OMG, People Are Reselling Lululemon Items Online for Crazy Amounts of Money
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Fans of capsule collections and limited-edition goods are no strangers to resellers. Often, these items are snatched up during opening-day chaos, or purchased en masse online (see: Missoni for Target’s near-instant sell-out, followed by rapid-fire online listings — including a pair of $34.99 rain boots listed on eBay for $31,000). Once sold out, everyday shoppers intent on buying an item must visit one of these reseller sites to buy the item — usually at an astronomical markup.
The practice is usually reserved for luxe designers like Chanel or at-one-point-affordable collections like Alexander Wang for H&M or Phillip Lim for Target. But now, resellers are making a killing on Lululemon — like an $800-for-a-pair-of-running-shorts kind of killing.
Racked writes:
“There are more than 100 private Facebook groups dedicated to buying and selling both new and used Lululemon items; over on eBay, countless sellers list Lululemon products with 1000 percent markups. Lulu running shorts can go for upwards of $800, as can the brand’s vaunted leggings. Bras easily resell for $250, while tanks are listed for $500.”
They also note, quite hilariously:
“Lululemon has one of the highest sell-through rates on our site and that data has been consistent,” explains Tradesy CEO Tracy DiNunzio. “We’ll sometimes see similar interest with middle-market brands, but this type of demand is unheard of for athleisure. We always see markups in rare Chanel bags or vintage Louis Vuitton, so it’s interesting to see it happening with pants that make your butt look good and only retail for $80.”
The author goes on to cite all kinds of reasons for the resale success: Lululemon’s poor return policy (only 14 days to return full-price merch), the brand’s marketing strategies (limited edition colors), a scarcity model (they only release a certain number of an item). But all we know is that we’d much rather spend $800 on this bag than a pair of track shorts. It’s just not worth it, guys. Read the whole story on Racked here.
