wish and wear: Behind the Scenes at NaughtiPidgins Nest

I'm just going assume that if you know me and you like bags, you will know Shian of NaughtiPidgins Nest. After all, my bag reviews have been around for only one year and Shian's Nest is now celebrating its 11th anniversary! Being one of our trusted sellers, she's somewhat of an icon in the world of preloved designer bags and admired (as well as envied!) by many of us.

I've been planning to do a bit of a profile for ages and the anniversary has given me the perfect opportunity to coax Shian into answering some questions. Not knowing when to shut up, we ended up with so much material you can look forward to a whole series on Shian and the Nest!

Hi Shian, firstly happy birthday to the Nest! Thanks for taking the time to give us an insight into what many of us bag-lovers would consider the ultimate Aladdin's cave! How did it all start? Why handbags?

“It started from the need to downsize my own collection when we moved from London to Lancashire in 2005. I started selling my own bags on eBay and both Buyers and Sellers seemed to like the way I took lots and lots of photos and described things very honestly. It wasn’t long before people were contacting me to ask if I could sell their bags for them and it really went from there. In May 2011 I decided eBay had served its time for the ‘Nest’ and set up my own website which has been incredible fun and I’m loving every minute of it.”

When or how did you fall in love with designer handbags?

“Though I dabbled with a few Bally’s in my late teens, my first ‘wow’ moment was the first time I walked into Chanel Rue Saint-Honoré. I left with my first Chanel 2.55 and the rest is history.”

How many bags do you have now and what's your favourite?

“My collection is rather sadly depleted from its peak, but it is true… I really don’t need two different bags a day, every day of the week, each month of the year, anymore! (At least that’s what I try to keep telling myself when my collection creeps up in size. An occupational hazard of the job, so I’m not too hard on myself.) I now tend to keep a core of classics that I rarely stray from, and a varied collection of Mulberry (mainly older styles as it seems to take me a while to ‘warm up’ to newer ones.) As long as they all still fit in my designated ‘personal-bag-space’ then I know I’m still in control! My current favourite is a rather battered Mulberry Euston in chocolate Darwin. I love an easy to wear boston bag.”

Where did the name Naughtipidgin's Nest come from?

"It was my eBay ID, and as word spread, it stayed with me. How it actually came about in the first instance is a bit of a mystery really… not the easiest name to say or spell, so, had I known I’d eventually have a business, I’d of chosen something a bit more relevant! I changed the website url and name to NPN Bags a couple of years ago now as felt it was just easier for people to remember (and type!)”

What do you love most about running the Nest?

"I do love the fact it’s just ‘me’. When I worked in teams I was never great at delegation and knowing that everything is down to me gives me great sense of pride and also responsibility. I’m not afraid to say I’m a bit of a control freak so when the buck stops with me, I know exactly where it is!

The business model has changed throughout the years though as when I started the company I was buying items for resale and though the financial outlay was sometimes a little scary, the mechanics of the business were more straightforward. No ‘third parties’, just a buyer and me so the decision making process for things like prices, promotions and discounts didn’t require any consultation. As such, I was able to turnover a much higher level of items, (a record week on ebay once saw over 120 sales!) which was great, up to the point where the UK VAT rules began to loom and I realised that if I didn’t want to have to charge people VAT, that I’d need to do it differently!

Now, how much would you love to be let loose in that store room?!

The launching of the website in May 2011 saw a new era and opportunity as the Nest began offering a Consignment Service, whereby instead of buying Sellers bags for resale, I simply sold them for them for a small commission. This had three great advantages. My financial risk was lessened, the Sellers financial return was greatly increased and my business turnover was limited to the profit of the sale, not the entire sale amount.

It’s a fantastic business model and though it is a lot of hard work… there are over 300 Sellers to look after at any one point…..it really is a labour of love. I can’t imagine doing anything else now."

Thanks Shian, I really enjoyed that! But just like that time when I did the interview with Aqila, I couldn't shut up - so you can look forward to more from Shian: some tips and tricks, a couple of funny anecdotes and more pictures!

Before I finish for tonight though hop over to the Nest's Birthday Event page for your chance to win £250 in Nest vouchers or a gorgeous Gucci Jackie!