Solid Perfume › Forums › General Lauder Solids Talk › El Compacts Grinded As Garbage!
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Hi Everyone, I just had to post this. I went to an EL warehouse sale the other day and what I was told disgusted me. One of the workers showed me at least 300 or more cases of MIB compacts from all years, including carousels. They were on shelves on skids still packaged from when they were made. I was told that if they do not sell they are going to be sent away to be grinded up. This is why they are now selling some solids at the sales. They have someone who sits there and digs the perfume out, throws the presentation boxes to the side for garbage and throws the compacts inta a big box all mixed up and unprotected, then they put a few at a time on a table with a limit of 4 on them for sale. The workers were disgusted themselves, especially since they know that people collect and want them.
I was also told that EL knows not to sell the more wanted ones like the dragons and such as they know the compacts end up on Ebay. They even had the collector book there at the sale. The thing that puzzles me is how greedy the company is. They know that the compacts are getting out and thats fine with them, but at the same time they will destroy items that collectors will buy if they just reduced the starting price a bit. I hope you all can see that EL does not care about its loyal customers that would pay maybe $100 rather than $300 to keep their items from becoming totally wothless selling them for $25 at these sales and knowing they are on ebay.
As we all know even the ebay sales are much lower than in the past. Even at cheap prices the compacts are not moving well. There is one new seller however, that seems to have an endless supply. I have spoken to that person and they have plenty more. Everyone seems to go crazy for this sellers items perhaps because the pictures are nice. Im wondering if he/she knows where they get grinded at and makes a deal. Humm interesting.
Anyway I just wanted to let everyone know what I heard at the sale. You can't say that EL is not a money making company now can you. Im hoping that the same thing that happened to comic books doesnt happen to compacts (they became worthless). Oh, I almost forgot …… once you leave the warehouse sale you walk directly into the EL store, where the same comacts you just bought for $25 are sitting in the boxes with perfume selling for $200 and up. Strange huh?
Very sad… <img src='style_emoticons//sad.gif’ border=’0′ style=’vertical-align:middle’ alt=’sad.gif’ />
There is one new seller however, that seems to have an endless supply. I have spoken to that person and they have plenty more. Everyone seems to go crazy for this sellers items perhaps because the pictures are nice. Im wondering if he/she knows where they get grinded at and makes a deal. Humm interesting.
I've spoken with him also – he used to work for EL, so he probably has all kinds of contacts, including warehouses. I happen to believe that a really good photo does make a difference in the final price, so he is doing better business than most because of his photos, in my opinion.
I feel I must make a comment here! I am sick to death of seeing the older compacts which were so sought after in the past, appearing on Ebay at a fraction of the price and selling at ridiculously low prices! Great if you can acquire something at auction which somehow slips through the net! But to see the older ones appearing over and over again…………….well! And these are always from the same seller(s). Well, these particular sellers will be fighting each other as there is no room for more than one with the amount of stuff being churned out!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'm afraid to say that the particular seller you are referring to is not the only person who has an abudance of older compacts which they list and sell at unrealistic prices.
It seems that the ''habit'' is catching and the older collectors who have spent an enormous amount of money acquiring the ''hard to get'' solid compacts have to watch their collections sink lower and lower and lower. This is so unfair. It is
also unethical and wrong that the moulds are supposedly still available so that these solids can be made and flood the market.Soon there won't be any Collectors and also, Collectors will not want to pay full whack for anything.
So for all those selling these items, it seems your cup doth not runneth over anymore! Too much of a good thing and you are left with nothing!
WELL SAID JACKY.I do wonder sometimes just how many collectors complain about the warehouse sales and then go right ahead and buy off the sellers who are getting it out.
I have always said and Jacky will bear me out on this, that the one way to put a stop to a lot of this “Out of Warehouse Selling” is……. NOT TO BUY OFF THESE PEOPLE. If their sales fall off then it will not be worth their while to get them from Estee Lauder.
Let the surplus be destroyed, this will uphold the monetary value of a MIB collection.
It used to be such good fun saving up for a solid that you wanted and waiting for it to come up on ebay……now all that has gone… <img src='style_emoticons//sad.gif’ border=’0′ style=’vertical-align:middle’ alt=’sad.gif’ />
Margaret
I've always felt that EL had the perfect opportunity to create a feeding frenzy among collectors by making a truly limited number of solids, advertising them, and getting the collectors worked up to purchase. They would be gone in a heartbeat. So what if a few collectors resell and make a few dollars. It's all part of the game.
You don't see companies like Lalique re-releasing some of their creations that are worth thousands of dollars. Also you don't see Lalique sold at warehouse sales either.
I have an extensive collection of the older solids. But I won't waste my money on a new one with todays corporate mentality.I'm disgusted. This may change my purchases of the new season. Interestingly, my SA told me the Cathedral this year is so limited that there are not enough to sell to everyone who wants one. I suspect EL will produce another run of them. Methinks Harrods is the way to go…
Ar<img src='style_emoticons//ohmy.gif’ border=’0′ style=’vertical-align:middle’ alt=’ohmy.gif’ />
Just totally shocked with the news. <img src='style_emoticons//sad.gif’ border=’0′ style=’vertical-align:middle’ alt=’sad.gif’ />
Hi again, my point in letting you all in on this story is that EL could make everyone happier if they lowered their prices just a bit. If they sold compacts for $150 instead of $300 or $400 then collectors could buy more and they wouldnt have so many to grind up or sell at warehouse sales. They are killing the business of collecting themselves. Wouldnt it be nice to buy 2 for the price you spend on one. Of course you would buy more. They know about ebay and are allowing it so you cant be mad at the people trying to make a dollar and delivering you the items you would pay $300 for at a lower cost. Im sure many collectors have let EL know how they feel, but do you think they care. I dont think they reuse the molds to put out new items, I think they just made a large quantity when they were produced and couldnt sell them. Who ever said they destroy the molds anyway? I believe the older ones are the way to go for the real collectors.
This is not the first time I have heard of this process of destruction. Apparently Swarovski also destroys items and photographs the destruction. Presumably this goes to the tax office as evidence that the product is “written off” in the books of account. Some designers also claim to “burn” their unsold product. It all relates back to the basics of economics – supply and demand. If demand is low then to keep the price high the supply has to be lowered to match demand. Its a commonly used marketing technique in high end niche market product……and don't we all hate it that we can't buy the unsold product cheaply? On the flip side, it is designed to maintain the “value” attached to a “brand” by ensuring the product can never enter the market intact at a cheap price – hence the disposal of the box. So if they crush it, those of us with a collection should maintain its value. So just how do I get my hands on a carousel at original sell price MIB? They didn't import more than 3 to Australia!! I'd even buy a $20 one without the box!! Collectors……aren't we all a hoot?!! The more we learn about the strategy behind marketing, the less I buy. Bottom line is that price is not related to cost of production. It is the amount of money the producer can sell the product for by creating an “I must have it” image in the buyer's mind. And haven't we all got smarter than the marketers now that we think “I can live without it”? Unless it comes on cheap on ebay of course!! <img src='style_emoticons//laugh.gif’ border=’0′ style=’vertical-align:middle’ alt=’laugh.gif’ /> <img src='style_emoticons//laugh.gif’ border=’0′ style=’vertical-align:middle’ alt=’laugh.gif’ /> <img src='style_emoticons//laugh.gif’ border=’0′ style=’vertical-align:middle’ alt=’laugh.gif’ />
Lyndell,
What you said makes sense except that a lot of solids end up at Cosmetic Centers around the USA where they're sold for 20-25% below retail. I wonder how they determine which ones they will make available to the CCs…
ArQUOTE(VEGAS LADY @ Aug 12 2008, 09:52 PM)
WELL SAID JACKY.I do wonder sometimes just how many collectors complain about the warehouse sales and then go right ahead and buy off the sellers who are getting it out.
I have always said and Jacky will bear me out on this, that the one way to put a stop to a lot of this “Out of Warehouse Selling” is……. NOT TO BUY OFF THESE PEOPLE. If their sales fall off then it will not be worth their while to get them from Estee Lauder.
Let the surplus be destroyed, this will uphold the monetary value of a MIB collection.
It used to be such good fun saving up for a solid that you wanted and waiting for it to come up on ebay……now all that has gone… <img src='style_emoticons//sad.gif’ border=’0′ style=’vertical-align:middle’ alt=’sad.gif’ />
Margaret[snapback]24345[/snapback]And well said Margaret! We all know who these sellers are! As a matter of principle I NEVER BUY FROM THESE PEOPLE who go to warehouse sales and then sell the compacts on ebay! Wish more people would do the same.
As already put so succinctly by Margaret, “let the surplus be destroyed”.
MitziMay
xxxQUOTE(nyslzzle @ Aug 13 2008, 03:51 AM)Hi again, my point in letting you all in on this story is that EL could make everyone happier if they lowered their prices just a bit. If they sold compacts for $150 instead of $300 or $400 then collectors could buy more and they wouldnt have so many to grind up or sell at warehouse sales. They are killing the business of collecting themselves. Wouldnt it be nice to buy 2 for the price you spend on one. Of course you would buy more. They know about ebay and are allowing it so you cant be mad at the people trying to make a dollar and delivering you the items you would pay $300 for at a lower cost. Im sure many collectors have let EL know how they feel, but do you think they care. I dont think they reuse the molds to put out new items, I think they just made a large quantity when they were produced and couldnt sell them. Who ever said they destroy the molds anyway? I believe the older ones are the way to go for the real collectors.[snapback]24349[/snapback]Estee Lauder, what a way to run a company! Two for the price of one sounds good and no surplus at the warehouse for the people who sell their empty compacts usually with no boxes and not always the original pouches, on ebay! <img src='style_emoticons//ohmy.gif’ border=’0′ style=’vertical-align:middle’ alt=’ohmy.gif’ /> <img src='style_emoticons//ohmy.gif’ border=’0′ style=’vertical-align:middle’ alt=’ohmy.gif’ />
MitziMay
xxxHello MitziMay, seems we are in agreement re the solids which are being re-produced, re-released hand over fist!
Re the comment in an earlier post about the older solids being the way to go,
these are the ones which KEEP on appearing on Ebay at a fraction of the price!
Please don't tell me the Desert Diamond, Birdcage, Jester, Dragon to name a few, are newbies! They are not! What about the Stuart Weizman Shoe and, and and……………………So, not only are the new ones not worth the effort, the older ones are also being
demonised! Re the Harrods, I do hope the English Rider will not become a general line! This sold high and was supposedly being kept to a release of 40!Old habits are catching!!!!!!!!!
<img src='style_emoticons//unsure.gif’ border=’0′ style=’vertical-align:middle’ alt=’unsure.gif’ />
QUOTE(Jacqueline @ Aug 15 2008, 09:39 AM)Hello MitziMay, seems we are in agreement re the solids which are being re-produced, re-released hand over fist!Re the comment in an earlier post about the older solids being the way to go,
these are the ones which KEEP on appearing on Ebay at a fraction of the price!
Please don't tell me the Desert Diamond, Birdcage, Jester, Dragon to name a few, are newbies! They are not! What about the Stuart Weizman Shoe and, and and……………………So, not only are the new ones not worth the effort, the older ones are also being
demonised! Re the Harrods, I do hope the English Rider will not become a general line! This sold high and was supposedly being kept to a release of 40!Old habits are catching!!!!!!!!!
<img src='style_emoticons//unsure.gif’ border=’0′ style=’vertical-align:middle’ alt=’unsure.gif’ />
[snapback]24359[/snapback]Oh no, not the English Rider limited to 40,000 empty no box compacts, what a thought!!!!! <img src='style_emoticons//ph34r.gif’ border=’0′ style=’vertical-align:middle’ alt=’ph34r.gif’ /> <img src='style_emoticons//ph34r.gif’ border=’0′ style=’vertical-align:middle’ alt=’ph34r.gif’ />
You gotta laugh or you would cry!MitziMay
xxx
Hello MitziMayI'm glad that at least someone feels the way I do about not buying from the warehouse sellers. We all know that Estee Lauder are never going to have a change of policy, so it makes sense to tackle the problem another way. Each time a warehouse piece comes up on ebay if there are two or three less bids then the price will get cheaper and cheaper……..in the end they will be going for peanuts and it will not be worth it for the sellers to get them, so, end of the problem, one would hope.
I would love to return to the good days. Waiting for the new solids and powders to be released, the excitement of what they would be, chooseing what to buy and saving up for it; to me it was all part of the collecting game.
Margaret……. <img src='style_emoticons//smile.gif’ border=’0′ style=’vertical-align:middle’ alt=’smile.gif’ />
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