What a bag costs every time you carry it
Divide the price by the wears and almost any bag looks sensible. Take off what it fetches later and you get a different number. Here are both.
Balenciaga Hourglass
312 wears
- Best new price
- €3,030
- Per wear, plain
- €9.71
- True cost
- €1,901
- Per wear, true
- €6.09
True cost is the price minus what one in excellent condition is listed for today. We do not age that figure, so it flatters very long ownership.
Based on historical asking prices. Not financial advice.
Why two numbers
Cost per wear is the sum everyone does in a shop doorway, and it has one flaw: it treats a bag as gone the day you buy it. Most bags are not. Two bags at the same price can end up a long way apart once you sell them.
So the plain figure tells you how you will feel about the price. The true one tells you what the carrying actually cost.
How it is worked out
Plain: the best new price in your country, or the boutique price when no retailer has it, divided by wears. A year counts 52 weeks.
True: that price, minus the expected resale, divided by the same wears. Expected resale comes from asking prices of active preloved listings in excellent condition or better, and needs a minimum number of listings before we print it.
Balenciaga Hourglass: €3,030 over 312 wears (2 a week, 3 years) is €9.71 plain. With a true cost of €1,901, it is €6.09.
Based on historical asking prices. Not financial advice. Methodology