Back in January I blogged about designer handbags for rent and was really excited about the idea. I even signed up for a 3 month trial period with Bag Borrow or Steal but in the end I never rented or bought anything from them. Canceling my membership wasn’t very easy either and that kind of put me off but that’s a topic to blog about for a different day.
So, the other day the Wall Street Journal had an article giving readers the “Skinny on Handbag Rental Services”. With a declining economy the sale of handbags, in particular designer handbags, is anticipated to decline. Such luxury items once considered “must haves” are now becoming “nice to haves” and this opens the door for luxury bag rental companies to attract customers. For someone that wants to have a special bag for a particular occasion this still makes sense but as Suzanne Barlyn from the WSJ wrote:
The services may be ideal for glamorous one-time evening bags that we wouldn’t normally buy, such as a $990 Dior bag that we spotted online. But otherwise, it may be more cost-effective to purchase one or two designer handbags for everyday wear and own them indefinitely.
The article compared four different services and their associated fees. Check out the information below provided in the WSJ article to see if it makes sense for you to rent or to buy. In my opinion, I’d rather buy a couple of universal mid-priced designer bags that are transitional through the seasons and tap my network of friends and family to borrow higher-end one time bags that I may need for a special occasion. But that is just my view.
| HANDBAG RENTAL SERVICE | SELECTION | RENTAL FEES | COMMENT |
| Allthatbags.com | Rents a broad range of handbags, ranging from Coach to Dior. Also sells new and discounted “gently used” handbags. | Rental fee discounts apply for users who pay a monthly $4.95 membership fee. Prices are categorized among six handbag collections and range from $20 to more than $275 a month. Our weekly Dooney & Bourke rental cost $29, plus $4 for insurance. | A monthly membership would have cut our rental fee by half, but we had trouble adding it at checkout. Our handbag arrived in brand-new condition. |
| Bagborroworsteal.com | Offers a huge selection of handbags, jewelry and accessories. | Three membership levels, ranging from $9.95 for a month to $59.95 for a year, entitle users to rental discounts. Insurance and shipping fees also apply. It cost $154.95 to rent a Fendi baguette-style bag for one month, including shipping. | Our bag arrived within several days, neatly packaged in colorful tissue sealed with a gold sticker, conveying a “new” feel. We couldn’t figure out how to cancel our monthly membership online and had to call. |
| Frombagstoriches.com | The site rents and sells only handbags. It also recently launched a consignment program for customers interested in selling their designer bags. | “Club Diva,” the site’s frequent-renter program, costs $15.95 a month or $110 a year, entitling users to discounts plus a free annual rental. We skipped it, and paid $85.95, plus $9.50 shipping, for a one-month Coach rental. | A representative helpfully phoned us to confirm our address and explain return instructions. The bag was fashionable, but appeared a tad used. A representative said we were the bag’s third renter. |
| Rentmeahandbag.com | Handbags, designer clothing and shoes are available for rental. | Monthly rates, ranging from $69.99 to $299.99, entitle users to select two items from one of three collections. A pricier “Runway Collection” costs $399 per week. We paid a $59 weekly “try it” rate for a Kate Spade drawstring bag, plus insurance. | The Prada handbag we wanted was out of stock. Our Kate Spade bag arrived promptly, in nice condition, without any scratches on the gold-colored metal accents. Returning the bag with a prepaid label was easy. |
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