Police reports made against luxury bag reseller; woman arrested

A woman who says she paid $29,900 to luxury bag reseller WestCloset but never received the Hermes bag she was promised lodged a police report in August.

A 33-year-old woman linked to the case has been arrested, the police said on Tuesday.

The Straits Times understands that at least five police reports have been made against WestCloset for allegedly collecting money for second-hand luxury bags but not delivering the goods.

The police confirmed that reports have been made against WestCloset, and said they are investigating.

Christine (not her real name), 45, said that she transferred $29,900 to WestCloset in July after seeing a second-hand Hermes Birkin bag listed on Instagram.

The employee of an IT firm said: "WestCloset said if I paid the full amount, the bag would be delivered to me. But it never came. I kept messaging them, but they kept giving me vague responses." She filed a police report on Aug 16.

WestCloset's website, which has been taken down, said the business started in 2012. It has an online store and a physical outlet at Novena Regency in Thomson Road.

Another alleged victim, Alice (not her real name), 33, said she paid $18,000 for an Hermes Constance bag in June. She asked WestCloset for a refund when the bag was not delivered.

"I hounded them and gave them until July 17 to refund the money. They eventually transferred $8,000 to my account but when I asked for the rest, they kept giving excuses," said Alice.

The six alleged victims ST spoke to said WestCloset's excuses included the company having financial issues, and that the boss had been hospitalised.

When ST visited WestCloset's outlet in Novena on Monday, it was closed. Employees in nearby shops said WestCloset was rarely opened over the last few months.

The alleged victims ST spoke to said they trusted WestCloset as it has a physical store and positive reviews on Carousell and Instagram.

Apart from selling luxury bags, WestCloset is also known for its consignment services, they said.

In consignment, owners hand over their items to a shop, which will help to sell them for a cut of the proceeds.

If there is no transaction within a stipulated time, the products are returned to the individuals.

Sally (not her real name), a 30-year-old bank executive, consigned her Hermes Picotin bag to WestCloset in June, hoping to sell it for $5,500.

She also loaned $18,000 to WestCloset in July after the boss claimed it had "cash flow issues".

But she never saw her bag or money again.

In July, ST reported that more than 180 reports had been lodged since June against Singaporean Pi Jiapeng, 26, and his wife, Thai national Pansuk Siriwipa, 27, who allegedly failed to deliver luxury goods worth $32 million to customers. In August, they were each handed two charges for cheating and one for leaving Singapore illegally.