Kim Kardashian‘s loungewear brand Skims is being accused of “cash grab” price hikes thanks to a viral TikTok.
TikToker @maya4.2.0 posted a video last week showing bright pink Skims bralette. On the Skims website, this top retails for $46. But when the package arrived, the TikToker alleges the bralette was labeled with a $4.90 price tag.
“Kim K out here scamming the public,” wrote @maya4.2.0. “Paid $50 for the shirt to cost $5… This is exactly why I held out on skims for so long, just a cash grab.”
With 2.5 million views on TikTok, this video attracted a lot of divided opinions. Some people are suggesting that the price tag is a typo, but for the most part, TikTok commenters seem to think the price tag is proof of Skims selling their products at a massive mark-up. In the words of one commenter, “It’s giving Aliexpress.”
In a second TikTok, @maya4.2.0 shared some close-ups of the Skims garments she ordered, describing their quality as “6/10” and saying that the brand’s Valentine’s Day collection was “very rushed.”
However, a lot of commenters also argued that this kind of price hike was a normal part of fashion retail. First of all, no brand sells its products at the “real” price of manufacture. Not only does the business need to make a profit, but it also has to cover things like distribution costs.
“I think we know that’s how businesses work but most businesses mark up 2-4x the cost,” one commenter wrote. “Babe this is how clothing companies work,” another wrote.
The big question here is whether the price tag is actually accurate. While it’s not unusual for a fashion brand to sell products at a mark-up, it doesn’t make sense for a single item to have a price tag showing its “original” price. After all, this is a Skims-branded bralette, not something that’s been resold from elsewhere. This question does actually lend some credence to the typo theory. But overall, both @maya4.2.0 and many of her viewers seem underwhelmed by the Skims brand.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Skims and to @maya4.2.0 via TikTok comment.
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