This study examines how the handbag has developed into a highly reputable and gratifying object in the twenty-first century. It places it at the intersection of three attributes: a sociocultural accessory, a feminine hallmark and a status marker. The study sheds light on the handbag’s latest appearance as non-fungible asset in the virtual world and the problematic volatility of its monetary value.

The pre-loved luxury market, particularly for handbags, is undergoing a period of rapid growth, driven by digital platforms and attracting younger consumers. The authors identified new motivations for purchasing pre-loved luxury handbags based on a survey of 1,002 respondents. The findings of this study highlight the significant influence of pleasure and exclusivity on consumer behavior and, provide valuable guidance for brands and online platforms to effectively engage with this market.

The authors study consumers’ valuation of status signals by estimating their willingness to pay for a luxury item with a quiet vs. a prominent logo. The study finds that consumers are willing to pay a sizeable premium of $161–$174, or 17%–18% of the retail price, for quiet handbags as compared to loud handbags. The study suggests that counter to conventional wisdom, consumers are willing to pay more for quietly marked luxury goods that allow them to signal a more targeted group of peers with similar cultural capital or social connectedness.

In 2014, Chinese luxury market accounts for 25% of whole luxury consumption in the world, becoming the largest luxury market in the world. However, the attitudes and motivations held by Chinese consumers towards luxury products consumption are under-researched, thus becoming an important academic topic, which needs exploration. The study adopts a multiple regression analysis to explore the potential causal relationships. The conclusion is that income is a statistically significant predictor and the knowledge gap has been greatly narrowed, while education and age do not have significant effects on luxury handbags buying motivations.