Former Aberdeen tax accountant Jade Maclaren has seen her own personal luxury handbag addiction lead to a business with more than £1 million turnover.
The 32-year-old has been running Addicted to Handbags for the past eight years after making the decision to quit her job at Johnston & Carmichael and concentrate full-time on her business.
She recorded turnover of £1.1 million for the last financial year – and has seen impressive increases in the value of some of her handbags.
Jade stocks Mulberry, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Chanel & YSL as her main designer brands as well as Hermes, Chloe, Burberry and Balenciaga occasionally.
It was a Hermes Kelly 28 handbag that was her most expensive ever sold – selling at £12,000.
Her stock comes from buying the pre-loved designer bags from people and then selling them on her website.
Jade either purchases the item outright from you and provides a quote for a cash sale, or offer a consignment basis for items valued at over £500 at 10-25% commission subject to item and value.
Designer label handbags
Bestsellers include the Gucci Soho Disco, Louis Vuitton Neverfull and the Chanel Classic Flap.
Both Chanel and Louis Vuitton handbags have seen “significant” increases in their values recently.
Jade said: “Two years ago I bought a holdall bag from Louis Vuitton for £1500 and now it’s over £2,000.
“The Chanel Classic Flap I bought for myself two years ago I paid £5,800. Now it retails at £7,600.
“There is definitely significant price increases.
“Mulberry is also very popular just now.”
Cost-of-living impact
The current cost-of-living crisis has impacted on sales and Jade has seen an increase in the amount of selling enquiries, but she remains positive things will improve.
Jade, who lives in the Cornhill area of Aberdeen, said: “The prior year we were just coming out of Covid so there was a lot of people spending because they weren’t doing anything else.
“Whereas life is back to a bit more of normality.
“The cost-of-living crisis has also made people reluctant to spend. People are watching their money a bit more and the last couple of months have been slower.
“Sales are still coming through but now summer is approaching I’m expecting it to be quieter.
“My customer base, because I really don’t focus on the high end of the market, is probably people who are affected by the cost of living.”
“Last couple of months has been slower. But people are still buying.”
Addicted to Handbags care standards
Jade, who splits her time between Aberdeen and London, believes continuing the first class customer service remains key to the future success of her business.
She said: “I like the flexibility of what I do and being really hands on.
“If I send a bag to a customer I know they are getting exactly what they ordered.
“People are paying a lot of money and when you expand you can sometimes lose that quality control.
“I’m not happy with that. I prefer to stay a small business with myself doing most it and having a hands on role to make sure the customer gets the same level of service and quality.”
Conversation