[dollfie-lover]

Hi :)

I was wondering, why is Coach so expensiwe in Japan. I's really weird, that almost all bags and accesories cost near twice USA price. it really makes me sad, bacause I'm traveling to japan from time to time and I'm a big Coach fan, but the prices are just killing me! (unfortunatelly I don't have Coach shop in my country) have any idea why is it so expensiwe there?

[lunatwinkle]

I'm not EXACTLY certain, but I do know that Japan and Hawaii are the biggest markets for designer handbags. So a lot of limited editions are made exclusively for those two markets (which totally suck because I love some of the stuff on the Japan Coach website!) I was in Hawaii last December for vacation, and I saw the coated canvas Heritage Stripe totes in the boutique, a whole 2 months earlier than the US markets.

I've also heard that many people purchase bags in the U.S., and then sell them in the Asian markets for a small profit since the bags are cheaper in the U.S.

(Sorry if that doesn't exactly answer your question. Maybe some other tPFer will know.)

[tanukiki]

I don't know why for sure but I can say that my dad was over in Japan years ago for three months for work and he said EVERYTHING was more expensive over there. He found some Japanese-issued Duran Duran albums to bring back for me and they were WAY more than comparable albums sold for here in the US (OK the group and the fact that they were the vinyl albums should tell you about how long ago it was ).

[Chanticleer]

Are you talking about the exchange rate or the actual price of everything? Because my husband and I were in London for a while recently and I know that everything over there is twice what it is here ( 1 pound equals 2 American dollars). Just wondering.

[maya_exquisite]

As far as Coach being nearly DOUBLE how much it costs in the US, I'm not exactly sure. But from my experience of being born and raised there and going back every three years since I've left, everything is just more expensive in Japan. It's high cost of living, but they supposedly get paid accordingly (I say supposedly because I have never worked in Japan, but I can ask my parents about it). Take a McDonald's cheeseburger, for instance. It's like, what, 99 cents here? The yen equivalent is about $2-3 in Japan (from the last time I went back). Things are just "more expensive" there overall. If their things are more expensive overall, then designer items are going to be EVEN MORE expensive. That's why a lot of them save their money to come to Hawaii to buy their designer things.

[dollfie-lover]

yes, yes, Japan is really expensie, but other brands arent so much more expensive there. for example LV speedy is about 70$ more expensive and I can live with that. but when (for example) HAMPTONS LEATHER SATCHEL cost's 389$ in Japan it's worth 69300 Yen and it's ... 646$ !

that's 257$ more than in US and in I can buy anothes bag for it

almost all brands are a LITTLE more expensive in Japan, byt usually not almos twice

[tanukiki]

Coach is really popular in Japan. Is LV? (Sorry I don't know much about LV as I'm not a huge fan of it). Maybe that's why???

[dollfie-lover]

LV and Prada are probably most popular. Coach is also, but for sure not the most popular one. I would go for LV

[Jersey_Girl]

I remember when I was in Japan paying almost $2 USD for a can of coke.... Everything seemed so much more expensive. Probably a good thing I couldn't fit in most of the clothes and shoes didn't even go up to my size lol.