Ever want to borrow the latest Fendi bag for a month or drive around in a bright yellow Lamborghini for a day?
A number of companies are tapping into consumers' love of enjoying luxury for a short while. They're targeting both the affluent who don't want to hold on to anything for long and those who have less money, but still want to get a taste of the lifestyles of the rich.
Seattle-based online service Bag Borrow or Steal allows customers who pay a monthly membership fee to borrow designer handbags. New York-based Gotham Dream Cars LLC will deliver expensive cars like a Lamborghini Gallardo to customers' doorsteps for a rental fee ranging from US$595 (NT$19,400) to US$1,950 (NT$63,600) per day.
Golf company Callaway Golf is making it easier for customers to trade in old golf clubs for discounts on new ones at 4,000 golf stores in the US. Callaway pays the stores for the price difference, and resells the old clubs on a Web site called callawaygolfpreowned.com.
Then there's Portero, a two-year-old online luxury exchange Web site that sells second-hand electronics, clothes, jewelry, art, cars and home items. It now has 8,000 buyers and 6,000 sellers.
``The whole mindset is changing. Customers are no longer buying things to hold on to,'' said Daniel Nissanoff, president of Portero.
Trend expert Syl Tang, who is CEO of Hipguide.com, believes that this idea is limited to items with depreciating value, like golf clubs and cars. Fashion, she says, is a different story, because people who buy expensive fashion items don't usually want to sell them.
``There is a limited audience honestly,'' Tang said. ``Women I know who buy designer handbags ... love, cherish (and) show them off.'' (AP)
閱讀測驗
1. What is NOT one of the second-hand items available?
a. Designer handbags.
b. Expensive perfumes.
c. Electronics.
2. Who are these services targeted at?
a. People who like to buy things to keep for a long time.
b. People who aren't usually interested in expensive things.
c. People who like luxury, but can't afford a luxurious lifestyle.
3. What do Callaway customers get for their old golf clubs?
a. A discount on new golf clubs.
b. Cash.
c. Someone else's old golf clubs.
4. According to the article, what makes fashion different?
a. People who spend money on fashion like to keep what they've bought for a long time.
b. People don't want second-hand fashion items.
c. Luxury fashion goods are harder to find.
想要借最新的芬迪皮包騷包一個月嗎？或是開著亮黃的藍寶基尼兜風一整天？
幾家公司正利用消費者想短暫擁有名牌的慾望大發利市。他們將目標鎖定在物品汰舊換新速度很快的有錢人，或那些沒那麼有錢，但卻想一嚐奢華生活品味的民眾身上。
位於西雅圖的線上服務平台 Bag Borrow or Steal，讓會員以付月費的方式借用名牌手提包。而只要支付五百九十五美元（新台幣一萬九千四百元）到一千九百五十美元（新台幣六萬三千六百元）不等的日租金，位於紐約的 Gotham Dream Cars LLC 就會把藍寶基尼 Callaway 等昂貴車款開到你家門口供你使用。
高爾夫球公司 Callaway Golf 和美國四千家高爾夫球用品店合作，讓消費者在購買新球桿時能以舊球桿換取折扣。Callaway 支付這些門市價差，再將舊的高爾夫球桿於網址 callawaygolfpreowned.com 販賣。
已營運兩年的奢侈品交換網站 Portero，販賣二手電器用品、衣服、珠寶、藝術品、汽車和家用品，至今有八千名買家和六千名賣家。
Portero 總裁 Daniel Nissanoff 指出：「消費者的心態在改變，他們不再想要花錢去買東西放著。」
網站 Hipguide.com 執行長兼趨勢專家 Syl Tang 表示，這種概念只限於會貶值的物品，例如高爾夫球桿和汽車。她認為時尚不能與之相提並論，因為購買昂貴時尚物件的人通常不會賣掉它們。
她說：「老實說，這種交易的客源有限，我認識的會買名牌手提包的女人都非常愛惜並且會炫燿她們的包包。」
（美聯社／翻譯：鄭湘儀）
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