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 Handbag "Retired'' Red Coin~Duffel HTF US $19.99 (0 Bid) Auction Ends: Thursday Mar-18-2010 18:15:44 PDT   | Watch this Item

VERA BRADLEY PLAID HANDBAG US $5.00 (0 Bid) Auction Ends: Thursday Mar-18-2010 18:16:20 PDT   | Watch this Item

Vera Bradley Handbag Retired Bermuda Blue SPRING US $12.99 (0 Bid) Auction Ends: Thursday Mar-18-2010 18:18:21 PDT   | Watch this Item

VERA BRADLEY BLUE AQUA QUILTED HANDBAG TOTE CARRYALL US $9.99 (0 Bid) Auction Ends: Thursday Mar-18-2010 18:26:08 PDT   | Watch this Item

VERA BRADLEY BLACK HANDBAG/SHOULDER BAG, VERY CUTE. US $9.99 (1 Bid) Auction Ends: Thursday Mar-18-2010 18:26:46 PDT   | Watch this Item

New Large Vera Bradley Pleated Tote Bag Handbag US $39.99 (1 Bid) Auction Ends: Thursday Mar-18-2010 18:27:11 PDT   | Watch this Item

NEW! VERA BRADLEY- BLACK MULTI COLOR HANDBAG US $18.99 (0 Bid) Auction Ends: Thursday Mar-18-2010 18:31:50 PDT   | Watch this Item

VERA BRADLEY HANDBAG/SHOULDER BAG, VERY CUTE. US $9.99 (1 Bid) Auction Ends: Thursday Mar-18-2010 18:32:23 PDT   | Watch this Item

Vera Bradley Nantucket Red Betsy handbag/purse large US $10.99 (2 Bids) Auction Ends: Thursday Mar-18-2010 18:36:34 PDT   | Watch this Item

Vera Bradley Handbag Spring Sherbet~Nice US $12.99 (0 Bid) Auction Ends: Thursday Mar-18-2010 18:43:34 PDT   | Watch this Item

Vera Bradley Handbag PetitPoint EC US $24.99 (0 Bid) Auction Ends: Thursday Mar-18-2010 18:46:10 PDT   | Watch this Item

NEW VERA BRADLEY STEPHANIE Loves Me bag Tote Handbag US $31.00 (10 Bids) Auction Ends: Thursday Mar-18-2010 18:51:01 PDT   | Watch this Item

Vera Bradley Handbag Apple Green Nice US $24.99 (0 Bid) Auction Ends: Thursday Mar-18-2010 18:54:49 PDT   | Watch this Item

Vera Bradley Chocolate Handbag Satchel Retired! Nice! US $19.99 (0 Bid) Auction Ends: Thursday Mar-18-2010 19:00:03 PDT   | Watch this Item

RETIRED VERA BRADLEY VILLA RED LARGE PURSE/HANDBAG/TOTE US $14.75 (0 Bid) Auction Ends: Thursday Mar-18-2010 19:05:01 PDT   | Watch this Item

Vera Bradley Retired Bees Shoulder Handbag Purse NWT US $5.00 (0 Bid) Auction Ends: Thursday Mar-18-2010 19:05:20 PDT   | Watch this Item

Vera Bradley - Turn Lock HANDBAG / PURSE SPECTATOR NEW US $39.99 (0 Bid) Auction Ends: Thursday Mar-18-2010 19:08:56 PDT   | Watch this Item

RETIRED VERA BRADLEY SPRINGTIME green Handbag~~Cute!!! US $3.99 (1 Bid) Auction Ends: Thursday Mar-18-2010 19:11:41 PDT   | Watch this Item

RETIRED VERA BRADLEY MESA RED BITTY BETSY HANDBAG/PURSE US $9.99 (0 Bid) Auction Ends: Thursday Mar-18-2010 19:14:56 PDT   | Watch this Item

RETIRED VERA BRADLEY BEES BITTY BETSY HANDBAG/PURSE BLU US $9.99 (1 Bid) Auction Ends: Thursday Mar-18-2010 19:17:41 PDT   | Watch this Item

VERA BRADLEY* MOD FLORAL PINK BETSY TOTE PURSE HAND BAG US $19.99 (0 Bid) Auction Ends: Thursday Mar-18-2010 19:19:18 PDT   | Watch this Item

Vera Bradley Capri Melon Bowler Bag Sling Handbag Purse US $16.03 (4 Bids) Auction Ends: Thursday Mar-18-2010 19:20:16 PDT   | Watch this Item

Vera Bradley RETI RED Peacock Handbag NWT MSRP $50.00 US $24.99 (0 Bid) Auction Ends: Thursday Mar-18-2010 19:22:47 PDT   | Watch this Item

Vera Bradley Java Blue Purse Sling Handbag Shoulder Bag US $9.99 (0 Bid) Auction Ends: Thursday Mar-18-2010 19:23:09 PDT   | Watch this Item

NWOT VERA BRADLEY PUCCINI HANDBAG PURSE BAG + WALLET US $19.99 (0 Bid) Auction Ends: Thursday Mar-18-2010 19:25:27 PDT   | Watch this Item

Vera Bradley Navy Blue Golf Classic Shoulder Handbag US $14.99 (0 Bid) Auction Ends: Thursday Mar-18-2010 19:26:29 PDT   | Watch this Item

New Vera Bradley Mini Hipster handbag Poppy Fields Bag US $20.00 (8 Bids) Auction Ends: Thursday Mar-18-2010 19:27:06 PDT   | Watch this Item

Vera Bradley Handbag ON THE GO Bag Botanica Retired NWT US $44.99 (2 Bids) Auction Ends: Thursday Mar-18-2010 19:28:34 PDT   | Watch this Item

New VERA BRADLEY drawstring backpack Handbag US $26.01 (16 Bids) Auction Ends: Thursday Mar-18-2010 19:37:06 PDT   | Watch this Item

Vera Bradley Citrus Lindsay Handbag BNWOT Retired US $9.99 (0 Bid) Auction Ends: Thursday Mar-18-2010 19:44:47 PDT   | Watch this Item

VERA BRADLEY CAPRI BLUE BACKPACK HANDBAG PURSE- US $10.50 (2 Bids) Auction Ends: Thursday Mar-18-2010 19:50:07 PDT   | Watch this Item

VERA BRADLEY RETIRED PETAL PINK HANDBAG AND WALLET US $24.99 (0 Bid) Auction Ends: Thursday Mar-18-2010 19:52:44 PDT   | Watch this Item

NWT VERA BRADLEY PINK ELEPHANT HANDBAG BRANDNEW US $22.28 (13 Bids) Auction Ends: Thursday Mar-18-2010 19:54:22 PDT   | Watch this Item

VERA BRADLEY BERMUDA BLUE TOGGLE TOTE HANDBAG PURSE US $9.75 (6 Bids) Auction Ends: Thursday Mar-18-2010 19:57:38 PDT   | Watch this Item

Vera Bradley HIPSTER Blue Rhapsody Handbag Purse NwT US $39.99 (1 Bid) Auction Ends: Thursday Mar-18-2010 20:00:51 PDT   | Watch this Item

Vera Bradley AMY Handbag HOPE GARDEN Retired NWT US $24.99 (0 Bid) Auction Ends: Thursday Mar-18-2010 20:05:34 PDT   | Watch this Item

VERA BRADLEY PETIT POINT TOTE/SHOPPER BAG HANDBAG NICE! US $21.28 (3 Bids) Auction Ends: Thursday Mar-18-2010 20:19:36 PDT   | Watch this Item

Vera Bradley Betsy Sittin' in a Tree Large HandBag NEW US $41.00 (13 Bids) Auction Ends: Thursday Mar-18-2010 20:20:41 PDT   | Watch this Item

Estate Vera Bradley Classic Navy (Retired) Handbag US $10.95 (0 Bid) Auction Ends: Thursday Mar-18-2010 20:30:10 PDT   | Watch this Item

VERA BRADLEY BLUE & YELLOW PURSE / HANDBAG US $4.99 (1 Bid) Auction Ends: Thursday Mar-18-2010 20:30:40 PDT   | Watch this Item

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