‘Insane’: TikToker slams Carousell users reselling sold-out The Paper Bunny backpacks for up to $130 above retail after launch
A TikTok user slammed users for reselling The Paper Bunny’s backpacks for more than 50 per cent of its original price after they were sold out shortly after launch.
In a TikTok video uploaded on April 16, user @dd.dannyy shared his grievances with “scalpers” who listed the new backpack for higher prices on Carousell.
Following a “two-year design process”, The Paper Bunny announced earlier this month that it would be launching its first-ever commuter backpack on April 16.
The backpacks were available in three colourways — white, brown, and black — and were priced at $169, available on the company’s website and in its three physical stores.
The Paper Bunny, known for its puffer bags, has two stores in Singapore and one in Manila, Philippines.
‘I will not entertain scalpers’
Saying that he did not expect such high demand for the backpack, the TikToker, whose name is Danny, was shocked that he did not manage to purchase the bag, despite having the listing open at the exact launch timing of 10am.
He then went on Carousell and came across multiple listings of the bag, with some users pricing it at more than $100 above the original retail price.
“This is insane,” Danny declared. “I will only pay $169 for the backpack. I will not entertain any of these scalpers.”
He slammed the sellers on Carousell. “Why do all of you need to make other people’s lives so difficult? If you don’t want the colour, just don’t buy it.”
Hours after the launch, the homegrown company announced that the backpack was sold out online but was still available in-store.
Pre-orders, which The Paper Bunny stated would be fulfilled in the second half of July, opened at 12pm on April 16 and closed 24 hours later.
Speaking to Stomp, Danny said he decided not to buy the backpack through the pre-order as the waiting time was too long.
Instead, the 26-year-old student is considering alternative options currently available in the market.
Launched 10am, sold out 10.01am
Checks by Stomp found at least eight listings for various colourways of the backpack priced between $208 to $290 on Carousell — between 20 and 71 per cent higher than retail price. Some listings offered a slight discount if the buyer purchased two backpacks at once.
One such seller, who wanted to be known as Sophie, told Stomp that she was selling a white version of the backpack after her partner decided they did not want it following the purchase.
Hoping to buy two backpacks in white — for herself and her partner — Sophie logged onto the website at 10am on the launch date but left empty-handed as it was sold out by 10.01am.
Dismayed, she visited one of The Paper Bunny’s stores and purchased the backpacks there. Explaining why she set an asking price of $239, Sophie said she wanted to match other listings she saw on the platform as she was curious to see the highest price it can fetch.
Acknowledging that the colourway she bought was the last to sell out and therefore the least popular, Sophie said she would keep the listing price at $239, though she had doubts it would sell at that price.
So far, Sophie said several interested users have offered between $169 — the retail price — and $190.
In response to Stomp’s queries, a spokesperson from The Paper Bunny said pre-orders were opened to meet “strong demand” for the backpacks, adding that they wanted “as many people as possible to be able to purchase it at its original price”.
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