The Selling-Buying Dynamic - Insanely High Prices

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well, if he's ever been in the petstore then he's seen me! i used to have pink hair back before xmas. i'm leaving soon though, i am sooooo over working in the outlets. we were thinking of moving to davis, but now we're moving into the bay area.
 
Yeah I agree with the whole thing about prints being hyped up and then as a result, jacked up prices. I recently got a tan playground bella off of eBay and I paid over retail for it and it killed me. My reasoning for going through with the purchase tho was that I have always wanted a playground print bag and I never bought one when they were in stores. So that justified it for me. But thank goodness that was a one time thing and I wil NEVER pay that much for another toki bag.

I also recently got a foresta bella off eBay but this was under retail so I didn't feel so bad for getting it. I've cooled off on my purchases recently because I think I've spent too much on toki stuff over the past year or so. So no more eBay for me unless it's me trying to unload stuff.
 
I seriously hate seeing this one eBay seller list items for way over retail even when the placement on the bags isn't very good. There were some items of theirs that I was semi-interested in, but would never be able to convince myself to pay $20-30 over retail for.
 
The biggest problem with ebay although I love it for it, and as mentioned earlier is the free market system...

Firstly,
there are people each day finding tokidoki for the first time...
they probably don't know the crafty ways of getting toki cheap etc, so they get on ebay, want a bag badly...see that all bags they like ending soon have bids so "oh **** i better just deal with it because i want it"...

i hate admitting it but i paid way more at first for bags than i do now. I never paid over retail but i'd see a "good deal" not realizing how it was just an OKAY deal, and buy it, and as time has proceeded my toki purchases have gone down.

Secondly, the I have to have it I NEED it NOW! materialism that americans especially hold, is the same attitude keeping high prices up...some of us time to time play into it, but once you start buying most people learn, like myself from this board and other sites how to be cheap and still own tokidoki...

Thirdly,
there is also the other point brought up..the bandwagon effect. personally i got a trenino too, but I wanted a trenino and was going to get it in either a new print or inferno, but I preferred citta just didn't think finding one was realistic, but when it appeared it made me delighted. i am sure some people just bought them to have a bag, or to even profit and i personally don't mind someone profiting as long as they're not selling over retail crazy. for example i saw a bambinone a bag that is 130 normally go for 200 dollars...there will always be another one, IMO.


Lastly, and it may be the conspiracy theorist in me, but sellers can read this forum, always found it funny that the threads weren't blocked to non registered users, because i, who considers herself crafty, would totally look at what people are saying, how much they'd pay for an item, what is getting popular to the said audience and then put it on ebay..and i'm sure some sellers do this as a way to make even more money because we fall for it.
 
well ive always liked toki back when original came out but i was more practical then and didnt like to drop money on stuff i didnt need

well i lost my practicality recently and now own 7 or 8 bags just got in the month of may! Julicrystal started me off with selling me a GORGEOUS Citta rosa ciao ciao starting off my obsesession with placement

The trenino,

i think most people bought treninos cause of the decent price they have been found at. Ive wanted a treninio because i thought it would be a cute travel bag to have so when i found it for a good price i got it in foresta since i own nothing in foresta and green/teal is my favorite color.

there is something im watching on ebay i know i wont end up getting it but i REALLY want it. its my favorite style bag and it has exactly what i want on it..

im sure 842034802384 ladies on here are watching it too

so we shall see

i only paid above retail for one bag but i got another current back about 60 below retail so it evens itself out!!

so if i can get the one i see on ebay ill be a happy camper i doubt i will though im sure the price will jump!

but i know some where down the road ill will sell some of my bags when my practicality comes back!
 
I've never sold anything on eBay... so this is not a sellers opinion. But, they have the item, they want to sell it, they want to make money. All of that is ok. - If the price is too high for what someone wants to pay, they don't have to buy it. No one is required to buy something. - If someone can make money selling an in-demand collectible, good for them. When people sell their houses or their cars, they want to get the highest price they can get. So why wouldn't someone want the highest price they can get for anything else. There's nothing wrong with that.

Personally, I'd rather get the bag I want than trying to find a bargain. No Lesportsac outlets around Chicago... and a very limited supply in the only 2 department stores I've found with them.
 
posted by socprof - Lastly, and it may be the conspiracy theorist in me, but sellers can read this forum, always found it funny that the threads weren't blocked to non registered users, because i, who considers herself crafty, would totally look at what people are saying, how much they'd pay for an item, what is getting popular to the said audience and then put it on ebay..and i'm sure some sellers do this as a way to make even more money because we fall for it.

I so agree with that .. lol if I was a seller that's what I'd do! And sometimes when I see the prices that bids are starting at I really wonder if they read the forums to set prices cuz sometimes they're set crazy-high.

QueenLouis - I agree with your comments too. No one is forcing anyone to buy anything and sellers should def. be able to make a profit off their goods.

I'm really happy with the playground bella I got and I love it ... but I'm the kind of person that loves to get a bargain and this was no bargain but I HAD TO HAVE IT. haha so now I have it :biggrin:
It is now safely tucked away until I decide it's time to use it.
 
posted by socprof - Lastly, and it may be the conspiracy theorist in me, but sellers can read this forum, always found it funny that the threads weren't blocked to non registered users, because i, who considers herself crafty, would totally look at what people are saying, how much they'd pay for an item, what is getting popular to the said audience and then put it on ebay..and i'm sure some sellers do this as a way to make even more money because we fall for it.

I so agree with that .. lol if I was a seller that's what I'd do! And sometimes when I see the prices that bids are starting at I really wonder if they read the forums to set prices cuz sometimes they're set crazy-high.

QueenLouis - I agree with your comments too. No one is forcing anyone to buy anything and sellers should def. be able to make a profit off their goods.

I'm really happy with the playground bella I got and I love it ... but I'm the kind of person that loves to get a bargain and this was no bargain but I HAD TO HAVE IT. haha so now I have it :biggrin:
It is now safely tucked away until I decide it's time to use it.

exactly! I purchased a zucca about three months ago for 50 under retail..and for a few weeks zuccas were the hot topic on here..and all at once zuccas are over retail on ebay...and i love the bag but what changed? not saying this forum is a huge impact in that way, but it has some impact, if you are in the business of buying low and selling high you're going to be a smart business person and check your sources...and that's the same with trenino's we talked about how you could get them at loehmann's then tj maxx for original stellinas etc, and wham an influx of them on ebay. add in the lj communities talking about the same stuff as members from both come to each and discuss things they find here there etc.

and as you said queenlouis and tokidoki angel, no one is forcing anyone it's our own want and guilt and fear of "missing out", there is nothing i'd pay over retail for as i have other bills and refuse to use credit cards to buy tokidoki so i work with limited funds and that's okay for me..there is always another one out there.
 
We each have our methods of getting the rare or htf items -- and our reasons for keeping or reselling --but I am darned curious how one particular seller, who's ebay ID is a character from an 80s cartoon, gets all the great items with very excellent placement.
 
We each have our methods of getting the rare or htf items -- and our reasons for keeping or reselling --but I am darned curious how one particular seller, who's ebay ID is a character from an 80s cartoon, gets all the great items with very excellent placement.


LOL seriouslY~! they must study what is considered good placement etc... where is that supply from?! we need to find that place for ourselves ;)
 
LOL seriouslY~! they must study what is considered good placement etc... where is that supply from?! we need to find that place for ourselves ;)

I bet it's the same like with the Coach resellers. Just some lucky, lucky people who live near the outlets. Or close enough to make the trip worth it for their eBay business. I'm no where near a lesportsac outlet. And at a 2hr round trip, horrible (almost impossible to find a space) parking and a screaming/grabbing mob atmosphere, it makes my Coach outlet pretty unappealing too!
 
My main problem is Original print going for above current retail prices. My first bag was a black/original Ciao, and I paid: "1 Ciao - tokidoki Black 9507 - 7600 $96.00 $96.00" from LeSportsac.com. No discount. Full price. So why did the Ciao's price raise to $120? I almost bought an Original Bambinone from UO for $120; not on sale. This bag style is now $130. This is why I won't spend too much on an Original print bag. Like the Bambinone that was on eBay a few weeks ago.. someone actually spent $199.99+shipping. [It was from out of the US so probably paid more than US prices, but I still wouldn't have paid that, especially for original print.]
 
i love the girls for some odd reason

its weird cause i hate brown/tan but i love playground

why ? no idea im just drawn to it, i like the girls but i love the ones on citta rosa the best and pirata. i just love lattes... i wish there were little pirate lattes on my pirata bag

i think the funniest thing to myself.. or maybe just odd,
is that im not into anime at all really

but i love tokidoki, i went to the pool trade show last year and it restored my love in tokidoki i got the tote that they gave out for free, a latte sticker, and a fan.

this has not much to do with the post, but yeah
i paid 200 for my playground campeggio and its used the qee is banged up and there is a cut in the fabric!!!!

i ended up paying so much because there was another girl trying to outbid me :sad: oh well i do love it i think i shall switch soon from my pirata to playground