My Name Is Tine And I’m A Paper Bag Hoarder

Designer Paper Bags

Is it weird to admit that I’m a bit of a shopping paper bag hoarder? Okay, maybe “a bit” is an understatement; I am a major paper bag hoarder. I have a collection hidden behind my trolleys of drawers in my home office. I never need to actually buy pretty paper bags when giving gifts to anyone; all I have to do is use one of the paper bags I’ve saved. My last count of paper bags was about 50.

Ahem. 😛

I can’t recall when it was that I started hoarding paper bags. I do have to credit my mum for the paper bag obsession though. She’s been collecting pretty paper bags for years and now I find myself doing the same. I don’t keep every single paper bag, of course, for where would I find the space for them? I tend keep the designer ones and also the ones that come in good quality cardstock.

Paper Bags

Here’s an interesting tidbit I learned when I was working in Japan many years ago: there are shops that actually sell designer paper bags. These shops would sell paper bags from Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Hermes, Coach, Prada, Ferragamo and many more. Paper bags are popular among students to carry their school supplies in. As they’re often too young to afford the actual designer bag itself, they’ll settle for designer paper bags instead. It was interesting to see them carrying the paper bag on the crook of their arm proudly as they would an actual bag.

Would you believe me if I told you that you can actually buy designer paper bags from eBay? Head on over to eBay right now and search for “Louis Vuitton paper bag” or “[insert designer brand] paper bag” and you’ll find quite a lot of them sold on eBay. The more “high end” the brand, the more expensive the paper bag will be. Paper bags from Hermes are usually the most expensive. At the time of writing, there’s a listing on eBay for 20 designer paper bags and the lot was going for over $200!

Hmm maybe I should try listing my paper bags on eBay eh, instead of chucking them into the recycling bin when I bored with keeping them? 😛

What about you? Do you collect paper bags too?

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12 comments… add one
  1. Asha

    Holy cow! Really? People sell paper bags for $200?!! Gotta love capitalism! There’s a market for everything! 🙂

    1. Tine

      Shit you not, go search on eBay! I thought it was bloody hilarious. It’s an assortment of paper bags – the designer stuff and also paper bags from Selfridges. I thought, huh, who would want to buy a departmental store paper bag? Would you want a MYER paper bag? LOL!

  2. xin

    sometimes, when you receive your shopping in paper bags, you can’t just chuck them immediately, or it feels like a waste to chuck. and there is always like ‘one day i might use it’. LOL. so yessss we had like bags of paperbags in our household. >< not knowing what to do with them, eventually we packed them, left it next to the bin, and it was gone the next day 😀

    1. Tine

      If it’s crappy paper bags, out it goes. It’s a bigger waste to keep. 😛 Which is why sometimes I accidentally on purpose make a dent or hole in a paper bag I’m carrying, and I’d be like “oh, can’t use it anymore, recycle!” 😛

  3. Kathryn

    I’m so happy to know I’m not the only one! I love the really good quality bags, some I give to my granddaughter (who loves them too) and others I just…keep 🙂

    1. Tine

      Aww that’s lovely! 😀

  4. MonicaP

    Wow there is a market for everything! I also keep, a few, shopping bags, esp. if they are good quality. If the bags are really pretty, I’ll display them on the top shelf of my closet 🙂

    Monica.
    MonicaP recently posted..Pants so comfortable you’ll jump for joyMy Profile

    1. Tine

      Oooh I’ve seen people use pretty bags to display! Some even frame them up!

  5. Winston

    Wow Tine! You can probably relate to the inspiration by this Chinese Artist Song Dong 😊

    http://m.smh.com.au/entertainment/art-and-design/household-collection-shows-soap-opera-of-a-lifetime-20121230-2c1i7.html
    Winston recently posted..Men’s Grooming Trends We Want To See Less OfMy Profile

    1. Tine

      HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!

  6. Victoria

    I never knew there was a market for paper bags. LOL. I have too many paper bags, most of them still in good condition but very few designer ones though. I pile all of them on top of each other in a plastic storage box. I love how you store yours, so neat :-). I have seen some people on the pre-loved Facebook groups just give it away for free. I was tempted to do that but need to find the time to sort out my paper bags.

    1. Tine

      Hahahaha supply and demand! 😛 Oooh I didn’t know people are giving away their paper bags. I should do that. It’s going to be hard for me to sell it in Australia as there’s barely any market for them here and it would be a waste throwing them into the recycling bin. Thanks for the idea!

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