How to Find a Real Designer Bag at a Discount

Fashionistas covet designer bags the way fish covet water, but in a difficult economy they can be way out of reach for most people. A true fashionista would never buy a knockoff bag, as she knows they're illegal, employ sweatshop labor, are poorly made and convey all the cachet of dumpster diving. What's a poor girl to do? Fortunately there are a few ways to get your hands on a real designer handbag without breaking the bank.

The first way to find a real designer bag at a discount is to shop at a designer consignment shop. Designer consignment stores stock their shelves with real designer items that are "gently used." In some cases this means not used at all, because fashionistas with money are infamous for shopping sprees. You can find a real designer bag at a discount of as much as 80% off depending on the brand. A good consignment store only takes merchandise that they can certify is real with a money-back guarantee and that's in excellent condition.

As an alternate, you can go to upscale outlet malls and find real designer bags at a discount. There are two issues with this method: they may not actually offer lower prices, and some designer outlets sell seconds (merchandise that didn't pass quality control for their retail outlets) or lower quality merchandise especially made for the outlets. Do your homework by visiting a department store to make sure that you recognize the signs of a top quality bag.

Department store sales are another option for getting a real designer bag at a discount. It used to be that these bags were either never discounted, or only discounted at the end of the season, but the economy is hurting retail department stores so much that it's not uncommon to find designer handbags marked down as much as 40% at upscale stores like Neiman Marcus and Saks. Make friends with someone who works in that department and have them call you when the markdowns are taken.

Another option is to buy a designer line that's made expressly for a discount store. Target, H&M, Kohl's and Payless are all famous for doing this. While the bags may not be as luxurious as the ones for high-end department stores, they have style and they're usually done in limited editions so there is some cachet to snagging one. This can be a fun way to update your wardrobe with a trendy style.

The one way that's not recommended when trying to buy a real designer bag at a discount is e-Bay and other online auction sites. Fakes proliferate there, and even if the seller guarantees a bag is authentic you may have a problem. The one exception to this rule is if you are buying from a legitimate designer consignment store with a brick and mortar presence that offers you a money-back guarantee.