Have you ever wondered why items you look for on Amazon.com show up under all kinds of different categories? There must be a reason why one person classifies a crock pot as belonging to the category 'Home and Garden', another 'Kitchen and Housewares', and a third person deems it to be 'Electronics.'

Looking for luggage items, the list of categories seems almost endless. You can find luggage under

Apparel & Accessories, Baby, Camera & Photo, Computers, Grocery, Home & Garden, Kitchen & Housewares, Sports & Outdoors.or Miscellaneous, and that's just part of the llist.

Exactly where you begin your search probably says something about

1. what exactly you want to pack into it
   
2. how you will be transporting it
   
3. how you wish to be perceived as the owner of this particular luggage item.
   

A new dad would probably purchase a completely different diaper bag than a new mom. Dad's diaper bag would likely look like a hunting rucksack, whereas mom would either choose something really, really cute for baby or something very stylish, with which to make a fashion statement.

It's fair to say then that the purchase of a luggage item says something about the buyer.

Price is often the buyer’s first consideration. The price may say something about what the buyer is able to spend – or not  If the item turns out to be the latest model of the most expensive label, the statement is one of wealth. It can also mean being trendy or up to date on the latest styles.

If, on the other hand, one purchases a less expensive bag, and the buyer adds a little fancy adornment to personalize the item, the statement is one of creativity. Besides that, it can also be a sign of thrift and sensibility.

The existence of so many knock-offs also says something about our wanting to have the best, or at least give the appearance of being able to buy the best. That's a very human trait.

Have you ever wondered whether the bags we carry are a reflection of our personalities? Is your purse a bulging bag with compartments for everything and room for more, plus the kitchen sink, or is your purse so small and neat that it barely holds your wallet?

Is your suitcase secured with string, because you don't trust the zipper anymore, or do you 'drive' the latest, Polycarbonate Hardside Spinner?

Is your backpack stacked with the latest packing cubes, or does it look like it's been to outer Siberia and back on a dog sled?

For some of us luggage is strictly an item we need to help us transport our stuff from point A to point B; for others it must serve that same purpose, but it also needs to make a fashion statement and act as a status symbol.

We relate to our luggage in different ways and therefore determine what it must do for us from different perspectives.

Is there a right way and a wrong way of choosing luggage? Of course not. If you can't stand lugging the same old thing around for years on end, if you like to have something new and fresh fairly regularly, then by all means, buy something nice but reasonable. If, on the other hand, you appreciate quality above all else and become really attached to certain possessions, then do spend a little more and enjoy knowing you bought the best.