Have Resellers Ruined the Lilly Pulitzer Warehouse Sale?

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After posting our coverage of last weekend's Lilly Pulitzer Warehouse Sale, two distinct responses resounded loud and clear from commenters: 1) People were aghast that anyone would wait in line for five days for bargain bin clothing ("Nope, nope, nope. This makes me rashy and panicky just to think about," said a commenter on Jezebel, who picked up on the story); and 2) Swarming eBayers are the devil for hoarding the event's merch with the intention of resale, keeping the goods from Lilly's "real" fans.

While some commenters pointed the blame at the media (us) for over-exposing and, thusly, ruining this well-kept "secret," the eBay/resale issue seemed the biggest point of contention among Racked readers—and people ran the gamut from forlorn to downright pissed: "Just pure trash with 10 trash bags of clothing waiting to sell on ebay...DISGUSTED," wrote one reader. "Are you planning on wearing that? Or are you a disgusting hoarder...get a real job," commented another.

Multiple commenters left accounts of run-ins with resellers, including this tale of woe on our sister site: "Woman came out with 10 trash bags basically trashing Lilly saying they were dizzy and wanted to vomit with all the color of the horrible clothes, my friend asked why they bought so much and they said they were ebayers. My friend said it was horrible because she had to leave without getting in and the woman handed her a card saying you can buy from me I'll only charge you 2 times the price I paid."

Even if it can be successfully argued that resellers have put a damper on this event, we doubt Lilly Pulitzer will revert back to inviting VIP shoppers via mailer only. True, the mailer kept resellers at bay—but it also prevented the sale from becoming the cash cow that is today. And while signs posted around the warehouse noted that the brand reserved the right to limit shoppers' purchases, but we never saw (or heard of) anyone being flagged. What do you think? Has the Lilly Pulitzer Warehouse Sale jumped the shark? Will you attend next year? Sound off in the comments or hit the tipline.
· Photos, Prices, Set-up of Lilly Pulitzer's Warehouse Sale [Racked Philly]
· Lilly Pulitzer [Official Site]