A post about a shopper who made an unexpected thrift store discovery—an Yves Saint Laurent (YSL) handbag priced at just $34.99—has captivated users on Reddit.
Shared by u/TheConfusingWords on September 3 in the r/ThriftStoreHauls subreddit, the post titled "I'm literally shaking right now" features a photo of a black handbag, its zipper pulled open to reveal a YSL interior label and a price tag hanging from the side. The post has since garnered 6,900 upvotes and hundreds of comments from fellow users.
"I cannot believe this actually happened to me, especially after thrift hunting for decades," the poster commented later. "I am SHOOK...I actually went in looking for some heels or wedges and had no luck there, my luck was just elsewhere today!"
The Reddit post comes amid growing interest in second-hand shopping. According to an August 2024 report by Research and Markets, U.S. thrift store revenue was expected to grow at an annual rate of 4.5 percent over the past five years, reaching $14.2 billion—including a 1.4 percent increase in 2023.
'Timeless Staple'
Yves Saint Laurent handbags are rarely found in second-hand stores—let alone at prices under $40. According to the fashion house's website, women's bags from YSL currently start at around $1,200. The Reddit poster identified the bag as a model similar to the YSL Muse, a design from 15 to 20 years ago that originally retailed for between $2,000 and $2,500.
"You can get them for about $4-600 used!" the Redditor said, linking to a second-hand listing for a similar bag. They added: "To be fair, it was the YSL Muse around 20 years ago that taught me that I was uncultured and this is adjacent to that. I was taken in by how nice the materials and craftsmanship was, and then I went down the spiral! I wound up selling bags for a living a few years after that."
Responding to questions about authenticity, the user emphasized their expertise. "I know it's genuine because I used to sell these handbags over a decade ago. I also owned a similar bag," they wrote. "Counterfeits have come up in quality substantially, but when these were originally manufactured, the fakes could come nowhere near the quality."
They noted specific features that indicate authenticity: "To best identify if it's real or not, you're going to look for quality of materials and stitching, no loose threads, stamped metal hardware, serial numbers, and the quality will persist in every inch of the bag."
Speculating on how the bag ended up on a thrift store shelf, the user wrote: "It's covered in dust—I think a mother/grandmother passed away, and family blindly donated all clothes and purses in the closet not thinking about it. That's my honest guess given its age. But I'm very happy to have it because it's a timeless staple!"
'This Is Wild'
The story has sparked a mix of shock, admiration and skepticism in the comment section.
"Wowwwww fab and in great condition! It's beautiful, congrats!!" wrote u/No_Programmer_5229. "Great find!!!! Congratulations!!!" added u/Sensitive-Airline804.
"Woohoo! Hell yeah! Awesome, once in a million score! Go buy a lottery ticket..." said u/puddncake. U/Adorable-Hurry-8105 said: "Very cool."
Others were more curious than congratulatory. "This is wild. Is there a luxury section or did you just get lucky?" asked u/mroarpreez. U/Popular_Loner_33 kept it simple saying: "Jealous!"
Still, not every user was impressed. "I don't like it lol," wrote u/jessadollxo. And some questioned the authenticity of the item. "Not to rain on OP's parade," said u/janetsnakeholemaclin, adding: "Stitching doesn't look even to me, especially on the inner zipper. I hope it's real! But luxury bags usually have very precise stitching."
A few commenters questioned the hype surrounding designer bags entirely.
"I don't get bags, they all look like the same Walmart cheapies to me regardless of the brand. Am I missing something?" wrote u/Dans77b.
U/beestw agreed: "Not to be rude, but what's the big deal about purses and bags? Why do people care so much about designer labels?"
Newsweek has contacted the original poster for comment via the Reddit messaging system.
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