The luxury buyer is practically expecting it now. Another year, a new Chanel price increase. And then somehow, every single time it happens, the conversation starts again.

Responses pour out on social media. Buyers complain. Fashion forums discuss numbers. And the question persists:
Why does Chanel keep up the price hikes?

But maybe a more intriguing question is this:
That’s also why buyers keep returning, anyway?

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With a rise in prices, demand slows in general. Increasing prices drive away consumers in most sectors. Luxury generally operates by other rules — and Chanel might be one of the best examples.

Because Chanel is changing from just selling handbags. It sells access, perception, exclusivity and an object that is much harder to produce: long-term desirability.

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Over the last decade, Chanel has raised prices multiple times on some of its most iconic styles. Bags such as the Classic Flap and Boy Bag are literally absurdly pricey today compared to when the brands released them, so many years ago.

And yet demand still is remarkably strong.

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In some ways, the price increases have had the opposite effect. That is, Chanel becomes the more expensive, giving more potential buyers the ability to identify some bags as purchases before it becomes more difficult to obtain those goods at a later date.

And this change shifts buyer behavior.

Some buyers move faster.
Others start hunting for discontinued collections.
Still others enter the resale market entirely.

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For all of sudden, pre-owned Chanel no longer seems a compromise.
It feels like strategy.

The luxury buyer in our times is asking smarter questions than ever before:

“Do I want this bag?” is transformed into something like this:
“Does paying for retail make sense?”

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That question alone accounts for much of the recent rise in resale.

At TrulyBags, consumers keep finding specially-accredited Chanel pieces in excellent condition – giving them access to some legendary luxury, without the pressure of unnecessary retail markups.

Because luxury has changed.
And it also changed luxury buyers