Why Rebecca Minkoff Bags and Other Designer Items Plummet in Resale Value

The allure of luxury goods often comes with an expectation: they’ll retain their worth. Yet the reality tells a different story. When it comes time to part with designer purchases, many consumers discover their items have depreciated far more dramatically than anticipated. Second-hand luxury marketplaces reveal a stark pattern — certain product categories and brands lose value so quickly that selling them becomes hardly worth the effort.

The Reality of the Luxury Resale Market

Luxury items aren’t automatically sound investments. While some brands and pieces hold their cachet remarkably well, others evaporate in value almost immediately. The gap between what you paid and what the market will bear can be startling, even when your purchase sits in your closet barely worn.

Platforms like The RealReal, which specializes in authenticated pre-owned luxury goods, offer a window into this troubling trend. Countless designer items listed there sell for a fraction of their original retail price — sometimes less than 10% of what consumers initially paid. The condition matters, certainly, but it’s far from the whole story.

Designer Footwear: When Premium Brands Lose Their Shine

Shoes present a particular problem in the resale ecosystem. Even pristine designer footwear struggles to command strong secondary-market prices. The issue becomes even more pronounced once a shoe shows any visible wear — scuffing along the heel, stretching from use, or minor surface damage can tank the resale value.

Consider the case of UGG suede boots with fur trim and lace-up styling. Originally retailing for $150, these boots appear on resale sites for just $9. That’s a 94% loss on the original investment. Luxury footwear, regardless of its prestigious pedigree, simply doesn’t attract buyers in the pre-owned market once it shows signs of having been worn.

Mid-Tier Handbags Face Steep Depreciation

The handbag category reveals another uncomfortable truth: not all designer bags are created equal when it comes to resale potential. Brands positioned in the mid-luxury tier — such as Rebecca Minkoff, Kate Spade New York, and Michael Kors — certainly carry prestige and produce quality merchandise. Yet their second-hand values don’t reflect their retail prices.

Rebecca Minkoff leather shoulder bags illustrate this perfectly. A piece in “good” condition, originally priced at $300, materialized on the secondary market for $18. The depreciation is staggering. Similarly, a Kate Spade New York Saffiano leather shoulder bag with an estimated retail value of $360 also commanded just $18 in “good” condition before selling. These Rebecca Minkoff bags and comparable mid-range handbags demonstrate that even quality construction and recognizable branding offer little protection against dramatic value loss in the resale arena.

Trend-Dependent Fashion: Why Yesterday’s Designer Dress Isn’t Worth Today’s Price

Clothing becomes particularly problematic when style cycles shift. A designer dress that commanded top-dollar when purchased may become nearly worthless the moment the silhouette falls out of favor — regardless of the garment’s physical condition.

A Rachel Pally scoop-neck mini dress in excellent condition, originally $240, appeared in resale listings for $8. A Joie v-neck mini dress, also in “very good” condition and originally $230, similarly sold for $8. The common denominator: both styles had drifted from current fashion trends. No matter how well-maintained these pieces were, the market simply didn’t value them.

Accessories That Don’t Hold Their Worth

Designer hats and phone cases round out the category of luxury items with virtually no resale value. These accessories suffer from a combination of factors: they go in and out of fashion rapidly, they show wear quickly, and their functional role means replacements are inevitable.

A Eugenia Kim wool headband, originally around $115, resells for $20. A Rag & Bone fedora wool hat, once $250, now fetches $24.75. For phone cases, the depreciation becomes almost laughable. A Tumi 19 Degree Case in excellent condition, likely priced at $125 when new, appears for $7. A LoveShackFancy Floral iPhone case, also in excellent condition despite an original price near $60, sells for $7.50.

The Takeaway for Luxury Buyers

The lesson emerges clearly: not all designer purchases function as financial assets. Before investing premium dollars in luxury goods, consider whether you’re genuinely drawn to the item for personal use or whether you’re banking on recovering your investment later. In most cases, buying luxury accessories and clothing you truly love — and wearing them despite knowing resale value won’t materialize — makes far more sense than treating them as wealth preservation vehicles.

Quality and brand prestige matter far less than you might expect in determining resale value. Condition ratings, trend relevance, and market demand ultimately determine whether your designer purchase will recoup meaningful dollars or become a cautionary tale about luxury depreciation.