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.

It's All In The Price

 
So you researched the value of your bag and are about to list it. Most Facebook selling pages demand that you include all charges in your listing price. To make sure your expenses are all covered, consider:

Postage
Make sure you chose an adequate service. Royal Mail's standard insurance only covers a parcel value up to £50. Anything above that value needs to be sent by "Next Day Special Delivery". This not only guarantees delivery by 1pm for the next working day but also insures your parcel up to £500. Check Royal Mail pricefinder for details

Packaging
I have stacks of boxes sat in a cupboard (actually, usually they're stacked up next to the front door, much to Mr G's annoyance) and keep various packing materials. I buy some bubble wrap and nice tissue papers every now and then and don't tend to relay that cost to my buyer but you could calculate a contribution into your total selling price.

Paypal Fees
Most selling pages and eBay stipulate payment via Paypal Goods & Services and the fees are automatically deducted from the amount the seller receives. The fees equate to 3.4% of the total amount plus £0.20. E.g. if your buyer sends you £500, you will receive £482.80. If you'd want to receive the full £500, you'd have to ask the buyer to pay £517.81 (though you may well round to a sum nearby). TIP: use this Paypal calculator!

Calculating your "all in" selling price
So, let's assume you have a bag, for which you research a maximum value of around £350 and for which you want to receive no less than £320. It's quite heavy, so you think you'll have to spend £11 on postage. You don't have a box to hand, so you buy a nice box and bubble wrap for £5.
£320 + £11 + £5 = £336
To receive £336, your buyer has to send £348.03. Bit of an odd number, so you'd probably list at the nice round figure of £350. Or maybe £349, if you want the price to look that tad more competitive.

Tips

• Bear in mind though that the seller will only pay what they believe the bag is worth, so whilst you want to calculate in your postage costs and fees, don't over-inflate your selling price - your bag simply won't sell.
• Don't be tempted to offer payment via Paypal Friends & Family - you're likely to get chucked and blocked from the relevant selling site, as it's against the rules.
• If your prospective buyer lives nearby, you could agree to meet and cut out postage and fees. In that case: insist on cash on delivery, as a G&S Paypal payment demands a postage receipt, which you obviously wouldn't have if you handed over the bag in person. 

Hopefully you found these tips useful. More about selling your bag on a Facebook group here!

My Mulberry Collection - March 2018 Update

So I filmed this a few days ago and thought I accidentally deleted the footage - and then it pops back up!

In re. to the bag "cull: I have made up my mind on some of these, so watch this space for an update.

Nothing Weepy About Willow

It's taken a looong time for me to even consider this Mulberry. I never looked at the Willow and thought "ooooh" or "wanna have". It might be because I'm not big on totes. Or because the Willow can look a bit too cutesy - especially in pastel colours or pink. I finally took the plunge with this Small Willow in a navy shrunken calf and not only do I think it looks lovely...

...it also works pretty well as a small tote!

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!

Bayswater Variety

"Just one of any style" I said. "No point in having multiple colours in the same design" I continued.

4 Bayswaters later...

Why? How?And which one is my favourite? Want to find out?

...and which one is your favourite?

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?