$260 for a TOWEL?

LanguorousLass

total scarf junkie
Jan 28, 2008
491
0
Okay, folks -- I can understand Hermes's, and resellers', charging comparatively-large bucks for scarves. I can sort of understand their charging eye-popping prices for purses (though they're not my personal cup o' chai).

But $260 as a BIN price on a towel? :wtf:

http://cgi.ebay.com/HERMES-PARIS-DE...ryZ45243QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Is this seller simply out of his/her freakin' mind, or will somebody actually be willing to pay that much money for what basically looks to me like a beach towel?

Can somebody please explain this situation to me? :confused1:
 
But why? That's what I don't understand.

What makes this towel worth that much money?

I know the painstaking work that goes into the H scarves. I don't know much, if anything, about the bags, but I assume the same level of love and care goes into them.

Can a towel actually consume that much time and effort?

Bella, I guess I've just never lived a life in which money was no object, and I've never known anyone -- at least in RL -- who lived that way either. :shrugs:
 
Well, I would imagine that there were extremely high quality materials used in the making of it, and that the design was not mass-produced, meaning that more care was taken in making them (however towels are made!) and that you would be unlikely to mix it up with someone else's by the sea shore.

But aside from all of that... at the end of the day, Hermes is a luxury brand. In order to keep that label/statement of quality, they must charge very high prices for all of their items in order to prevent the high quality/high class brand image from being diluted. If this towel was, say, $50, anyone could buy them, which could damage the exclusive image of the brand.

Yes, it's snobby, but that's part of the brand identity. Realistically, if Hermes wanted, I'm sure they could afford to train and employ more leather artisans and produce more Birkins (for example) than they are currently making, but if they did, it would mean that they were more available and the exclusivity would be gone, and that's part of what you are paying for when you purchase an Hermes item.

That's what it's all about, really. (Aside from the fact that I'm sure it's a really great, um... towel. :biggrin:)
 
Well, I would imagine that there were extremely high quality materials used in the making of it, and that the design was not mass-produced, meaning that more care was taken in making them (however towels are made!) and that you would be unlikely to mix it up with someone else's by the sea shore.

But aside from all of that... at the end of the day, Hermes is a luxury brand. In order to keep that label/statement of quality, they must charge very high prices for all of their items in order to prevent the high quality/high class brand image from being diluted. If this towel was, say, $50, anyone could buy them, which could damage the exclusive image of the brand.

Yes, it's snobby, but that's part of the brand identity. Realistically, if Hermes wanted, I'm sure they could afford to train and employ more leather artisans and produce more Birkins (for example) than they are currently making, but if they did, it would mean that they were more available and the exclusivity would be gone, and that's part of what you are paying for when you purchase an Hermes item.

That's what it's all about, really. (Aside from the fact that I'm sure it's a really great, um... towel. :biggrin:)

Thanks, anez. Your explanation makes more sense than anything I can think of. And your last line cracked me up. I almost never LOL, but you accomplished that rare feat. :roflmfao:
 
Actually, it's a bargain vs the boutique. Some of the towel designs are fantastic. If you have a pool and want to indulge yourself, it's a nice luxury. I'd be afraid to take one to the beach and get up for a swim, though.
 
Hermes towels are very beautiful and each colour is printed on separately, as are the scarves. It is a much more costly and time consuming process.
I purchased this design in two colourways; I thought four all the same would be too boring.

BTW that towel on the Ebay link is one that is faked and sold from Omas.
 

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I absolutely ADORE Hermes towels. I have been buying them for I don't know how long. The quality is incredible. After 12 years of travelling around the world and umpteen times of washing, the colors are still vibrant and the absorbancy still very strong. I take them to the beach, put them on the back seat of the car if we are wet going home. I really use them a lot. As for the cost? Well, yes, they are very expensive. No question about that. Whether it's justified or not, I guess you just have to say...it's H! I love giving them as gifts when we visit people during the summer.