Sharing my designer purchasing techniques today.  A bag I have been coveting was the YSL monogram medium tassel bag in red.  Although the price tag was holding me back, it was also not in stock online at any department stores.  I was tempted to buy a different version (different color/no tassel) when Neiman Marcus had a $50 off $200 promotion code a week ago.  Opting for a smaller size in the blush color, which is very versatile.  I can imagine wearing that to weddings and casual days.  I still had concerns because the small size is pretty small.  Before I was able to finalize my purchase, I saw a small black tassel version for $1458 on Gilt.com, just one in stock.  The difference in the retail store price between a small 'tassel' bag and a 'non-tassel' bag is $340.  This discounted bag on Gilt would end up cheaper than buying a non-tassel bag from Neiman Marcus, plus it includes the tassel, and tax is included!  Tax adds another $105 when buying from a department store.  After using a $25 Gilt credit I had on my account, Ebates, and 1.5% Bank of America Travel Rewards cash back, I saved about $600 compared to buying from a department store at full price.  I wasn't looking for another black bag but this color is a classic, and I feel this bag would retain value.  When buying designer bags, I like to think about the value it retains if I ever got bored of it and wanted to resell it.  Especially with designer bag price increases, you may even profit from selling your old designer bags.

It came in a bigger box, and then a smaller square box (with stickers and labels of this bag).  There was large air bubble wraps to keep things from shifting.  Upon initial inspection the bag came in an authentic YSL drawstring bag and all the warranty and instruction cards.  The tassel and long chain was also wrapped up very nicely to prevent scratches.  

Everything looked great until I got a good close look at the front of the bag.  There is 1 faint line and 1 faint scratch on it.  I think over time and after some use the mark may go away, and the scratch will become less noticeable.  I'm also lucky that it's black so it's barely noticeable in person.

Overall, I am very happy with my purchase and the savings I made.  I probably would not buy something this expensive again on Gilt.  It can be risky because you don't know what condition your item may be in.  It would be better if they showed pictures of the actual bag and all the views of it.  I think I lucked out that the problems are barely noticeable.  These are defects that I would have caused myself from normal use of the bag.  I am looking for a new wallet, so I may use this site again for that if I find something I like.

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