Many assume that the only place to get well-maintained, highly desirable vintage handbags is at a local boutique. Although most vintage dealers tend to specialize in créme of the crop merchandise, they also charge a hefty premium.

Often the owners of these shops find hidden gems on eBay, jack up the price and resell the items. If you like the thrill of bargain hunting, bypass the markup and get the authentic handbag of your dreams online.

This site makes the hunt as easy as possible. You can browse vintage auctions by brand, style, and color. So get to it, check out the menu above and see what you can dig up!

Auctions Closing Soon on eBay

Vtg Tooled Leather Handbag Purse Tote Satchel MEXICO

US $44.99

11m

VINTAGE ALL LEATHER BLOOMINGDALES CROSS BODYPOUCH

US $20.00

15m

RARE VINTAGE COACH BROWN LEATHER HOBO HANDBAG 4182

24 Bids

US $63.00

44m

VINTAGE LEATHER COUNTRY FINE TAN LEATHER HANDBAG

0 Bid

US $29.99

53m

Vtg Unisa XL Black Suede Brown Leather Hobo Xbody Bag

0 Bid

US $19.99

59m

1

Born: Paris, France, 1903
Died: South of France, France, 1993

`Grès: the supreme dressmaker at the top of her form. Completely modern - sexy, romantic without a trace of nostalgia . a feeling for splendour and mystery. Her cuts are dreams of invention . cloth made to move like the extension of a gesture,' observed American Vogue in 1964 of the couturier's couturière. Madame Grès trained as a sculptor, studying painting and sculpture in Paris, and served a three-month apprenticeship with the designer Premet in 1930. She worked under the name `Alix' until 1942 when she adopted her husband's name - he was called Serge Czerefkov, but signed himself Grès. Madame Grès opened her couture house in 1934, which initially consisted of three rooms on rue de Miromesnil, but she soon moved to a three-storey building on avenue Matignon. It was called the house Alix, on the suggestion of her financial backers. When war broke out in 1940 Madame Grès left Paris. She told Vogue in 1984, `During the war I was in the mountains, the Pyrenees, and I made my own dummies with hay, a bit of wood and a tin. I bought fabric from the market and carried on draping clothes.' After the war she re-established herself as Madame Grès instead of her tradename, Alix, and continued to design along the same lines, taking inspiration from Grecian drapes.

Born: Nebraska, USA, 1896
Died: California, USA, 1974

Author of Designing Male, published in 1951, which told of the trials and tribulations of dressing some of Hollywood’s most enduring stars, Howard Greer began his career in the New York branch of Lucile. During the First World War he was stationed in France and gained employment with Paul Poiret and Edward Molyneux. On his return to America, in 1923, he began designing for Paramount and opened his own salon in 1927, using his expertise to re-create his cinematic touches in a realistic setting.

Born: London, England, 1955

Georgina Godley's design career was short and sharp, her clothes sculptural and memorable. Godley originally trained as a fine artist at Brighton Polytechnic, moving on to Chelsea School of Art, London. She worked as a restorer and illustrator, and made clothes and sculptures via private commissions before joining forces with fellow student, Scott Crolla, in 1981. They opened Crolla - a menswear shop which specialized in opulent suits. By 1987 Godley was doing her own thing: `I do believe in a reappraisal of sexual roles,' she told Vogue in 1987. `But we're different and please let's accept it.' Godley is now teaching womenswear at the Royal College of Art in London.

Born: Beauvais, France, 1927

Hubert de Givenchy's quest for perfection was a direct consequence of his friendship with Cristobal Balenciaga. For 40 years he wore his mentor's white coat at the end of each show. `Monsieur Balenciaga gave it to me,' he told Vogue in 1991. `It is like a talisman, a protection, a second skin.' Givenchy's 1952 philosophy on economy was years ahead of its time: `All a woman needs to be chic are a raincoat, two suits, a pair of trousers and a cashmere sweater.' His own suits are made by Huntsman of Savile Row, London.

`When I'm working on a collection I'm not thinking,' said Romeo Gigli of his divine inspiration in 1989, `it's a spontaneous, chemical thing.'

Founded by Tanya Sarne in 1984

Languid lines, flowing shapes and the absence of any sharp edges are the signatures of the Ghost label. Founded by Tanya Sarne, Ghost is a commercial and design success because it fulfils the criteria of modern design for comfort and fluidity by using practical fabrics which rarely crease and adapt to varying shapes and sizes. Launched in the era of the outrageously large shoulder pad, Ghost is a collection with mass appeal - a worldwide bestseller, with 80 per cent of its custom divided between the USA, Japan, Europe, Australia and the Middle East. The company was awarded the British Apparel Export Award in 1992. In 1999 Ghost decided to swap London Fashion Week for a show in New York.

Born: Fraserburgh, Scotland, 1943
Died: London, England, 1988

The creator of some of the century’s most mind-blowing dresses, Bill Gibb’s celtic sensibility, love of craftsmanship and extraordinary colour sense made him a star in the truest sense of the word. ‘It would be hard to imagine anyone less pompous than Bill Gibb,’ said Vogue in 1977 on the eve of his ten-year retrospective at the Albert Hall in London. ‘He wears a broad smile, a long floppy scarf and strange knit bobble hat. Who else would have laughed when Elizabeth Taylor wore one of his dresses back to front on television?’

The description `enfant terrible' has followed Jean Paul Gaultier (the son of two accountants) around for over 20 years. Now nudging 50 years old, Gaultier does 60 daily press-ups and sports cropped peroxide-blond hair.

Born: Gibraltar, 1960

A romantic and maverick in equal proportions, John Galliano has been living his dream as design director of Christian Dior since 1996.

Born: Vienna, Austria, 1922
Died: Los Angeles, California, USA, 1985

The dancer turned designer, who many regard as America's answer to Pierre Cardin, Rudi Gernreich was a 1960s' experimentalist, most famous for the topless swimsuit, which he launched in 1964.