Thrift Store Gods Encore: Longchamp Le Pliage

As my devoted readers may recall, I have been intermittently on the prowl for a nice tote bag in which to carry my books and to-be-graded papers. Yes, I already have various canvas totes with logos of publishers. Yes, I already have an LL Bean tote with the logo of a detested architect (now stained with Robitussin; see earlier post for this tragic event). These were, needless to say, free. Should I be embarrassed that I crave something more, shall we say, iconic?

One perpetual candidate in the iconic department would be the Longchamp Le Pliage tote, ubiquitous on the streets of Paris. It is also becoming ubiquitous on American college campuses. I saw a few in Tuscaloosa, among the even more ubiquitous Vera Bradleys. I am sorry to report that the bag did not have the je ne sais quoi I associate with the iconic. Perhaps it's more iconic in Paris?

I wrote a post a while back on the Thrift Store Gods laughing at me. This is because whenever I even think about buying something new, I find almost the exact same thing in a thrift store. If I ever buy anything new, I find a better version in a thrift store within a few days. It seems to be my fate to be a thrift store shopper.

Yesterday, I stopped by a 3-day consignment sale in my town. This is a very cleverly set up production, which I will write about another time. Tons of stuff! Some very cheap, cheaper, in fact, than at my local Goodwill. I ended up not buying anything (I already HAVE black tops from Banana and Loft). I said to myself on leaving, "Not much point in going to thrift stores, since the prices here are lower and almost everything is nice."

Well, of course, I couldn't resist stopping at Goodwill a few hours later when I drove RIGHT BY while on another errand. There I found a Longchamp Le Pliage. I was sure it was fake, but after obsessively checking every detail, I'm quite sure it is real. But here's the thing: the Thrift Store Gods are laughing once more. They did NOT send me the tote. They sent me the little "S" bag in forest green.

What should I do with this? The EXACT same one is being offered on ebay and is now up to $20.50 with a few days to go. Should I sell it? Should I use it to see if it will acquire that je ne sais quoi?

As always, I await your thoughts on this dilemma, Dear Readers.