I am going on record as saying I do not support the crap that people pulled with the Missoni for Target collection yesterday. Buying insane amounts of stuff in order to resell it is not ok.
The number of Target shoppers who are now reselling the merch on eBay- for jaw-droppingly astronomical prices- should be ashamed of their shady and dishonest behavior.
The whole (style) purpose of Target's designer collaborations is to make creative and interesting design available to everyone. When someone buys a $39.99 blanket at Target for the sole purpose of re-selling at a Buy It Now price of $275 (I kid you not, that is what is happening), they are undermining the ability of people to access stylish pieces at affordable prices. They are putting these items out of reach of the very people they were designed for (i.e., pretty much everyone).
You know what else is inaccessible to most people? High end designer clothing. So now the cheaper versions at Target are being made as unreachable as the real deal.
You know how much a real Missoni scarf costs?
This one costs $245:
This one is $155:
If you are a brand whore (and I am the last person to fault you for it), your lust for all things Missoni is understandable. It's Italian, it's colorful, it's iconic. But why would you buy the Target version on eBay when you can spend the same amount- or in some cases, less- on the real thing?
The fact that in many cases eBay resellers are charging the same prices as Nordstrom is just sickening.
But you know what? They wouldn't do it if it didn't work. Clearly, enough people are making money on this shady BS to make it worthwhile. If eBay buyers would stop buying it, there would be no demand.
If you don't walk away from the over-priced merch and the related hysteria, this will continue. So I do not support the people buying this stuff on eBay, either. I don't give a damn about Target's profit margins. But I do believe in style at all price levels and the ability of people to take part in good design regardless of their budget.
1 comment:
I agree with you wholeheartedly. Aside from the people who try to make a big buck, for the people who will participate in the madness and pay for higher prices, they are not doing the economy any justice. Worse yet, they are extending a message to the retailers of our price tolerance at a higher level. That will drive prices up for the rest of us. It is sad that people don't see the big picture.
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