Not Real, Not Sorry

I scored this bag at the Salvation Army for $2.99.  The price tag on it looked like $9.99, but whomever wrote it, didn't do it very neatly, so it could also pass for $2.99 -- which was the price I had in mind for it.

When I took the bag to the register, I politely asked if the bag was $2.99 and the cashier thought that was what it looked like, so that's what she rang up.  If it had been $9.99, it would have been a no deal -- after all the thing is a fake.

One of the first clues for me, was the zipper.  I was pretty sure this non-descript pull wasn't fancy enough for the real deal.  When I used to take the train to work, there was a young lady who very proudly sported her Prada bag, making sure the label faced out and that it was front and center on her lap.  It had a zipper like this.  That, and the fact that we were both stuck on a train made it seem unlikely that she was carrying a thousand dollar bag.

 The inside was a dead give-away.  There is no actual label, just this plain piece of vinyl.  The zipper is also cheap and the lining doesn't have the name in it either.  Expensive bags have expensive linings.

 I have to admit that I liked the look of the bag and it was just what I was looking for to hold my make-up.  Make-up bags cost more than $2.99 -- even at a thrift.   This fits right in on my vanity.

I am able to fit everything I use regularly, including my morning serum and moisturizer.  If I need to go anywhere, I can easily pick this up, zip it and either put it in a suitcase or carry it separately.

While I would be ashamed to carry that knock-off in public, this Chaps cross-body bag is just the type of purse I want to carry.  It's a tight fit for my wallet, sunglasses, charger, sunglasses case and a flashlight, but it makes a lot of sense when I'm running around.

This one has really nice hardware.  The lining is well made too.  It was the same price as the knock-off bag, but is of a much higher quality. 

Buying bags second hand can be a gamble, I don't look for the super luxury labels as it's most likely a fake product.   It did not appear that this bag had been used at all.  I've been happily carrying it for the past week and a half, without any shame.  As for the fake, I'm against buying them new or reselling them, but for my purpose... I'm not sorry!