“Yikes!” I said to the interior designer, incredulous. “Someone actually paid $1,200 for a pair of pillows?”
“Well,” she replied with a shrug, “they are nice pillows.”
Nice, yes. Each down pillow was made with a cream-colored linen cover, trimmed with two bands of green. Still, $1,200 seemed a tad over the top. Neither pillow had ever been used, and now the designer’s client wanted to sell them for reasons unknown.
What price will those pillows command on the resale market? After more than a decade in the consignment business, I can make that assessment with confidence: $100, or less than a tenth of the original price.
I’m rarely surprised by homeowners’ extravagance but every now and then there’s a shocker. Earlier this week, another client wanted to consign some furniture. She sent me copies of her receipts to show how much she’d paid for the items: $12,000 for a three-cushion sofa, $10,000 for a pair of swivel chairs, $28,000 for a custom rug.
Sometimes, it’s tough to be the one to break the news to these big spenders that they may recoup only a fraction of what they spent on their home furnishings. The sky-high prices they paid reflect the many hours they spent with their designers creating breathtaking custom looks for their homes. The special welting? The trim that matched the wallpaper imported from France? They’ll be fortunate to get pennies back on the dollars they spent – in some cases, only a few months ago.
Our customers appreciate quality, but they also are hunting for bargains. Someone will snatch up that three-cushion sofa, grateful to find such a treasure at FCG. “I love this store,” a well-groomed women said to me the other day while browsing our store in Natick. “Someone with absolutely exquisite taste and a big budget did all the work for me – and they paid for the privilege! Now, I get to enjoy this amazing furniture in my home.”
