How to Find a Louis Vuitton GM Agenda & Tips for Buying Pre-Loved Luxury Items
Looking for that elusive Louis Vuitton Monogram GM agenda? Worried about authenticity when buying pre-loved luxury goods? I’ve had a number of ladies approach me with both those questions, and after writing most of the following in an email to one enquirer, I thought it would be great to share this info with others who may be interested.
How to find and score a Monogram GM agenda
For at least the 10 months, the Monogram Large Ring (GM) agenda has become quite the unobtainable beauty. For most of the year, new agendas were unavailable via Louis Vuitton (LV) stores or louisvuitton.com. Even finding a good, pre-loved specimen has been difficult. Then in the last couple of months, LV restocked the agendas, likely because the next year’s inserts/annual refills are also issued in the fourth quarter of the year. But here we are, not even through fourth quarter and new Monogram GM agenda can no longer be found without a bit of effort, and maybe not even with that.
So what’s a girl (or guy) to do when you simply. Must. Have. It?
Here are some suggestions, and what I learned when I called Louis Vuitton, today…
1. Call 1.866.VUITTON and ask if they can find you one (the item number is R20106). There are still some available, but stock is very low. Now, here’s the kicker: If you have made a purchase at a Louis Vuitton store or through louisvuitton.com in the last year, they can possibly find you one at another store (apparently there are some available through Neiman Marcus), and ship it to your home.
But, if you have not purchased directly from LV in the past year, you can only purchase one if it is located at a store near you. Now, even if they can find you one, the customer service rep I spoke to on the phone (again, today) indicated that you would not have it in-hand for a few weeks. So forget getting it for Christmas, if you want a brand new one and meet the above qualifications.
That said, if you DO meet the qualifications and can wait a bit, CALL NOW because last I heard there were less than 33 in the whole U.S. of A.
2. Join these Facebook groups: They are great for procuring pre-loved agendas, and the chances being stung with a fake is almost zero:
- Louis Vuitton Agenda Love (This is my group. It’s new, but agenda listings are trickling in daily.)
- Only Authentic Louis Vuitton
- Louis Vuitton Planner Party (I left this group because of the nasty attitude of one of the admins, but it remains an excellent source for agenda buying/selling)
3. Create “Louis Vuitton Large Ring Agenda” and “Louis Vuitton GM Agenda” searches on eBay, and check them daily! There are actually several Monogram GMs up for sale now.
4. Search the following pre-loved luxury sales sites…there are loads more, but these tend to have more agendas:
Tips for buying authentic, pre-loved luxury goods
There are lots of advantages to buying pre-loved, but paying less than retail or retail tax is usually the primary one. And of course, if you can’t even locate a new one, pre-loved is really your only option.
The first rule of buying anything, especially something pre-owned, is always CAVEAT EMPTOR! Unfortunately, there are dishonest people out there, and buyers who aren’t sure what questions to ask before they hit the buy button, so sometimes people don’t get what they paid for. But if you are worried about buying used luxury items, worry no more. With a little due diligence and these tips, you are a lot less likely to have a negative experience. But DO YOUR HOMEWORK!
1. If photos don’t reveal the following, ask for more photos:
- Date Code (All Louis Vuitton items have a date code if they were produced after 1980).
- Any flaws, damage, or wear.
- Close-ups of the rings if you are purchasing an agenda (make sure there are no visible gaps).
Remember, any legit seller will be happy to provide photos or answer questions, because they want to SELL the item. If they are bad communicators, do not buy from them!
2. If a listing doesn’t specify whether there is any odor coming from the item, ask. Especially if you are averse to cigarette smoke or that old-stuff-musty-smell.
3. Buy pieces that come with original Louis Vuitton tags and packaging, when you can. But don’t be put off by listings that don’t offer a dust bag or box. Should you change your mind, it’s just better for resale to have as much of the original paperwork and packaging as possible, but it’s totally OK if a buyer does not have those items.
4. Don’t purchase any agenda that is being sold using stock images (like from the LV website). You want to see photos of the actual item.
5. If purchasing via eBay, check the seller’s feedback and other items they are selling. Feedback should be overwhelmingly positive, and the seller shouldn’t have a slew of the same item listed, using the same photos. If the items are legit, they will only have one or a few of the item, and the photos will be unique to each. Also, most legitimate sellers offer a return policy or refunds if you’re not 100% satisfied. If the item is authentic, they have no reason not to stand behind it.
6. If you find a pre-loved item and are worried about authenticity, these authenticators can help you verify authenticity for a small fee, usually pretty quickly. I sure there are more; a simple search online will likely yield more options.
7. Never purchase anything using the PayPal “Send money to friends and family” option. You must use the pay, request, or invoice options in order to be covered by PayPal Purchase Protection for buyers and sellers. If someone is insisting on completing a purchase that way, or off Poshmark or eBay just to save a little on fees, be very wary. I would not send anyone a dime without the purchase protection of PayPal, Poshmark, or eBay behind me.
8. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. If an item in the same condition is normally a couple hundred bucks higher, then you should be extra vigilant about checking details. Chances are it is not authentic or in the promised condition if the seller is low-balling him/herself.
I hope these tips help! Remember, there are no guarantees, but if you do your homework, you should be able to find that piece you’ve been after. I have purchased both pre-loved and new luxury, and have never been stung to date. Good luck!
