The unofficial NMWA Buy/Sell Thread (a.k.a. second chance thread)

[scurvyfreedman]

Almost any other retailer is going to be cheaper than Mr. Porter.

Except when you find the item you want in the 50% off Porter sale and instakop. I assume everyone else does that too, but it seems their model is strange - either pay 10-15% more than other places or 35-40% less on a lucky day.

 

[bry2000]

Guess it is depends on what you are looking at, but I find retail prices at Mr P to be generally MSRP.

 

[Mariokartfever]

That may be. And I'm sure the items are well made. But sometimes I look at the prices and can't help thinking that the site ought to be renamed No Mortgage No Kids

I won't disagree - I got kids now so NMWA is either a treat myself purchase or something I'm using my luxeswap credits on. Can't get my full wardrobe there.

But some of my favorite pieces (SC jackets, Valstar Clint, G.I. shirts) are only available at NMWA during a pre-order. The uniqueness of the product and good customer service is worth the premium sometimes.

I remember finding the store for the first time in 2013 and thinking it sucked because there was no CPs, Barbour jackets, Stark cardigans at half off. But 8 years later and now I buy more at NMWA than any other store.

 

[knittieguy]

Selling a NWT Portuguese Flannel seersucker camp shirt in ochre size M. It’s nice and light but a little too similar in color to an existing shirt of mine and it’s too late to return. Asking $100 shipped within the US.

View attachment 1640963

Also selling a PF cotton/linen camp shirt in M. Worn a handful of times. Asking $65 shipped within the US.

View attachment 1640964

How big is this medium (brown white striped camp)? Could it be a large?

 

[sood]

That may be. And I'm sure the items are well made. But sometimes I look at the prices and can't help thinking that the site ought to be renamed No Mortgage No Kids

it's kind of an incomplete statement to say "something is expensive" without stating your baseline.

as others have pointed out already that you get access to brands and pieces that are hard to find otherwise, and I want to add to that most of the things you buy at NoMan are the best possible version of those items, and they only become better with age.

e.g. Scott and Charter cashmere cardigans, there is a sticker shock first time when you buy a sweater for ~$500 but when you have had that sweater for ~5 years and calculate the average cost per year ~$100 and the quality is still holding up, it doesn't look bad anymore, does it?

but as with all things here, this is my opinion and you can disregard it as such

 

[knittieguy]

I would never simply disregard your opinion. Personally, I've paid $2000 for a custom-made suit, $500 for shoes, and over $1200 for a particularly rare baseball card. I know a lot of people (including my wife) who would think those prices were insane. It's what you value, and whether you personally think it is worth it. But you can think something is worth it and still acknowledge that it's expensive. I think most folks would agree that $150 for a t-shirt, or $250 for a polo shirt, is a little on the high side. I think it would be nice if some of the brands on NMWA did not focus quite as much on limited runs of high end pieces. But as I said, I'm, sure the quality is there.

 

[schuermang]

I would never simply disregard your opinion. Personally, I've paid $2000 for a custom-made suit, $500 for shoes, and over $1200 for a particularly rare baseball card. I know a lot of people (including my wife) who would think those prices were insane. It's what you value, and whether you personally think it is worth it. But you can think something is worth it and still acknowledge that it's expensive. I think most folks would agree that $150 for a t-shirt, or $250 for a polo shirt, is a little on the high side. I think it would be nice if some of the brands on NMWA did not focus quite as much on limited runs of high end pieces. But as I said, I'm, sure the quality is there.

Why even say anything at all if this was your point...? You answered you own question "it's what you value and whether you personally think it is worth it," leave it at that you fuckin jabroni!

 

[BlakeRVA]

I would never simply disregard your opinion. Personally, I've paid $2000 for a custom-made suit, $500 for shoes, and over $1200 for a particularly rare baseball card. I know a lot of people (including my wife) who would think those prices were insane. It's what you value, and whether you personally think it is worth it. But you can think something is worth it and still acknowledge that it's expensive. I think most folks would agree that $150 for a t-shirt, or $250 for a polo shirt, is a little on the high side. I think it would be nice if some of the brands on NMWA did not focus quite as much on limited runs of high end pieces. But as I said, I'm, sure the quality is there.

I don't think No Man is trying to be the next Nordstrom. The clothes are expensive, but intended for a small audience who appreciates such things. If you don't see the value or the brands don't resonate, then it's best to find another store that better meets your needs.

Why even say anything at all if this was your point...? You answered you own question "it's what you value and whether you personally think it is worth it," leave it at that you fuckin jabroni!

This reads a lot more aggressively than you probably intended.

 

[dalevy]

I won’t add on to the comments on the value of services like the selection, rewards points, expert styling, free returns etc. that entice me (a person with a mortgage and kids) to shop at NMWA. I’ll say though that there are some affordable brands no? Never been anything less than super happy with something from Portuguese flannel, Jamiesons is less expensive, not sure if forgetting anything else.

 

[1969]

I would argue that if you are not debt-free (other than a mortgage) and maxing out your retirement that more or less anything you're buying beyond the basics is "too expensive". Otherwise, it's just a subjective question of how you want to allocate your disposable income.

 

[norsefanboi]

Let me just say that complaining about pricing from a store that sells a curated range of brands is just about the most ridiculous thing I've seen on here lol. I get complaining to a particular brand, but all nmwa does(to put it simply) is essentially buy some stuff, add on some margin and pass it on to you.
It's like going to a luxury car dealership and asking them to stock some cheap chinese cars

 

[King Calder]

@norsefanboi - to add to that, NMWA has a pretty wide price range within the shop. PF and GI are two shirtmakers carried in the store at very different price points, with different value propositions.

I've been shopping at NMWA for years now, and have a large enough wardrobe that probably 50% of my annual clothing budget is going to NMWA, for a small number of pieces, mostly at retail (with SF discount, of course!) I've become a lot more selective over the past few years, but my appetite for price has definitely gone up. Five years ago I never would have fathomed spending over $2K on a leather jacket, and now I'm the happy happy owner of a Naissance Grizzly.

I agree with @bry2000 that MrPorter prices tend to be ballpark MSRP, excluding shop discounts, but to @Mariokartfever's point I distinctly remember being almost personally offended by their Camoshita pricing a year or two ago lol.

 

[gdl203]

One thing I'd say is that we often discuss the issue of price point internally: should we add more affordable options like Portuguese Flannel, Wythe and Jamieson's? There are few that tick our boxes from a design and quality perspective and at the same time allow us to stick to our sourcing values... but maybe we should be focusing on that more? It's very hard to make our business model work with free shipping, free returns, constantly increasing shipping costs and combine that with smaller order value. These are contradictory propositions (I know that the last 10 years of VC-cash-burning DTC brands may make it seem otherwise, but as the old Econ joke goes: “I’m losing money on every order but I’ll make it up on volume!”).

should we be chasing that impossible proposition or should we focus on being the small niche boutique that we are and focus on finding great new designers and makers, give them a platform to showcase their talent, even if they’re not dedicated to lower costs.

Also, we always keep price point in mind when we select pieces from various collections. We know WHY some of those items are pricey (complexity of make, short run of exclusive fabrics, duties/freight...) but that doesn't mean we always think it will come through to the customer just browsing a site and seeing an image and a price next to it. We typically pass on those but sometimes we just love something too much and feel that we should give the product a chance to convince you that it's worth it.

I won't get into a long diatribe on cost of clothes as I feel like I do that every 6 months on SF but I'd urge anyone wondering why something cost a certain price to think about the components of that cost: how much time do you think it took a human to assemble and sew this? how much $ per hour do you think humans in that region deserve to be paid? how much should that fabric cost? How much margin does that workshop need to keep going? How much does it cost us to source, store, photograph and present these to you? How much margin do we need to pay rents and salaries to keep this going?

if you go through this exercise yourself, with the knowledge that an average SFer has of the cost of materials and skilled labor, you’ll likely end up surprised that those don’t cost more.

I can’t even get into the discussion of how a fast fashion company can pack all these costs and then a profit too into a shirt they sell for $20. None of this computes unless every single one of these elements is squeezed to death.

Yet, these are the richest people on earth and I’ve never met designers or makers in our universe of menswear that are rolling in the dough, and even less so retailers (most of which tend to go under with clockwork regularity).

 

[knittieguy]

I had to google the definition for "jabroni." I've never been called that before. I feel kind of flattered.

It's interesting that a few folks are responding so harshly to my comment that I thought items on NMWA are expensive. I did not say it was ridiculous for people to buy them, or that anyone is an idiot for shopping there. I didn't even say they were necessarily overpriced. I just said that for people who have kids and mortgages, $150 for a t-shirt, or $250 for a polo, is a bit steep. It's pretty hard to disagree with that. Frankly, I wish the items were not as expensive because I think some of them look quite nice, so it is frustrating to see them and realize I shouldn't buy them. But whatever. To borrow from an old movie, forget it Jake, it's the Internet.

I do appreciate the reply from gdl203

 

[dalevy]

You can also get some nice pieces on this thread or at luxeswap for very reasonable prices.