Should Resellers Be Banned From Selling Charity Collections?

As people take to their balconies, front doorsteps and gardens every Thursday to clap for our new heroes, more and more brands are stepping forward to do their part and give back to the community when it needs them most. The launch of charity collections from the likes of ASOS and Pretty Little Thing to Palace and Supreme is just one way the fashion industry is helping out during this global Coronavirus pandemic. But are resellers using this as a chance to profit?

Just take the recent launch of a UK-exclusive capsule collection of sweatshirts and hoodies at streetwear retailer Palace which were emblazoned with the brand's iconic triangle logo, dressed in NHS blue. “Palace” lettering was replaced with “National Health Service” and 100% of the profits from all three pieces in the collection went to the UK's NHS Charities Together. As you can probably guess, the collection sold out in a matter of minutes when it launched on the 1^st May at 11am, which left some fans somewhat disgruntled. It wasn't long until resellers took to Depop and eBay to sell on their newly purchased goodies which definitely ruffled some feathers and encouraged the question: “Is this a bit out of order?”

Both in the office and on The Sole Supplier socials, this question has undeniably divided opinion. While some argue that reselling is just a part of the culture, others draw a line at profiting from charity. Hannah, a member of our Facebook group, suggests that perhaps Palace need to take a bit of responsibility for this. She says, “I'm starting to think that maybe the fault is less with the resellers themselves (although obviously they are a big part of the problem) and a bigger issue is with the brands themselves. They know that the demand is so high but to remain exclusive they release limited amounts of stock – which makes total sense in most drops – but I can't help but think that maybe for charity fundraising they could increase the amount of stock they are making to make the market more saturated and put people off reselling.”

Those who are against the idea of reselling charity collections suggest that in order to maximise donations and minimise the chance of reselling, perhaps Palace could have created more units than usual or, alternatively, put in place a pre-order functionality. Not only would this have seen donations to the NHS maximised, but it would have stopped resellers from capitalising on the collection.

Perhaps most bizarrely in the case of the Palace NHS collection, is that NHS workers weren't given any kind of priority access to the coveted range. Should they have had first dibs? An anonymous Facebook-group member says, “Of course I think NHS workers should be giving access to the collection since there wouldn't be a release to begin with if it weren't for their courage and bravery over these uncertain times, but at the same time, how would this work?” It seems that whatever the outcome, Palace was in a lose-lose situation. “Would Palace have to make, for example, 100 units specifically for health-service workers? If so, that means only 100 of them will be able to cop, and that might be seen as unfair for others who also wanted to purchase it. The industry will always be unfair and that's just how it is.”

The “unfairness” of exclusive streetwear drops, in fact, just seems to be an inherent part of the community. It's one of the only ways in which brands like Supreme and Palace can retain their exclusivity and desirable reputation. While bots are used to guarantee success in some cases, most drops have people tuning in 10 minutes before the drop time, furiously refreshing the page and reciting their bank card security number over and over in their head in hopes of catching a win. But the thought of people doing this to secure a charity T-shirt just feels a bit, well… off.

However, resellers aren't quite cashing in as much as they'd hoped. The jumpers retailed at around £120 and they're selling on eBay for around £145 – so it hardly seems worth it. You could argue that people are less inclined to buy charity collections from resellers because of the lack of incentive behind it. Copping at retail, knowing that the profits are going to charity, allow you to look past the design and bag a jumper because it's a good cause. However, if you're dishing out £145 for a jumper emblazoned with bright blue “National Health Service” writing and you know that money's going right in someone's back pocket, would you be less likely to wear it, knowing that you're representing a charity you haven't actually donated to?

To get a bit more information on what our community thought about this topic, we asked our Instagram followers what they thought. The question posed was: “what do you think about the reselling of charity collections?” The poll offered two answers. The first was, “bit out of order”, and the second was, “don't really mind tbh”. The results varied throughout the day, but the final stats revealed that 1042 people weren't really that bothered, while 972 people thought it was a bit wrong. While the results are incredibly close, it goes to show that maybe looking into the ethics of charity isn't a battle worth fighting.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B_hTdRVFCd6/

The fact of the matter is that resellers are deeply engrained into this community. Sneakerheads have been making money off of high-heat products for decades! Copping that new pair of Jordans everyone wants and reselling them for double the price is a business opportunity. Simplified, it's demand and supply. So, why are charity collections an exception to the rule? Ultimately, as promised, all profits from the collection were donated to charity. Anything that happens thereafter is out of anyone's control. And we can't assume people's motives behind reselling. Some may be reselling to make a little extra cash without really thinking about the ethics, while some may have copped a size that just doesn't fit. Others might have just wanted to make a donation! But don't actually really want the tee.

It's impossible to criticise Palace for how they handled the Palace NHS drop. As a brand, it stepped forward and donated a huge amount of money to support the NHS while working to maintain its air of exclusivity. The brand didn't have to get involved in charity, but it did! While there are some learnings they could take from the launch for any future charity capsule collections, they executed the entire thing the only way they knew how. However, perhaps it's those specifically copping to resell for profit that need to re-evaluate. During a time where communities are coming together and uniting in an unprecedented way, it's an unexpected spanner in the works to see resellers utilising charity collections and a money-making tool. But, then again, business is business, folks.