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Many woman love the thought of having a specific brand name handbag, such as Gucci, Coach, Burberry, Calvin Klein, Prada, etc. Unfortunately these handbags can be very expensive and in most situations, completely out of your price range. Renting the perfect handbag just may be the solution for you.

As I was searching the internet for a specific handbag, I came across a few sites that left me almost speechless and amazed. It seems this concept has been around for a few years now, however this is the first time I have stumbled across it. I found two websites that offer an unique alternative to buying expensive and pricey handbags and purses. They offer a huge selection of high fashion, designer name handbags to public for rent. These name brands include Gucci, Chanel, Coach, Marc Jacobs, Valentino, Prada, Burberry and Moschino, just to name a few. I also found a section of the website that offers the barley used, well condition bags for sale at low prices when compared to buying the bag new.

The first site I came across was Bag Borrow or Steal. This is a wonderful and easy website to navigate through. They have a huge selection of everyday bags, purses, clutches, totes, and evening bags. Not only do they offer designer handbags, they also offer a selection of designer jewelry that is available to rent.

The system of renting handbags from Bag Borrow or Steal seems easy. You can either choose to rent the items as member for a low membership fee or as a guest (non member) with no monthly fees. However, being a member saves you quite a bit of cash if you are planning to be an avid customer. As a member you will also be able to take advantage of shopping in their outlet section to purchase a handbag at extremely discounted pricing. If you choose to become a member, there are three membership options for you to choose from. The first option is a monthly membership, meaning you pay for one month at $9.95. The second option is a three months for $19.95. The third option is a yearly membership of $59.95. Obviously if your a serious fashion accessory lover you will take advantage of the yearly membership. If you happen to rent a particular accessory that you cannot seem to part with, they have an option for you to buy it for a barely used priced.

Aside from the membership fee there is a monthly rental fee for the particular item you would like to rent. Prices for rental fees vary depending upon the particular bag or piece of jewelry you wish to rent. There are five main rental categories to choose from:

Trendsetter:

These accessories are considered fresh, trend-forward accessories from designers such as Dooney & Bourke and Lori Bonn. They range in price from $15.00 to the low $100’s a month.

Diva:

These pieces are considered luxurious, dream bags and jewelry from designers such as Louis Vuitton and Charriol. They range in price from $20.00 to $500.00 a month.

Couture:

These items are considered runway worthy handbags and jewelry from top designers such as Gucci and Rosiblu. They range in price from $20.00 to over $750.00 a month.

Princess:

These are considered confidently versatile accessories from designers such as Betsey Johnson and Pianegonda, ranging from $15.00 to $300.00 a month.

Vintage:

These rentals are sought-after classics, in very limited availability. The prices for these rare classical pieces seem to vary anywhere from $120.00 all the way in the thousands of dollars.

After becoming a member, choose the item you want to rent and pay your rental fee for that particular item. You are able to rent the item for as long as you like, no late fees apply. When you decide its time to try something new, select your next rental, print out a return label for you’re existing rental, return it and you quickly receive your next rental. Your rental fees stop the minute the label is scanned by UPS on your return package. There is $9.95 round trip shipping fee charged to your account each time you borrow a new item. They do offer insurance on the rental of the bags. This will help to insure that if a bag becomes damaged beyond normal wear and tear that it will be covered. The prices of the insurance also depends on the particular item you are renting

The second site I discovered was From Bags To Riches. This site also offers a great selection of the designer handbags. When renting a handbag from this site you can choose to become a member of “Club Diva” for $15.95 a month. If you choose to become a member there are special perks and privileges that you can take advantage of such as, 10% off all rentals, one free handbag rental per year, bonus buy points that work similar to cash back rewards, 15% off all handbag purchases and many other great deals. You do not pay any shipping fees or insurance fees. All bags automatically come with $100.00 damage coverage.

From Bags To Riches also have categories for you to choose from. The rental system seems very similar to the Bag Borrow or Steal site. Although the actual rental price for the handbags are less pricey from the Bags To Riches site, the “Club Diva” fees are considerably more if you plan on being a member and renting often throughout the year. However, when you factor in the free insurance coverage and no shipping the two site almost seem to even out when it comes to pricing and affordability. The disadvantage to this site is that they only seem to deal with handbags, unlike Bag Borrow or Steal who also offers jewelry for rent.

I am sure there are more options out there in the land of accessory renting. These were just first two that happen to catch my eye. Whichever site you choose to use when venturing into the world of renting accessories you can be sure that not only are you getting a good price, but you are also getting a heads on the fashion world.