LAGOS - A NEW LOVE!

Receiving a promotional gift card when making a purchase is a nice bonus to get from a retailer. For me, the only drawback with these gift cards is there is typically a short time frame to use them. Use it or lose it!

In December 2022, with just a few days left to use a Bloomingdale's $200 promotional gift card I set aside time and listed the criteria for using this gift card.

First, I would add up to $100 to the purchase price of the item I selected, giving me a budget of $300.

Second, the item I'd shop for would be jewelry. With this low budget I decided to focus on earrings and they'd probably be plain silver; lacking gold and gems.

Third, if possible, the brand would be one I did not own and was interested in taking a better look at and then maybe making a purchase.

During previous visits to Bloomingdale's I've admired the LAGOS pieces located in a dedicated area closer to the store's Third Avenue side. LAGOS, which has been in business since the late 1970's is known for its "Caviar" line, which I've read was introduced in the 1980's. The pieces are composed of bead like shapes. That was not the clearest way to describe "Caviar" so best to check out the LAGOS website. https://www.lagos.com/.

While at the website, take a look at the "SMART Caviar" line. These pieces are Apple watch bracelets that are gorgeous and make the Apple watch look like a sensational piece of jewelry. (I'll have to earn a big promotional gift card to purchase one of these!)

It is usually fun to go on a shopping mission and using this Bloomingdale's promotional gift card was no different. Once at the LAGOS display cases I searched out silver hoop earrings. A sales associate quickly approached and I asked to see the pair in this post. Cleaned with an alcohol pad I tried these on and also tried a pair that was larger. There wasn't any hesitation to purchase these.

I love these earrings! They sit nicely on my ears and are a good weight, making them comfortable to wear. The earrings are versatile and I've worn them with casual outfits and also with a bit dressier clothes. I'm glad they are a part of my collection of earrings and looking forward to adding other LAGOS pieces to my jewelry box.

RESELLING: WHO IS BUYING MY MERCHANDISE?

I continue to be fascinated by reselling my unworn or slightly worn fashions and accessories on platforms such as The Real Real, Poshmark and Mercari.

Having a full time job prevents me from devoting time to the process during the week. My fascination, which is maybe better characterized as an obsession during the weekends is mostly due to the fact that I still haven't figured out why some of my items sell and other don't. What I think would be in demand is not and what I think is a dud -- ends up selling.

With Poshmark, at times items that have been on the site for almost year some how end up selling. In other instances when a listed item gets a number of likes, moving to close the sale, I lower the price and there aren't any buyers. My pricing strategy, I believe is on the low end and furthermore the majority of my offerings include either free postage or discounted postage, a good deal for the buyer.

While Poshmark permits the seller to adjust prices and postage costs the buyer is to pay, The RealReal is in full control over the pricing and all other selling processes such as promotions. When I finally decided to part with these Jimmy Choo pumps they had been taking up space in my closet for 8 about years. Purchased in Hong Kong I wore them once. (The dress I wore these shoes with is still in my possession. It too was worn just once. Too many overbuying confessions in this post!) I opted for The RealReal to take care of the resale. With these shoes being almost a decade along, but yet a luxury brand I was unsure how to price them. These shoes, along with about a dozen more items were packed up and picked up by The RealReal and and shortly thereafter were placed on its website.

Once my items were posted, I'll admit I went to The RealReal website a few times a day to see how my items were selling. A few things surprised me.

First, using these shoes as an example, where did the initial $325 selling price come from? I think I purchased them for almost double that price.

Second, why would someone buy these shoes? Yes, they are a pretty and a bit unique style, but not a current style. Maybe the reputation of the Jimmy Choo brand, the very nice condition and the ever popular color black? Something else?

Third, all my items posted on The RealReal's website sold within a few weeks. That was great, especially since I had my doubts about others being interested in some items.

So this brings me to my questions I try to answer when listing an item, particularly on Poshmark. Who is buying these things? Obviously many are and there are different types of buyers. Retailers and brands in a range of price offerings have entered the used market and more plan to enter.

Numerous articles and different groups have published studies about the resale market. It is fast growing market, driven by concerns about sustainability, the economy and I think also it is an easy way for a buyer to express individuality. But what drives someone to buy a particular item of mine is top of mind when I work on my reselling over the weekends. Knowing these answers might help me have more success. Do you buy used items? If so, why?

Pumped Up - Again

Tracking down pointy toe high heel (aka stiletto heels) black suede pumps has been a difficult endeavor in recent months. Living in New York City I thought it would be easy to slip into a store, pick out, try on (size 7 or 7.5) and leave with a pair of these pumps. It has been a few years since I've worn such shoes, attributable to the pandemic.* A change in my lifestyle during the pandemic hit me from head to toe. But with the pandemic less intrusive, loving that I'm taller in stiletto heels and going out more I decided to freshen up my shoe selection. Not so fast though! (*pandemic is not officially over? Right?).

My difficulty in finding black suede stiletto heels might be due to:

• These aren't being manufactured as much as they were during the pre-pandemic. Of course I don't know. Just a guess. The pandemic brought about, or reinforced the trend of wearing comfortable things: sneakers, slippers and all kinds of flats.

• Manufacturers might be focusing on trendier high heel styles such as platform ankle strap pumps. Check out the Versace and Valentino styles. The heel height is over 5 inches, along with a 2 plus inch platform. These are pretty shoes but too trendy for me.

• These pointy toe high heel suede shoes might not be popular with buyers anymore and manufacturers have responded accordingly, with fewer being available.

I'm not a quitter when it comes to hunting for shoes to try on in a store! Even if I'm buying an exact replacement of a pair of shoes I already own, I like to try on the potential new pair. Therefore, shoe shopping on the internet doesn't work for me.

The Saks Fifth Avenue website site had an adequate selection of pointy toe high heel black suede pumps when I looked last week. However, next to most of these shoes, it stated "Pick Up Not Available At New York" I thought it was worth a try to see if the Saks website was wrong, and maybe a nice assortment would be available in the Saks Fifth Avenue New York store.

When I reached the 8th floor shoe salon I slowly circled the floor hoping to locate black suede high heel pumps. There were just a few on display and I snatched them. Within a few minutes I was assisted by a helpful associate. Shortly thereafter he brought out a few shoe boxes. I found the perfect pair: The Manolo Blahnik BB 90 Suede pumps in black suede.