the.com/luxury retail
selling scarcity, story, and a velvet rope, then calling it a handbag.
means the business of selling goods whose price is justified more by brand mythology and exclusivity than by material cost.
from traces to european ateliers and royal warrants, where 'luxury' meant made-to-order for aristocrats; the twentieth century industrialized that scarcity into a global business of flagship stores and waitlists.
markup realitysome bags cost under 5% of retail to make.
deliberate scarcitybrands burn unsold stock to protect price.
waitlist psychologydelay itself signals desirability, not shortage.
resale paradoxsome items appreciate faster than stocks.