How do you feel about people who buy from H to resell immediately at higher price?

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#47
Serva1 said:
I will never buy from a professional reseller, don't like this type of business. I shop at H, even if I have to travel by plane, or H.com.
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When we're talking brand-new items, I'm with you. I will probably always buy leather goods from the boutique only, and I prefer to buy silks there too.

But if I'm ever going to get that 2008 Virage scarf in brown/mustard/pink, it'll will probably be through a trustworthy professional reseller, since I am paranoid of fakes.

And if I ever need to sell any of my items, I'm going to enlist the help of that same kind of reseller, since I am paranoid of nonpaying bidders, and people who buy your authentic product and return a fake to you and demand a refund, etc.

For me, part of evaluating a reseller, for buying or for consignment, will always be checking to see if a whole lot of brand-new items at inflated prices are going through them.

The occasional brand-new item for sale can be OK: somebody could have a cash emergency; somebody else might just want to turn that lousy cheating ex-boyfriend/girlfriend's Xmas gift into cold, hard cash immediately. But someone who makes a habit of buying new products simply to resell them is not a reseller for me.

I know I've said all this several times in this thread. I just feel obliged to stick up for professional resellers of pre-loved items, since the good ones are very necessary.
 
#48
This thread is very interesting, I do not have an issue with resellers. It a business and if the practice of buying new or used items to turn them around for a profit is legal. It is a practice that has been around since the concept of free market has been around.

I do have an issue with resellers (professional or casual) who are dishonest about the condition of their items or how they acquired them. I have encountered many instances where resellers have listed an item as NWT or NWOT at a HUGE premium and yet with a little research on social media revealed that they have worn them. Some even have price tags attached in their OOTD posts. :rolleyes:

I don't think Hermes (or any other boutiques) can do anything about it other than tighten their return policy. Maybe this will discourage some resellers if they can't return unsold items for cash. Coach recently changed their return policy to discourage resellers from scooping multiple new releases and listing them elsewhere. Hopefully this will keep more items in the stores for people to buy them for their personal use.
 
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#49
xiangxiang0731 said:
One can always buy from an H store if they can, no question about it. If people buy from a reseller, then there must be a reason that they can't easily buy from a store at its original price. So the reseller fulfil that needs by charging extra. I don't see what's wrong with it.
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One can always buy from an H store if they (a) can find one within reasonable transportation distance, (b) H store has the specific desired item in stock and (c) the buyer can afford the H sticker price.

I generally see people (a) buying hard to find brand new bags/scarves from resellers or (b) old bags, scarves, slgs on discount for resellers.
 
#50
Belphoebe said:
This is no doubt a service for many, true enough.

For many other people, though, the "service" actually removes something fun. Those people have only two choices:

Choice 1: Pay extra money, risk buying a fake, AND lose out on the fun of visiting the store, holding the new-season scarves up in the light to see which CW suits you best, seeing whether an Evelyne really suits you, making friends with a SA so maybe they bump you up on the B/K list, etc.

Choice 2: Don't pay the extra money, but risk the chance that the ones you want will be sold out before you can take a trip to the store, because they have been bought by people who didn't even want them.​

All resellers of any kind would be right to remind me of a few things:

1. Tough luck. The handbag or scarf you missed is someone else's gain. It's a cruel world, baby.

2. Scarves and handbags are not puppies. They don't care if they go to "good homes" or not, so why should you?

3. Waaaaah, cry me a river. So you can't buy the exact luxury good you want. You do realize $10K builds a well in Ethiopia, right? Maybe you should go spend your money on that and save some lives instead of buying a handbag.
​
Yes, any one of you is correct to think all these things. And like I said, I don't lie awake at night worrying about it. I got 99 problems, and a reseller ain't one.

But a person putting a jacked-up price on a new-season scarf they just bought will always be different to me from cashing in on that exotic vintage Kelly that someone brought to you because they trust the reselling business you worked so hard to build.

TL; DR again. Sorry for boring anyone who's bored.
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Oh gawd. Smh.
Belphoebe said:
This is a helpful summary, fairly and neutrally worded. Thank you.

Speaking of wording: I realize that I made a mistake when I named the thread. I see now why I keep having to say over and over that I have no problem with resellers in general or their making a profit.

I should have called the thread "How do you feel about THE PRACTICE of buying specifically for immediate resale" instead of "how do you feel about the people." I don't know the people, and I don't feel any way about them one way or another.

I asked the moderators to rename the thread so that it talks about "the practice" and not the people, but so far they have declined, so I have to live with my bad word choice. Tant pis for me!
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I don't care for the practice. I personally think it's deplorable even though I realize everyone needs to make a buck somehow. Some professions just aren't as honorable others. The reason why I'm against it is because even though these are generally bona-fide and outed resellers (the SAs do know), they limit the already scarce commodity for others who chose to go to the boutique directly and obtain it themselves.
lulilu said:
Maybe this goes on in some stores, who knows? But in my store, the SD must approve every birkin or kelly sale. I think it would be hard to carry on such a practice in those circumstances.
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In my Alaskan boutique, if it's a non-floor exotic by all means they need to approve it and analyze the customer profile in detail. If it's a non exotic or kelly, they generally adhere to the supposed quota but there's always exceptions.
mistikat said:
The way it's worked in my store is that they are told which customer wants to buy the bag and it is up to them to approve the sale. It's not a decision the SA can make on their own.
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Yes and the SA themselves are alloted a particular quota towards such and such. So they have to choose wisely which customer gets what. I swear they got a secret database. Lol they know if you're local or visiting, what hotel you're at if the latter, what profession and where you live if the former.
Precious_UK said:
Sorry I should have phrased that better. I meant as in what sort of criteria would somebody have to fill in order to be allowed to purchase the bag. Do they have to have had a purchase history? Look a certain way? Behave in a certain manner? Is it fair that somebody is judged to such an extent before being able to make a purchase for an item that they have the funds to buy? I'm not saying it is or it isn't fair.. I'm merely asking the question as it's something that does make me wonder. X
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It's on a case by case basis, depending on the area you live. But generally money talks.
 
#51
I have bought once an item from a reseller at a significant mark up - and will not do that again. not because I have any feeling about the practice itself but because I didn't keep the item long enough or use it enough to justify the regular boutique price, never mind the mark up. One of the reasons why I prefer to buy preloved.

Honestly, if there is a market for it, there are resellers - if someone was not prepared to pay their prices, they wouldn't charge, simple supply and demand. it is IMO an entirely emotion-free subject matter.
 
#52
hermes_lemming said:
Oh gawd. Smh.

I don't care for the practice. I personally think it's deplorable even though I realize everyone needs to make a buck somehow. Some professions just aren't as honorable others. The reason why I'm against it is because even though these are generally bona-fide and outed resellers (the SAs do know), they limit the already scarce commodity for others who chose to go to the boutique directly and obtain it themselves.

In my Alaskan boutique, if it's a non-floor exotic by all means they need to approve it and analyze the customer profile in detail. If it's a non exotic or kelly, they generally adhere to the supposed quota but there's always exceptions.

Yes and the SA themselves are alloted a particular quota towards such and such. So they have to choose wisely which customer gets what. I swear they got a secret database. Lol they know if you're local or visiting, what hotel you're at if the latter, what profession and where you live if the former.

It's on a case by case basis, depending on the area you live. But generally money talks.
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What is an Alaskan boutique? Why not just say in "my boutique?"
 
#55
phdgal said:
This thread is very interesting, I do not have an issue with resellers. It a business and if the practice of buying new or used items to turn them around for a profit is legal. It is a practice that has been around since the concept of free market has been around.

I do have an issue with resellers (professional or casual) who are dishonest about the condition of their items or how they acquired them. I have encountered many instances where resellers have listed an item as NWT or NWOT at a HUGE premium and yet with a little research on social media revealed that they have worn them. Some even have price tags attached in their OOTD posts. :rolleyes:

I don't think Hermes (or any other boutiques) can do anything about it other than tighten their return policy. Maybe this will discourage some resellers if they can't return unsold items for cash. Coach recently changed their return policy to discourage resellers from scooping multiple new releases and listing them elsewhere. Hopefully this will keep more items in the stores for people to buy them for their personal use.
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Interesting about Coach changing their policy. What kind of return policy could discourage people from purchasing new releases for resale? I can't think of anything except requiring any returns to be within a time period too quick for an ebay auction, which seems unreasonable.

And yes, while there is disagreement on whether buying simply for resale is objectionable or not, I don't think anybody is okay with resellers being dishonest about the condition of an item. Sure, one person's "excellent" could be another person's "very good" or "good," but a product is either new and unworn or it isn't.
 
#56
Belphoebe said:
Interesting about Coach changing their policy. What kind of return policy could discourage people from purchasing new releases for resale? I can't think of anything except requiring any returns to be within a time period too quick for an ebay auction, which seems unreasonable.

And yes, while there is disagreement on whether buying simply for resale is objectionable or not, I don't think anybody is okay with resellers being dishonest about the condition of an item. Sure, one person's "excellent" could be another person's "very good" or "good," but a product is either new and unworn or it isn't.
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As noted previously, there are a lot of threads on buying from resellers - your specific question, from your first post, was:

This question is about people who buy brand-new products right away, to sell at a markup.

If you wish to now discuss the merits of buying used items, condition, returns, ebay auctions, etc., I can easily merge this into an existing thread more in keeping with this discussion, or close it so that you can participate in another of those threads with this new direction.

Thanks.
 
#57
 
#58
Indeed I started my H journey from reseller who taught me how to appreciate H. So no harm in trying reseller as long as u know (or feel) he or she is sincere and selling u a genuine product
 
#59
atomic110 said:
Indeed I started my H journey from reseller who taught me how to appreciate H. So no harm in trying reseller as long as u know (or feel) he or she is sincere and selling u a genuine product
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Now that is interesting: it hadn't occurred to me that a person would find their way to H through a reseller -- I always assumed people found their way to resellers after getting interested in H. I am learning all kinds of things from this thread.

Did you ever buy any new-season scarves at a markup from a reseller? Do you care one way or another about the practice of buying a new season scarf simply to resell it immediately at a higher price (which Hermes explicitly forbids, though obviously they can't stop it)? I've been surprised at the divergence of opinion and interested in the different reasoning.
 
#60
mistikat said:
There have been several threads on resellers. Some PFers dislike them - a lot. Others don't care. I don't care. There are plenty of people, including members here, who buy and flip hard-to-find items for a healthy profit. If people want to do that and they have buyers, more power to them. It happens with every commodity in the world. Why should Hermes be different, and why should anyone be fussed about it? People have the right to choose from whom they will buy ... and if these resellers offend them, I guess they will buy elsewhere.
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I totally agreed with Mistikat! :)
 
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