Second-Hand for 50 Grand – Inside the world of pre-loved luxury goods: ‘He wanted the Birkin dipped in gold just to place in his closet’

Have you ever wanted a glimpse into how the other half lives? Then the new documentary Second-Hand for 50 Grand does just that, giving us insight into those with thousands to spare.

Airing on Channel 4 tonight, the show is about the world of extremely high-end, second-hand goods – think Bargain Hunt meets Selling Sunset.

The programme goes inside Xupes, a business run by savvy millennials hoping to corner the market in pre-owned luxury, selling everything from designer watches to designer bags.

Reece Morgan has become Britain’s go-to man for all things handbags and has an unrivalled black book of contacts in the industry.

Speaking exclusively to Metro.co.uk, he disclosed the crazy lengths the team will go to keep their clients happy.

He revealed he once received an interesting message from an Instagram burner account that was on the hunt for a particular bag.

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‘I was thinking, “Well this is a £90,000 bag and this guy’s not even got a picture on Instagram!”’ Reece said.

‘So I’m talking to him and I managed to source it for him, it was a 60 centimetre Birkin in crocodile leather and he said ,“Cool I’ll take it, send me the invoice”. Turns out it was someone from the Middle Eastern royal family.

‘I thought that was crazy enough but I then had to find someone to guild the bag in gold, he wanted it dipped in gold just to place in his closet. It’s literally how the other half lives. We sourced it for them, they came and collected it and that was that.’

Reece said that although people may laugh at the idea of a handbag being an investment, his clients are making thousands off of selling bags in their collection.

Xupes has even sold handbags for up to £200k, which is a tidy sum to take home at the end of the day.

‘You’re more likely to earn money investing in a luxury handbag that will sell than you are in ISA or gold, it’s a better investment than gold. These are all proven facts, I think that’s really interesting,’ the 27-year-old said.

‘We look at all of the products we sell as assets rather than consumables, they are investment pieces. Handbags are a very lucrative business and I have a lot of clients who will make profits on items they purchase just because the market increases regularly.’

It is the savvy seller’s goal to move society away from thinking handbags are a superficial purchase, he wants people to realise they can be more than that.

‘They can be really emotional purchases, a handbag is something that you wear every day and it becomes very personal to some people,’ Reece explained.

This idea is explored in the documentary, as one woman (named Rebecca) is after a handbag that will make her feel closer to her deceased mother.

Kristen, a transgender woman, loves that handbags allow her to revel in her femininity.

Reece said he does think the opinion on the industry is slowly but surely changing, especially once people realise how much money is in it.

‘These clients are making money on a monthly basis because they’re buying, selling and investing just like you would with stock. I think the proof is in the pudding really.

‘We see this argument a lot with female clients and their husbands because their husbands don’t understand. But when they see that these women are actually making a profit from turning these items, that’s when they start taking it seriously.’

The 27-year-old explained that he knows of some men who purchase these items just because they know that they’re a great investment.

The rapper Drake has even purchased over 100 Hermes Birkin bags because of this.

Reece and his team aim to find bags as quick as possible for their clients, with bags taking anywhere from a day to a year to be found depending on how rare it is.

‘We want to find the best items that we can. The team are in-house authenticators and they go over them with a fine-toothed comb,’ he shared.

‘We will go above and beyond to make the client happy. If they need a bag in LA tomorrow we will fly it out, there are no barriers to how far we’ll go.’

Secnd-Hand for 50 Grand airs on Channel 4 tonight at 10pm.

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