For some bag ladies, spending close to six figures on a bag is considered a "good investment." And now, women in Hong Kong are actually using their designer bags as loan collateral.

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One company called "Yes Lady" will even provide a loan based on 80% of the bag's value. Naturally, these only apply for brands like Gucci, Chanel, Hermès and Louis Vuitton.  These purse-backed loans usually start at about US$200, although they have lent out about US$20,600 in exchange for a Hermès Birkin bag. The also have their own assessors to check the authenticity of these purses.

The Wall Street Journal explains more on how it's done:
A customer gets her bag back by repaying the loan at 4% monthly interest within four months. Yes Lady says almost all its clients quickly pay off their loans and reclaim their bags.
Good idea, but maybe if they didn't spend all their money on branded stuff, they wouldn't be needing that loan in the first place.