Deadstock refers to bags that are new and unworn — with original tags, box, and documentation — but that are no longer in current retail production. The bag may have been purchased at retail and never used, may have been a display model, or may have been stored unsold. The term comes from retail inventory management: 'dead stock' is stock that didn't sell in its production window.
Deadstock bags occupy a unique position: they carry the condition premium of a truly new bag while also being rare by virtue of discontinuation. A deadstock Chanel Classic Flap from the 1990s, for instance, would command a significant premium over both a modern new Flap (which costs more at retail but is currently produced) and an equivalent pre-loved example (which is used).