I LOVE VERA BRADLEY HANDBAGS, particularly some of the older, now retired handbag patterns. Are these patterns gone forever, or is there still somewhere I can find them?

It seems that when a pattern is retired it’s almost impossible to find the pattern at an official retailer because they stop making them. You may find a few here and there, and when you do it will be best to pick it up right away because you never know when you will see it again. It is this kind of strategy that has led to their exclusiveness in it’s design and style of purses and handbags.

One place you can find retired handbags, purses and patterns is at garage sales. It seems far-fetched but there are some people who just do not realize what they have and will be willing to part with their Vera gem for a few dollars. I have a friend that picked up a $.50 cent Mesa Red Hipster like this. These opportunities may be more rare than actually finding the purse in a novelty shop but at least it will be much cheaper.

But to me, the best option is simply to buy the retired handbag patterns online. This saves both gas and time in your search. There are many stores that have been popping up online lately and some of them are very poorly put together. Make sure you find a trustworthty store to do your business with and one that has a great variety of patterns and accessories.

Try an eBay store that sells only Vera Bradley. What’s great about eBay is that you will find people who are looking to sell there old purses so that they can afford the new one they want so badly. You will find a huge selection of over 5,000 items at one time on one of these stores. You will see Vera Bradley retired patterns that you probably never even new existed. Most people don’t know that the company started in 1985 so that is a lot of history in making purses. The styles were much different back then and probably not to the tastes of most people today, but sometimes it’s just nice to enjoy the nostalgia.

Good luck in your search for retired Vera Bradley handbag patterns. There are a slew of them out there so don’t give up if you can’t find them right away. Just don’t expect to find them at a dealer. (source: J. Souza)

SEE ALSO:

CLICK HERE TO VIEW ALL VERA BRADLEY HANDBAGS AT THE HANDBAG DESIGNER SHOP

Check out all Vera Bradley handbags available on EBAY (below)

VERA BRADLEY LIME GREEN AND BLUE HANDBAG US $14.99 (0 Bid) Auction Ends: Thursday Mar-11-2010 16:43:41 PST   | Watch this Item

VERA BRADLEY BLACK AND GREEN HANDBAG US $14.99 (0 Bid) Auction Ends: Thursday Mar-11-2010 16:45:53 PST   | Watch this Item

Vera Bradley Mediterranean blue handbag and coin purse US $32.22 (15 Bids) Auction Ends: Thursday Mar-11-2010 16:46:06 PST   | Watch this Item

VERA BRADLEY PINK AND WHITE HANDBAG US $14.99 (0 Bid) Auction Ends: Thursday Mar-11-2010 16:47:16 PST   | Watch this Item

Vera Bradley Vibrant Black Small Handbag NWT US $10.66 (4 Bids) Auction Ends: Thursday Mar-11-2010 16:56:07 PST   | Watch this Item

VERA BRADLEY Purse Handbag Shoulder Bag MUST SEE!! US $4.25 (4 Bids) Auction Ends: Thursday Mar-11-2010 17:11:11 PST   | Watch this Item

VERA BRADLEY BLUE AQUA QUILTED HANDBAG TOTE CARRYALL US $9.99 (0 Bid) Auction Ends: Thursday Mar-11-2010 17:20:40 PST   | Watch this Item

Vera Bradley Handbag PetitPoint EC US $24.99 (0 Bid) Auction Ends: Thursday Mar-11-2010 17:24:23 PST   | Watch this Item

Vera Bradley Handbag Apple Green Nice US $24.99 (0 Bid) Auction Ends: Thursday Mar-11-2010 17:27:26 PST   | Watch this Item

Vera Bradley "Zebras"Handbag Retired January 2003 US $9.99 (0 Bid) Auction Ends: Thursday Mar-11-2010 17:41:33 PST   | Watch this Item

Vera Bradley "Laurel" Handbag Retired July 1999!!! US $4.99 (0 Bid) Auction Ends: Thursday Mar-11-2010 17:42:05 PST   | Watch this Item

Vera Bradley "Amy" handbag with matching wallet US $11.00 (1 Bid) Auction Ends: Thursday Mar-11-2010 17:42:17 PST   | Watch this Item

Vera Bradley "Indigo" Handbag Retired July 1999 US $7.99 (0 Bid) Auction Ends: Thursday Mar-11-2010 17:43:08 PST   | Watch this Item

Vera Bradley "Royal"Handbag Retired January 1998 US $9.99 (0 Bid) Auction Ends: Thursday Mar-11-2010 17:43:41 PST   | Watch this Item

Cambridge Tote Purse Vera Bradley Quilted Betsy Handbag US $4.99 (1 Bid) Auction Ends: Thursday Mar-11-2010 17:45:09 PST   | Watch this Item

VERA BRADLEY BLUE RHAPSODY MINI HIPSTER HANDBAG NEW WOW US $23.33 (20 Bids) Auction Ends: Thursday Mar-11-2010 17:52:40 PST   | Watch this Item

Vera Bradley Cupcakes Pink Amy hipster handbag purse US $16.00 (5 Bids) Auction Ends: Thursday Mar-11-2010 17:52:57 PST   | Watch this Item

NWT Vera Bradley Yellow Bird handbag NEW US $10.75 (18 Bids) Auction Ends: Thursday Mar-11-2010 17:53:53 PST   | Watch this Item

NWT Vera Bradley Riviera Blue Lola purse handbag NEW US $8.07 (5 Bids) Auction Ends: Thursday Mar-11-2010 17:53:56 PST   | Watch this Item

NWT Vera Bradley Botanica Lola purse handbag NEW US $12.50 (5 Bids) Auction Ends: Thursday Mar-11-2010 17:54:04 PST   | Watch this Item

Vera Bradley Capri Melon Large Purse Handbag Tote GC US $14.99 (1 Bid) Auction Ends: Thursday Mar-11-2010 17:55:37 PST   | Watch this Item

Rare Bees Roses Purse Vera Bradley Handbag RETIRED HTF US $10.74 (5 Bids) Auction Ends: Thursday Mar-11-2010 17:55:43 PST   | Watch this Item

NWOTS Vera Bradley Little Paddy Handbag PINK PANSY Bag US $14.00 (7 Bids) Auction Ends: Thursday Mar-11-2010 17:58:32 PST   | Watch this Item

Vera Bradley Bali Blue Amy hipster handbag purse US $15.76 (6 Bids) Auction Ends: Thursday Mar-11-2010 17:59:49 PST   | Watch this Item

vera bradley handbag US $13.99 (0 Bid) Auction Ends: Thursday Mar-11-2010 18:00:37 PST   | Watch this Item

Vera Bradley Hope Garden Amy hipster handbag purse US $14.50 (6 Bids) Auction Ends: Thursday Mar-11-2010 18:02:24 PST   | Watch this Item

NWOTS Vera Bradley Lola Handbag MOD FLORAL BLUE US $9.99 (1 Bid) Auction Ends: Thursday Mar-11-2010 18:02:39 PST   | Watch this Item

VERA BRADLEY ELITE HANDBAG BLACK MICROFIBER NWT US $36.99 Auction Ends: Thursday Mar-11-2010 18:04:46 PST   | Watch this Item

NWOTS Vera Bradley Retired Carry All Handbag CHOCOLAT US $26.00 (4 Bids) Auction Ends: Thursday Mar-11-2010 18:04:50 PST   | Watch this Item

Daisy Purse Vera Bradley Shoulder On the Go Handbag US $5.24 (2 Bids) Auction Ends: Thursday Mar-11-2010 18:05:49 PST   | Watch this Item

VERA BRADLEY VILLAGER PURSE HAND BAG PETAL PINK NWT! US $49.99 (0 Bid) Auction Ends: Thursday Mar-11-2010 18:11:29 PST   | Watch this Item

VERA BRADLEY HANDBAG IN MEDITERRANEAN WHITE NWT US $23.50 (4 Bids) Auction Ends: Thursday Mar-11-2010 18:11:53 PST   | Watch this Item

Vera Bradley Yellow Bird Handbag US $19.99 (2 Bids) Auction Ends: Thursday Mar-11-2010 18:13:47 PST   | Watch this Item

Zebra Purse Vera Bradley Tote Retired HTF Handbag US $4.99 (0 Bid) Auction Ends: Thursday Mar-11-2010 18:15:51 PST   | Watch this Item

VERA BRADLEY PURSE TOTE PETAL PINK HANDBAG US $11.49 (6 Bids) Auction Ends: Thursday Mar-11-2010 18:17:42 PST   | Watch this Item

VERA BRADLEY ON THE GO NEW HOPE HANDBAG + COSMETIC BAG US $48.00 (4 Bids) Auction Ends: Thursday Mar-11-2010 18:22:14 PST   | Watch this Item

Vera Bradley Night Owl Backpack Handbag Gift Purse New US $69.99 Auction Ends: Thursday Mar-11-2010 18:24:39 PST   | Watch this Item

Vera Bradley HOUNDSTOOTH *LUCY* small handbag $71 NWT US $39.95 Auction Ends: Thursday Mar-11-2010 18:30:32 PST   | Watch this Item

VERA BRADLEY ON THE GO IN JAVA BLUE HANDBAG US $30.00 (0 Bid) Auction Ends: Thursday Mar-11-2010 18:30:40 PST   | Watch this Item

VERA BRADLEY KENSINGTON MAGGIE HANDBAG US $4.25 (4 Bids) Auction Ends: Thursday Mar-11-2010 18:31:15 PST   | Watch this Item

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