THERE’S no better feeling than popping inside a charity shop – and hitting the ultimate jackpot.
This is exactly what happened to one lucky shopper who recently found a high-end designer item for less than a fiver.
The lucky shopper hit the ultimate jackpot whilst visiting a charity store in Glasgow, Scotland[/caption]
Although at first she wasn’t too sure whether the bag was indeed authentic, she did further inspecting at home – and was chuffed to see the purse was the ‘real deal’[/caption]
Online, the posh designer item will set you back more than an eye-watering £1,400[/caption]
The thrifting fan, only known as @dayoutgirl, took to TikTok to show off her epic bargain – which would set her back more than an eye-watering £1,400 if purchased brand new from the real retailer.
The fashionista, who regularly shares her charity shop hauls online, recently revealed she was over the moon after finding the Alma BB Bag by Louis Vuitton.
The stylish accessory, which she nabbed for a mere £4.99, has become a firm cult favourite – however, those keen to snap it have to be ready to fork out an astronomical £1,430.
Although at first the TikToker wasn’t too sure whether the purse was indeed the ”real deal”, she did some inspecting upon arriving back home – and was chuffed to see that it was an authentic bag.
Dayoutgirl told her followers that she had ”checked the bag for serial number and markings”.
”This is the Alma Louis Vuitton bag. The second bag designer and she serial number shows 2000 France date.”
According to the experts at Lux Second Chance, Louis Vuitton does not come with any authenticity cards.
In order to tell if the bag is authentic, manufacturer places a unique stamp with a place and date code on the inside of the purse.
Nowadays the iconic designer bags are not only produced in France, but also in the US, Italy, Switzerland, Germany and Spain, and every country has its unique code.
Since 1983, the legendary fashion company has used a six-character date code stamp for its handbags.
The first two characters are letters (a code for the place) and the rest of the four-characters are numbers (the month and the year of production).
Thrifty shoppers should also pay attention to the fonts of the inside stamps, as the designer brand has been using the same font for years.
The first and easiest letter to observe is “O” in Vuitton – it must be perfectly round as a circle, not oval-shape like 0, the experts explained.
Top charity shop tips for bagging a bargain
Ross Dutton has been a manager for Crisis’s charity shops for four years and currently runs the charity’s Finsbury Park shop in London.
Choose your area – As a rule of thumb, the posher the area, the better quality the clothes that are donated.
Don’t hang around – If you see something you like, buy it, as it’ll likely be gone when you come back
Look out for cut-off labels – Some of your favourite high street stores will have deals with local charity shops to donate stock that isn’t sold during their own sales. Often part of the deal is that they need to cut the labels off the clothes.
Stay at home – While some charities have their own site, like Oxfam and Crisis. many also sell from dedicated eBay stores, such as British Heart Foundation and Scope. You won’t get the range of bargains that you would get in a physical store, but if you’re looking for something specific it may be worth checking online too.
Meanwhile, “TT” in Vuitton almost touches each other and L has a longer first vertical line than the horizontal.
Showing off her fabulous find – which is a timeless piece – the young woman said: ”This is why we all gotta be in them charity shops!
”£4.99,” the thrifting fan was still in total disbelief of the price.
”Super happy, haven’t had an amazing find like this in a while,” said the fashionista – who is now on the lookout ”for a Chanel [bag] next”.
‘You’ve been blessed by the charity shop gods’
Needless to say, the gorgeous wardrobe piece has left many green with envy, with one of the 40k viewers saying she had found her ”dream bag”.
Another chimed in: ”you’ve been blessed by the charity shop gods.”
A third wrote: ”I’ve got the same one, came in my Nan’s work because they’ve got a charity shop too !! Love it.”
”Stop it right now!!!!!! Omg,” a social media user penned.
