definitely check when choosing a brand resale service.
What became clear from getting quotes for 15 brand items across 9 services is that the pricing method differs between resale services even for the same brand item. The recommended brand resale service changes depending on which brand’s items you want to sell.
Even the service with the highest buyback price for mid-range brand items may not offer the top price for high-end brand items. As a guideline, bags costing approximately 300,000 yen or more and wallets costing approximately 100,000 yen or more are often considered high-end brands. Use this to judge whether the brand item you want to sell is high-end or mid-range. However, please note that mid-range brands can sometimes have high prices due to limited collaborations or materials, so it’s not always possible to make a clear distinction.
Also, if you want to sell watches, gold, or jewelry, using a specialized resale service is recommended. You can expect a higher buyback price as they can appraise not only design but also asset value and material value in more detail.
For those who want to sell wallets and brand bags in the particularly high-end price range among brand items, such as Chanel, Louis Vuitton, and Prada, Brandear and KOMEHYO are recommended. High-value buybacks can be expected even for old brand items.
In this verification, when we prepared a total of 7 bags and wallets from Chanel, Louis Vuitton, and Prada for comparative quotes, Brandear offered the highest total buyback price. A Chanel shoulder bag was priced 90,000 yen higher than the market average, and two Prada wallets received the highest buyback prices among the 9 services. Those wanting to sell high-end brand items should definitely try getting an appraisal from Brandear.
However, since Brandear’s buyback prices for three Louis Vuitton items were around market average, for those wanting to sell Louis Vuitton, getting an appraisal from KOMEHYO or Ginkura is recommended. Note that Ginkura has only a few stores in Tokyo and Osaka, so if access is poor, using mail-in buyback or KOMEHYO, which has many stores, is recommended.
For those wanting to sell relatively inexpensive mid-range brand items like Coach, Kate Spade, and Furla, EcoRing is recommended.
Generally, mid-range brand items tend to have lower buyback prices because their retail prices are low. Furthermore, if there are stains, dirt, or scratches, they may not get a price at all. EcoRing offered buyback prices of 500 to 2,000 yen for items that other brand resale services priced at 0 yen or 100 yen. Therefore, those wanting to sell mid-range brand items or items with signs of use like stains and dirt should try getting an appraisal from EcoRing.
For those with many brand items to sell or who are afraid of carrying high-value brand items, use mail-in buyback or on-site buyback methods instead of in-store buyback. Although it takes more days to complete the buyback compared to in-store buyback, the appeal is that you can sell your brand items without leaving home.
On-site buyback is recommended for those who want to avoid the hassle of packing items into boxes. Staff come to your home for appraisal, so you don’t need to box the brand items yourself. Mail-in buyback is recommended for those who “feel resistant to having staff come into their home” or live in areas not covered by on-site buyback services.