Marcy is angrily scouring the Internet for the bright pink Lilly Pulitzer for Target Raffia Tote Bag that sold out within minutes of its launch.
Marcy: I’m so peeved.
Cynthia: Ah, Marcy.
Marcy: I’d look so perfect in that pink bag.
Cynthia: You knew the collection was going to sell out within minutes. There was so much ridiculous hype over it, it was bound to happen.
Marcy: I’m so peeved.
Cynthia: You shouldn’t have gotten your hopes up.
Marcy angrily continues to search the Internet.
Marcy: Gasp! I found it on eBay.
Cynthia: Of course. Resellers are going crazy over this stuff. How much are they asking?
Marcy: Most bids are starting at $50. This one wants $160 for it.
Cynthia: What?! You can buy a real Lilly Pulitzer bag for less than that!
Marcy: I want that pink bag.
Cynthia: Well, I’m not paying a reseller one cent for that bag.
Cynthia takes a closer look at the eBay site.
Cynthia: Oh My Gato!
As of right now, there are 35,244 Lilly Pulitzer Target items for resale on eBay. AND – eBay is featuring the collection on their home page banner.
Now I’m peeved!
Target should just skip the consumer altogether and sell their stuff to directly to eBay.
Seriously.
They create this huge demand for cheaply made designer stuff and then most consumers can’t even get their hands on it because resellers pounce on it and sell it for exorbitant prices on eBay. Target likes the publicity and influx of money but I can’t help but think they will hurt themselves in the long run with this strategy.
But you know what? I don’t care.
And Target should care about that.
Marcy (pouting): I would look so pretty in that pink bag.
 |
| Lilly Pulitzer For Target Pink Raffia Tote Bag |
*So happy to hear that Stacey of Whimsical Preppy had a fantastic experience with the Lilly Pulitzer collection at her small out of the way Target. Check out her adventure here.
*And Liz of With Wonder And Whimsey has a brilliant analysis of the whole shebang here.
______________________________________________________________________________
*You Might Also Like:
Marcy’s Pet Peeves:
Retailers Illegally Selling Real Fur They’ve Labelled Faux Fur
and
10 Comments
I'm not sure what I'm more peeved about with the Target collabs – the resellers or the people with the ridiculously large personal hauls. I mean, I like shopping as much as the next person, but to shop in a frenzy is ridiculous … ;o)
I really wish Target would limit how many items a person can buy of these collections. It would make it a little more fair.
I'm completely turned off by the frenzy too. Especially with this collection because Lilly Pulitzer stuff is in the Anthropologie price range.
xo,cynthia
That is an interesting strategy and Marcy is right, she would look cute in that bag.
thank you. you're right.
meow,marcy
Marcy, I'm curious…what would you do in the bag? Put a cushion in there and take a nap? Put sand in the bottom and use it as a lovely pink bathroom? Hide inside and hope Cynthia grabs it on her way out and takes you on adventure?
you have no idea.
meow,marcy
*sigh* I was upset about this collaboration. I guess I just didn't know what I was getting myself into. I'm not some Lilly Pulitzer fanatic. I didn't have a name or brand to put to these iconic items up until this launch. I just thought it was a resort style, not a particular brand. It was also my first experience buying from a designer Target collaboration, so my expectations were way off.
I stayed up late to buy online, and I only walked away with one of the four items I wanted. That's fine. At least I got something I wanted. But I was so annoyed by the people who bought something – anything – just to have a piece from the collection. And I'm even more annoyed (and disgusted) with the people who turned around to sell the items at an insane markup on eBay and PoshMark. It totally exploits the point of these collaborations. Some of the sellers defended their actions saying, "I'm providing a service for people who didn't want to get up early to fight the throngs for an item. I'm ensuring they can still have that piece, but they have to pay for the convenience I'm providing." They don't seem to understand (or care) about the irony of the situation. There wouldn't be throngs of people if those sellers weren't out to work the system. And plenty of people did get up early to shop and still didn't get a single piece because of those sellers snatching everything up. I was online. I dutifully refreshed the page, anxiously awaiting the launch. And I moved fast once it did launch. And I still didn't get the few things I wanted.
This experience has certainly turned me off to Target's designer collaborations. The intent is great. But a few select people always have to ruin it for everyone else. It's lame. Lesson learned.
<3 Liz
http://www.withwonderandwhimsy.com
The thing that gets me is that Lilly Pulitzer's prices are on par with Anthroplogie. I can see how the Missoni and Jason Wu collections went crazy because they really are high end designers with sky high prices that most normal people can't attain.
I only knew about Lilly Pulitzer because I grew up in South Florida and she's a brand from Palm Beach.
I so hope that all of those resellers have to return their stuff back to Target because no one bids on them.
So keep your eyes peeled for returns!
xo,cynthia
That's very annoying and unfair. It would make sense for Target to limit how many pieces each person can buy but I'm not sure Target actually cares who buys the pieces as long as they get bought…
Yes – I really think they just don’t care. The bottom line is the bottom line for them I guess.