Monday, November 23, 2009

On Facebook Boutiques

We all know them.
Some of us are even Fans of their Pages.
The Facebook boutiques.

The seemingly to be oh so convenient way to shop from your computer and have that oh so cute top/dress/shoe/boots/belt/random accessory you saw online delivered to you directly!

But guess what? You could do all of that and pay less. Much less. All you need is a creditcard and a skybox.

And doh say "oh gosh, skybox is so much ah money." TTpost Skybox ss $100.
That's right TT$100.00 for the year, work the maths.

And doh say, "oh gosh, dem skybox does take so long."
It taking the same 16 days dem Facebook Ripoff...err Boutiques taking.

And if yuh doh believe meh, let meh show yuh.

Gorgeous black dress seen on a Facebook boutique. Price: TT$270.00



Same dress (doh let the colour tie yuh up) on Forever 21. Price: $USD14.50/TT$92.65
Approximate cost to ship to skybox USD$5.50/ TT$35.15
That comes up to TT$127.80.

Now tell me again why you wanna shop at these boutiques?

Now nobody saying that people cannot make a living and sell they thing on the side, but is the dig out yuh eye thing I not understanding.

So let me know. Do you shop at these Facebook Boutiques and what did you buy? Do you own a Facebook boutique, and can you break down you inflated price?

11 comments:

Tr|n|gYa| said...

I gonna open up a Facebook boutique to sell glass eyes for people that missing theirs from buying from these "FB botiques".
What you think? Lucrative business AC? :P

JayJayGhatt said...

hush Afro Chic!! Why you bussing up meh lucrative eye guoging business eh? Why don't you go pick your Afro and mind yours huh? It is called C.A.P.I.T.A.L.I.S.M. CHO!

l

ban-d-wagonist said...

dont they also have to pay customs duty on items... as well as their markup...

i usually tell ppl if you find the item online and they in T&T charging you more than x10 (times ten) they really gouging... other than that its FREE MARKET system...

Trinidad Carnival Diary said...

I bring stuff in all the time and I have never paid 100% cost in duty, shipping and vat :)

IslandGirl said...

TriniGyal. I think that business idea is a bess plan. Yuh looking for a partner or what?

mimi said...

actually it depends on the skybox company your with. I was with JSL before, I remember buying blendy pens for my niece for 18us and payin TT$135.00to clear it.

In the beginning I charged $350 per boot and the total cost after clearing with jsl would come up to about $300-$400 i.e i was making TT$50 profit at most. Im with TTPak now, its considerably less I pay between 60-200 to clear items instead of $120-$250 to clear items (plus some bogus ass repackaging fee which is just them turning the usps or ups bag inside out and slapping a sticker on it) with jsl

I price based on the price of the boots, the cheaper the boots the lower the price...some stores on FB ( i wouldn't call ne names) is high class robbery, 450 for a pair of shoes i saw for 9us? nah!
so really for me it depends on the skybox company your with.

CK said...

It's about time someone shows up these scams! I does see shoes for US$5 on the internet and the SAME EXACT thing for TT$400 or more.

Yes Mimi, some of them sky box companies does rip out yuh eyes, I don't think that company was worst than Jet Box International nah, but lawd, these people just ridiculous!

The stores in this country doing the same thing, a while aback I had a lunch date in POS with a girlfriend of mind, while browsing, she saw a top and pair of shoes in a store and we decided to check it out, the shoes was TT$450 and the top TT$350, when I told her that she could get that same top and shoes for under US$30, the store owner got upset and said that I was running her customers, lol, we were the only ones in the store at the time, we both laughed at her and left.

I see it all the time, things you would pay US$8 or US$10 for, selling for 3 hundred plus! I just laugh and move on.

mimi said...

stores that buyin by the case need a lash! cause shoes are cheap by the case...

Raeness said...

I started off patronizing one of these "boutiques" when they just started out..so the prices really weren't bad. i was able to get a couple dresses for $100 and $150 and that included delivery. Well as time went by and they became more popular i see prices doubled. So I said to hell with that...I got a skybox and now either ship through them or ship to my aunt abroad. nobody digging out my eye nah

Trinidad Carnival Diary said...

How many of these people are using skybox service though?

If you have a friend, family or it is your job to fly in and out of Trinidad regularly these boutique owners can ship to them (free shipping over a certain amount) and then get the friend/family/them self to bring it in OR just but a ticket to Miami $1800.00TT and shop yourself.

shells said...

so true AC.
I know someone in T&T who operates a store in south. they do not use skybox services, they travel to Miami once or twice a quarter to shop. Their prices in their store though do NOT reflect that...they charge retails price, plus duties, almost 50% markup and then VAT. It's total robbery...

I've been using UPXress skybox services for years now, and i don't have any horror stories regarding use of duties.