COACH declares war on loyal customers (editorial article)

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#46
It is not just department stores sending their stock to TJM. I have seen outlet bags there as well.

peacocky said:
Coach doesn't sell their items to TJM or anywhere else like that. The dept stores do when they can't sell what they have since they purchase their stuff to sell. Same thing happens to Dooney and Marc Jacobs.
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#47
I've heard of the Letter, but I've never been the recipient of it, or know anyone first-hand who has received it.

I agree with the author's point, where he/she states that Coach should not care about what happens to their products once it's been bought and paid for, whether at a boutique or outlet or online. What we customers choose to do (whether to keep it or sell it) is up to us. And what if we want to search for a product that is from a previous season and completely sold out? Coach updates their product lines every season. Sometimes I discover something from a previous season and when I want to get it, Coach is out of it.

I agree with many other tPFers here who think that Coach should rethink their marketing strategy/pricing policy.
 
#48
The letter they had out is true... They may have NO proof of you selling on ebay, all you have to do is buy a lot of the same item in the outlets or buy a ton of stuff worth a lot of money (they figure if you were really rich you would buy at the outlets), and also you get a letter if you have a certain amount $$$ of returns in the store with no receipt, never to return to the store again.. its sad... they are destroying customer loyalty while trying to protect their behinds while MACYS or Bloomies or Dillards has no such rule... shoot in those stores they dont care what ur doing wth ur purchase as long as money is coming in!
 
#49
bravorodrig said:
I will not say "no" to Coach over this.

I agree 100% that it's not fair to other buyers to have these people clean out the outlet and resell. I want my Coach from the shops not Ebay. I want to be able to enjoy the experience of going to the outlet and hunt for a super deal. I like Ebay, don't get me wrong, but I can't agree with those people who clean out a place only to resell (and this happens with all kinds of stuff not only handbags). Of course this practice can hurt people like my SIL who drops $700-$800 on the outlet on stuff that's all for her(yes, Iv'e been with her several times and I leave green with envy!!) or presents for Xmas, b-days or secretaries day (yes, she gives fab presents!!). It's the roll of the dice. The reselling practice is not dishonest per se, but it 100% honest either. What Coach really has to take a closer look at is fakes or replicas. That is illegal and cannot be tolerated.
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ITA! Since I follow their rules and don't buy many of the same items, I'm not too worried. I think the only problem I see is as another Poster had stated, when you need to buy several of the same gifts for bridesmaids and the like. Perhaps in that situation, you need to get to know your SA's and let her/him know that's what you're doing (bring in proof?). I think they look for "patterns" so if you're not doing anything shady, what's to worry? The Outlet SA's (in CA) know my sister who shops there often for me (since there are no Coach Outlets in AZ) and we've returned many items there (items I'd bought from there, with receipt, etc). Therefore, I don't aniticipate any issues with them if I were to buy a lot from them because I don't have a pattern of buying many of the same items, nor do I return items there without a receipt. And that particular Outlet is ALWAYS nice about you returning items you'd purchased from them back to them (I think it's cuz they'd rather you did that then sell it on Ebay). If people are afraid of getting this "letter", then pay full price and buy from a Boutique or from the Dept. stores. I HIGHLY DOUBT Coach is just targeting RANDOM customers. I just can't blame a company for doing something about unauthorized resellers. I'd do the same if I'd owned the company. But I do agree that they need to really crack down on the counterfeiters out there. Perhaps, this is just a first step toward that issue?
 
#50
Do a search on the ebay forums on Coach ban. One thread was removed because it got a bit heated. But it is true. Coach is banning the customers who helped accelerate their popularity.
 
#51
Hermes will also blacklist for reselling. Louis Vuitton deals with this by limiting the number of items that one can purchase, or alternatively, if you do a lot of returns, blacklisting.

I'm not sure if this just seems drastic because it's a new thing.. but I mean, the issue has been broached by other companies before.
 
#52
i feel bad for the shoppers who perhaps have the money to go to the outlets and buy a bunch of bags/accessories. i know there are quite a few ladies on here whose posts of new purchases sometimes have 3 bags, with wristlets, charms, etc. these people buy COACH with the intention of using it and wearing it, and maybe they just like to have alot to choose from!!!! if they can afford it, then they would seem to be COACH'S favorite customers, since many of us will buy one bag or accessory only every once in a while because it's expensive.
it must be so terrible to receive a letter & get banned from your favorite place, especially if you didn't have any intention to sell the bags on ebay. i'm sure not all of the customers were ebay sellers, ya know?
this stuff is just crazy!
 
#54
I just briefly read the thread on Ebay about Coach ban (thanks, noshoepolish) and it was interesting so far. I'll go back and read more. So what Coach is doing is perfectly legal. Many Posters were concerned about Coach controlling what you can do with their items after it's purchased and apparently, they can't...however, if they have suspicions (if they suspect that you're an unauthorized seller of their products), they can ban you from purchasing any more items (NOT sell it to you) - that's within their rights. And the thread does state that other Designers follow this rule as well so Coach isn't doing anything wrong/different than what all other Designers have implemented. It just looks like Coach is FINALLY doing something to enforce their rights.

Since I only buy for my own personal use, this will help me be more selective (rather than impulsive) about buying. It'll actually be better for my wallet (my DH will be in total agreement!). *lol*
 
#55
I don't buy to resell so this hopefully will not affect me. I just purchase for my own personal use. I am going to be more conservative in my purchases now though.
Maybe I will only buy two - four bags a year. It is a shame that it had to come to this
but I suppose that Coach is within their rights to do as they see fit.
 
#56
Isnt it silly that because of this regular customers feel as though they have to watch what they buy? If i DID have to do something like say, buy nice favors for a large party, I would almost certainly not purchase them at coach now. Isn't that stupid? They are losing business over people who are afraid of getting banned- I dont see any good business judgment in that!
 
#57
I can see the who reselling thing on ebay being against the rules for them but my thing is..

Shouls regular customers who buy for themselves (often) be concerned? I dont usually buy a lot of stuff at the outlets at one time but I like to go every couple of weeks to check out their new stuff...


I wonder if reg customers have been banned? I think this would be so much simpler if they put a restriction on items.. like say three similar bags.
 
#58
I'm not going to stop buying Coach over something like this. It's totally unfair when someone buys every last thing at the outlet or on sale just to mark up the price to make a profit. Buying exclusively to resell gets on my nerves.
 
#59
steph_in_nh said:
Yea I don't really think it's cool to buy tons just to get profit yourself. Its backhanded and kind of shady IMO your profitting off of the work the company did. I mean one bag you used and don't anymore is different. I think Coach is justified in taking actions.
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I have to disagree with this. The seller is also doing work and putting up an initial investment,travel, tax paying fees etc. I am not an ebay seller but have thought about it. Everyone in the world no matter what they do for a job tries to provide a service or products to other people who are willing to pay so that that person can make a profit and make a living. This is how the world works and in my opinion, when coach moved production to China they basically are getting their products made for pennies on the dollar and their prices have only gone up and quality has gone down. The letter is stupid
 
#60
Can I ask how much of this might actually be a tax issue? If Coach knowingly provides bags to resellers without a registered tax number, I think that Coach might be in some legal hot water. Coach can't track or guarantee that its buyers who are exclusively buying for profit are paying taxes on their sales. That's why small businesses have to provide a tax number when they purchase wholesale - they avoid sales tax at the moment, but also have their inventory purchases tracked and taxed in the end.
 
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