A second-hand luxury designer handbag has gone on sale in a rural second-hand shop and its high price tag has left locals speechless.
The small Balenciaga hourglass bag in shiny dark green crocodile-embossed calfskin was found at St Vincent de Paul second-hand store in Tamworth, New South Wales.
Many customers balked at its $2,000 price tag, even though it sells for less than half its retail price of $4,050.
Store manager Megan Moffat said it was a fair discount for the used bag and she was prepared for backlash from customers.
Ms Moffat hoped the bag’s online notoriety would attract more customers to her store, who might then buy other things while there.
Still, the item itself is not expected to sell out anytime soon if its clientele has anything to say about it.
“I don’t think anyone who shops at Vinnies is in a position to shell out $2,000 for a handbag,” one person commented on social media.
Another thrifty shopper questioned whether the price was appropriate for a second-hand store, adding that she thought it would make St Vincent de Paul, the charity’s founder, roll over in his grave.
A luxury Balenciaga handbag is sold at a St Vincent de Paul second-hand shop in Tamworth, New South Wales, for $2,000
Many customers balked at the price even though the bag is more than 50 percent off its retail price of $4,050.
Julie Crosby, who manages the entire northwest area of Vinnies in the state, said the goal of selling anything in a thrift store is to raise money for the underprivileged.
“This is something that tends to get lost in the world of thrift stores: they’re for everyone and we’re raising funds,” she said. He told ABC.
“We can spend that money on helping the homeless and people with domestic violence issues where we are relocating families.”
Ms Crosby said the money raised from the bag sale would feed 20 people at $100 a head, equivalent to a week’s worth of shopping.
She admitted that “Tamworth may not be the right market” for the bag, but plans to list it on St Vincent’s online store if it doesn’t sell locally.
The popular designer bag comes in several colors and was worn by Real Husbands of Hollywood star J’Tasha St. Cyr at a red carpet event in Los Angeles in June.
According to Ms Crosby, the bag was donated by a man whose wife no longer needed it and she did not ask any questions about its value at the time.
The valuable item was just one of a “large number of donations” left at the store, she said.
The popular designer bag comes in several colors.
It was worn by Real Husbands of Hollywood star J’Tasha St. Cyr at a red carpet event in June.
When Ms Crosby discovered the true value of the bag she said she was “quite shocked”.
Their staff found the bag on Balenciaga’s website and immediately got to work trying to figure out whether it was real or fake.
They consulted an online authenticator checklist and after inspecting the quality of the bag’s leather, finishes, brass hardware, and stitching, Mrs. Crosby was satisfied that the item was indeed authentic.
However, this statement cannot be guaranteed 100 percent.
The bag has yet to appear on St Vincent’s NSW’s online store and it is not known if any local customers have purchased it yet.