If You Want Quality Always Pay Full Price...

Otherwise you may be buying goods that are often damaged, ill-fitting, oddly colored or simply a hiccup in the designer's general aesthetic.

And worse still...when they are available in discount stores, they may be counterfeit.

In July 2008, luxury conglomerate LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton sued online auctioneer eBay for selling fake bottles of Dior, Givenchy and Guerlain perfumes. eBay was forced to pay LVMH $4.6 million in damages.

Lauren Sherman, writing in Forbes, mentiones 10 items that are worth their original cost.

Despite widespread consumer frugality--the U.S. retail industry in June posted a 6.7% month over month sales decline, according to the Goldman Sachs Retail Composite Index--it seems some shoppers aren't deterred from a quality buy.

Take the well-heeled clients of New York based personal shopper and stylist Jill Markiewicz. Jill says the primarily female executives she works with still want what they want, when they want it. Even if that means paying full price.

"The best shoes, handbags and clothes are the first to go," says Markiewicz of the must-have seasonal merchandise she's paid to track down. Now in demand: sparkly Balmain jackets and Current Elliot's latest rendition of the boyfriend jean. And classics, such as a Chanel suit or an Hermès handbag, almost never see the For Sale rack.

It seems these luxury shoppers are on to something. Markiewicz says that high-end retailers' markdowns are often damaged, ill-fitting, oddly colored or simply a hiccup in the designer's general aesthetic.

"It's completely picked-over merchandise," she says. While there are no doubt cases where shoppers have found their dream peep-toe pump on the discount rack at Jimmy Choo, it doesn't happen often. Even when there is a sale--which is less likely given lower inventories--chances are it's not going to be something you actually desire.

"Buying a few expensive pieces that you truly want," she says, "instead of a bunch of discounted items, is the best way to shop."

"The more unique and exclusive something is, whether it's custom made or one-of-a-kind, the more untouchable the price," says Milton Pedraza, CEO of New York-based market research firm the Luxury Institute. Read full story...