Do you guys get this?.. Cuz I don't!

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LittleH

LittleH

O.G.
Aug 12, 2008
3,246
41
#1
Here is something that has me puzzled. You know how most resellers sale their new items at higher prices than retail? We all understand that and it is because it gives buyers direct access to H items without having to wait for them in a waiting list, or go and find them in farflung boutiques.

But, what I don't get is when the reseller's premium is 50% and more. What justifies this??? Especially for items which are readily available and are not too difficult to find in H shops.

I found the other day a Birkin which was priced at a 100% premium to the price in a H shop.

Do you guys understand this?
 
#2
Yes I understand you totally. There are just some resellers that bank on the fact that out of millions and millions of H lovers, there will also be 1 person that will buy the item regardless of the price.

Some people do not like the extra work involved with sourcing what it is they want, so will turn to a reseller and pay more.

There are some resellers that are wonderful to work with and will help out customers - Nancy and Kaz springs to mind. Then there are resellers that will put a 100% mark up and wait for a customer to come along.

People should also be aware, that members here sell great items and often for no mark up at all, which is great for people looking for items.
 
#4
Heh - I agree with Sammyjoe. At first I thought that some items must be really rare and hard to get, thus justifying the extreme markup, but I've seen items that are not at all rare and still marked up 100%. :shrugs:
 
#5
Oh, I should make it clear, I am not saying that members openly sell items on the forum which is not true, rather if people keep an eye on the post ebay finds, you will find tpf members list their items offering H lovers an affordable gateway to H riches.......:drool::graucho:
 
#6
I agree. Sometimes you find items of similar value on the net, with two totally different prices. I find it surprising because it is as if resellers don't benchmark other goods or don't care!

And I agree there is (and should be) a premium for super rare items such as Barenia, but for plain vanilla items which you can find in the back rooms I don't get it!
 
#7
plain vanilla!!:roflmfao:

Also, maybe LittleH some people dont have the awareness and they think because the birkin and kelly etc are hard to find, they may think most things are hard to find.

Also when you read the listings, it states "hard to find", "you would normally have to sell a kidney to get this" , "sought after" people buy into that......
 
#8
There was a heated, interesting discussion on this maybe a year ago, I think it was started by Jag. I'll try to find it later cause now I have to go.
 
#9
Also, bear in mind that in some countries like Japan Hermes is already almost twice the price as you would pay in the US. So if a seller ships internationally, they may have a client base among those who either don't live near an Hermes store, or who are used to paying higher prices.
 
#11
Great topic.

First, the "logic" (so to speak) of the huge markup probably made more sense a few years ago when there was truly more scarcity of even the "vanilla" items and the resellers represented one of the few ways to get you hands on a birkin. Pay the premium...get the bag.

Now, with the market filling with more reasonably priced bags on eBay, and with great bags becomming slightly more available in the boutiques, it will be interesting to see what the future holds for the top-dollar resellers.

I wonder if there is an international component to the big markups as well. When it comes to getting the bag you want, it is not an even playing field from country to country. Short of flying to Paris, there are people in some countries who truly have a tougher time finding what they want. Perhaps this represents some of the market for the $$ resellers. I don't know.

A little markup is not troubling on a new bag when you consider eBay and/or Paypal fees and the trouble of getting something. But wow--when the price reaches a 50% markup or more, I have questions.

Each reseller can of course follow their own policy--from offering a reasonable price and hoping for a quick sale to offering a high price (often over and over) and waiting for a buyer to come along. But in the changing economy I am wondering if the high-markup-sellers will find an increasingly small market for their items.
 
#12
I think that is a great point perigord regarding the circle of buyers getting smaller, the post Polaremil posted is an interesting read. For me a difference is that, the thread was made in April 2008 and now in Feb 2009, the money market and peoples pockets are different.
 
#13
Sammyjoe said:
plain vanilla!!:roflmfao:
Click to expand...

:p Sorry, my job has an obviously massive impact on how I talk!

I agree that for some regions of the world then a 50% premium isn't such an issue, but then you have to add shipping fees and often import duty. To me it is not a rational thing to do but then again who said our H obsession was rational!!

All I'm saying is some resellers seem to be totally oblivious to prices that other resellers are offering, and also to the economical background. I wonder does it make business sense for them!
 
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