Japan’s luxury secondhand market is legendary. Particularly, its Chanel and Hermes collections. Do you want rare, pristine, and covetable luxury items?
Japan.
Do you want unique and well-cared for items that aren’t necessarily luxury?
Japan.
My recent trip to Japan involved, among temple and shrine visits, okonomiyaki, and natural wonders, several days spent thrifting and shopping for secondhand and vintage luxury goods.
My husband struck gold and managed to find an entirely new (and needed) wardrobe within the Canadian customs allowance.
I, on the other hand, wanted one thing and one thing only: a vintage Chanel bag. Any other items I would get would be gravy.
We went to Amore (Tokyo), Brand-Off (Tokyo and Osaka), Allu (Ginza and Osaka), Qoo (Tokyo), Komehyo (Tokyo), and countless other smaller thrift shops that carried nary a Chanel or Louis Vuitton item but were also total stand-outs. Those will come in a following post.
Amore Tokyo
There are technically three Amore Tokyos, but we only went to Amore Vintage Omotesando, which is the store that solely carries vintage Chanel. It’s three floors, but when we visited the top floor was completely closed and the bottom floor was roped off and was available for shopping only upon inquiry. Which I did.
I booked an appointment on their website, but it wound up being completely unnecessary as I queued up in an empty line. The store had only around four other shoppers in it, and it’s a very large store full of vintage 24K gold-plated Chanel jewelry, bags, and various other accessories. The staff was plentiful and moderately helpful, they answered all of my questions but definitely did side-eye my vintage Celine bag (which has no Celine branding on it on the outside) and my beat-up Mary Janes that had already seen a typhoon. They didn’t seem as enthusiastic to help me as they were to another girl. She was dressed similarly, but she carried an Hermès Kelly Niloticus mini in a glossy red. That’s an expensive bag. Like, downpayment on a house kind of money. Bit of a difference.
I had scoped out two Chanel Wild Stitch Flaps in Black with 24K gold-plated hardware on their website before I came. They were identical, in the same condition (Excellent) but I figured if one sold before I got there, I could just ask for the other. They had been in stock for the months leading up to my trip, and were in stock when I boarded the plane to Japan, but were sold out the day of my appointment, 2 days later. Both of them! Talk about bad luck. Onwards.
Allu Ginza
Ginza is a suburb of Tokyo known for its luxury goods, both new and old. I stopped at the Allu there, and I went in to see a particular Chanel bag. Upon entering, however, I spotted a Celine suit (jacket, skirt set) on a mannequin. I walked up to the sales associate standing next to it and asked what size the suit was. The exchange went like this:
“Hi! What size is this suit?” I gesture at the suit.
“It’s very expensive,” she said, concerned. My sneakers and poofy hair were really underselling me.
“How much is it?” Keep in mind that I knew that this suit was still available new in-store at Celine and retailed for about $5,000 CAD. I figured this would be around half the price to 70% retail, depending on condition.
She pulled out her phone calculator and punched in 260,000 yen. At the time, the yen could be divided by ten to get the approximate Canadian dollar conversion. Basically, you can knock off the last two digits to get the approximate CAD price. So, that would put the suit at $2,600 CAD and within my estimate.
For some reason, though, when I didn’t react to the number she had entered, she then added another 0 – making the price of the suit 2,600,000 yen or $26,000 CAD. I looked at her and she looked at me and I sighed and said, “Where is your Chanel section?”
“Upstairs,” she said and I beelined for it before she could “warn” me that things were “very expensive” there, too.
Upstairs, they were much more helpful once I asked for a specific item, which had unfortunately just been transferred to a different store. Rats.
Qoo
I found two more Wild Stitch Flaps on the trip, one was at Qoo Tokyo (2 floors, the Chanel floor is at the bottom of the stairs on the outside and has a separate entrance) and the other was Komehyo.
Qoo Tokyo was also an interesting experience — same deal with the shopkeepers there. When I asked to see a Dior Lady mini behind glass, I had to stand around while they found someone who was presumably the manager, as she had the keys to the display. She was sure to give me a once-over before hesitating to unlock the cabinet. Succumbing to the pressure of my flat stare, she eventually did.
I gave the Lady Dior a once-over, but I knew what I was really after. I then discovered that the Chanel was outside and down some stairs. They hand you gloves as you enter (and not the disposable kind, but the kind you need to return upon leaving and then they are presumably laundered).
The staff were a bit friendlier at Qoo, though a lineup had formed and they had capped the store occupancy limit so it was a bit of a wait to get into the Chanel floor.
The bag I was after at Qoo was priced above the other two at Amore Tokyo but was in a similar condition. It also had a strange indent on the flap that looked like the shape had relaxed quite a bit, so I left it behind and stumbled upon the fourth and final Chanel 2003 Wild Stitch Flap Bag on this trip.
KOMEHYO
In Komehyo, they seemed to warm up to me once I mentioned that I was after something specific. This was common among most of the stores –this seemed to tell them that I :
- Was likely aware of the price and okay with paying it
- Would not waste their time trying on/asking for several item pulls
- Was less likely to rob them
The Komehyo bag was what I ended up going with, because the price was better than any of the other three while the condition was comparable — and just right for an everyday bag.
The Winner
So, I put her in her (original) dustbag and box, loaded her up in our carry-on backpack, paid the Canadian customs in Pearson, and now I take her wherever I go (unless I’m using another bag- but this one is the default).
This bag, while not necessarily a ‘looker’ upon initial impressions, grew on me over many months prior to the trip and I started to realize just how versatile the bag was.
It goes with both brown and black due to the nature of the stitching, it boasts the Chanel logo and looks ‘broken in’ upon close inspection but not ‘I am dirty and worn’. Casual, classic with a twist, and can be dressed up or down. The slightly more square shape and flatter quilting also lends it something that’s a little bit different than my Chanel classic flap in medium.
Lastly, I love how yellow the hardware is. It’s a completely different look than the classic flap, which I wear for occasions and the odd day out but has a bit more subdued gold hardware.
Sum it Up
Ultimately, Japan is still unmatched for vintage and secondhand luxury goods. The collections of luxury items are impressive and border on overwhelming, but if you’re looking for something special, this is the place. I was after a bag, but you can also find a plethora of chain belts, regular belts, gloves, tweed suit sets, and many other high-end and luxury label goods apart from Chanel. The only thing that detracted from my experience was some seemingly-judgemental sales associates. If that doesn’t bother you, I highly recommend Qoo, Amore Vintage, Komehyo, and Allu Ginza. In that order. Happy shopping!
Here is my guide for how to shop for vintage and secondhand bags.
-Megan
As a bonus, here’s a text conversation between my sister and I when I mentioned that Megan Thee Stallion shopped at the store I was at. We are both millennials.
