Cheshire Oaks Outlet April 2018

Note: Don't plan too much. Am I ever going to learn?

So I wanted to meet Esme at Cheshire Oaks.
And I also promised little M a visit at Blue Planet, which is nearby.
And then I posted some pics to our Facebook Group and said I was happy to pick up some bags.

So after a visit at Blue Planet, I was trying to juggle sorting the desired bags, getting more info for other ladies on the group, hugging Esme and wishing we'd have time to just go for a cup of coffee. I should have allowed more time. Oh and then I had to promise little M a visit to 'Build a Bear' as he was being so good.

Therefore just a few prices and thoughts...
Tempted: Gorgeous little coin purse in an unusual pleated glossy leather.
Unusual: Not as such, but NVT Antonys in small and large - not seen those in outlets for ages!
Bargain: Old style large Freya for £295. 

Oh, and some rushed pics - some prices at the bottom of the post.

(Yes, that's little M being rather bored...)

Alice
Small £555
Large £695

Antony
Regular black & oak NVT £476
Large black & oak NVT £556

New Small Bayswater
Antique pink £760
Teal £695

Small Bayswater Satchel
Oxblood NVT £716
Aqua £590

Bayswater
Oak & Black PVT £795

Bayswater Tote
Various from £605

Camden
Various from £556

Lily
Mini from £295 or buy 2 for £199 each
Medium from £695

Keyrings
Leather from £56, enamel £66

Phone cases £45
Zipped coin purses from £70

Yes, little M got his bear. Spider Bear to be exact. Money so well spent, he was laughing and smiling the entire time. Happy M, happy Mama.

How much is that Mulberry in the window?

 
One of the most common queries on our Mulberry Facebook group right behind "is this bag genuine?" is "how do I price my bag that I want to sell?" We are usually happy to help but sometimes the sheer volume of queries (alongside approving selling and chatting posts) means we can't reply until later - or not at all. So here a few good pointers:

Your bag's condition
Have a good and honest look at your bag with the eyes of a buyer. With that I mean, forget that it's your bag for a minute and imagine you just bought and received it in the post. What's the condition like? That scuff that you normally don't notice might suddenly bug you. The little pen mark would take the shine off it for you. (It goes without saying that any fluff, crumbs or marks that can be polished away, should be removed. Sounds grim but whilst you put up with your own dirt, you would probably slightly wretch at that of others!)
  
How much are other bags selling for? 
A good place to research prices are these:
Facebook selling groups - Simply pop the name of your bag in the search bar and see which other bags of the same model are currently up for sale. Tip: click on "All Posts" so view those that have already sold.
Ebay - Again, search for your bag model and then filter by "sold".
Evaluate your findings
1. Compare the condition of those bags that you researched with yours. Where does your bag sit?
2. Consider rarity - how many search results did you actually get? Lots of bags of the same model means it's buyer's market: they have lots to chose from. Only a couple or handful?

Also consider
1. Seasonality - In spring or summer you might find it harder to sell oak or darker leathers. In winter the candy/pastel colours might not be so covetable. Coming up to the sale, people might be saving their pennies to buy new for not much more than pre-loved prices. And after the sale they are spent up. 
2. Other factors that drive desirability - The market can be incredibly fickle. I've seen my fair share of crazes come and go - and that's just on the selling pages! Somebody receives a fairly rare item and suddenly everybody wants it. Wait a month or two and suddenly loads are for sale - and nobody wants them anymore. Keep your eyes on ISO (In Search Of) posts and chats.
3. How quickly do you want to sell? Want to sell quickly? Pick your price at the bottom of the range. Don't mind waiting for it to shift? You can afford to set your price slightly higher and wait until somebody comes along who is happy to pay that. 
4. Not sure you actually really want to sell? Set a price (which may well be on the higher side) at which you will be absolutely fine if your bag goes. Even if you miss it, you'll be happy to have gotten that money - probably to buy something else?!
5 . Consider if you'd be approachable for an offer. If somebody pm's you and asks whether they can make an offer, don't be offended. See what they have to say and consider it. If it's not enough decline politely.

Want to find out more about selling your Mulberry (or other designer bag) on Facebook pages? Start here!

Three Times a (Mulberry) Lily

I'm coming back to the 'little black dress' analogy: every wardrobe should have one. But obviously I'm talking bags (it is Thursday). In this case, a small handbag with a long (chain) strap. Blame the Chanel Flap for imposing this on my wardrobe but it's kind of a given, right? Only that I will not be spending Chanel kinda money. But Mulberry offers a comparably affordable option in the Lily: small enough to look dressy but big enough to hold your essentials and a long chain strap. Sorted. But there are so many different finishes - which one to go for? Have a look at my three Lilys:

Lily in Plaster Pink Wrinkle Patent with Rose Gold Hardware

Lily in Oak NVT

Lily in Printed Oak NVT

Take a closer look!

Which one's your favourite?

My Mulberry Collection November 2017

Ok, so I was rabbiting on about how I haven't been around much recently - at least on my blog. So here is a look right inside my wardrobe, at least into the section that holds my handbags. 

Well, those are just a few of them - want to see all of them? Here you go!

Autumn Mulberry at Cheshire Oaks

On this rainy Saturday I dragged Mr G and little M to Cheshire Oaks and whilst my two had fun on the playground, I had fun at Mulberry!

After hearing about the recent bargain Kites (£250 in the outlets!), I was, of course, disappointed that they had their prices lifted back up. When I asked the SA what that had been all about, she kind of rolled her eyes and shrugged. It did seem like a bit of a weird pricing exercise...

Anyway - lots of autumnal and darker colours, not a huge amount that I would have been tempted by but a few lovely items!

Tempted: Small Maple in oxblood
Lovely: SBS in slate blue
Bargain: Mini Cara in Oxblood £595 

Some prices at the bottom of of this post. Enjoy the window shopping!

Alexa 
Regular Pink Polished Buffalo £880

Bayswater
Grey £795
others from £695 

Camden 
Plain £556
Studded £595

Camera Bags £325

Cara
Mini NVT (oxblood & black) £595
Regular Quilted (black, red, blue) £595

Clifton
Large from £507

Daria
Hobo £555

Effie
Tote (oak, black) £395
Satchel (black) £

Jagger Pouch
Green £199

Kite
Small £485
Large £450

Lily
Mini - didn't check many but Oak NVT was £295, I think
Regular - dto Oxblood £595
Medium - dto Taupe £695

Maple
Small (blue, black, oxblood, dune, oak) £472
Regular (burgundy, deep embossed black, green) £696

Selwood
Small from £450
Regular from £570

Small Bayswater Satchel
Neon Blue & Steel Blue £680

Small Leather Goods & Other
Long locked purse (blue, red) £205
Small Zipped Blossom Purse £112
Small Zipped Tree Purse £155
French Purse - Oak NVT £220, Patent Navy (special purchase) £190
Bracelets £50
Leather Keyrings (tassels etc) £49
Metal Keyring (just one oval signature in silver) £53

Scarves
Rectangular signature £130
Cotton tree print £115
Mulberry script £130