‘That is why it was in a returned Amazon bag’: Dallas woman buys Coach purse from Nordstrom. She goes to return it—and learns something shocking
A woman buys a yellow Coach handbag at Nordstrom, thinking it’s the real deal. She’s confused when it arrives in a returned Amazon bag, sparking discussion about third-party sellers on the department store’s website.
In a video with over 13,000 views, TikToker and Coach collector Emily (@emilyaura_) holds up the bag she says she ordered on Nordstrom’s website. She points out that it’s missing Coach tags and the flimsy plastic covering it arrived in.
“Now I have to return this to Nordstrom and explain to them that I got a returned Amazon bag from Coach that is missing the hang tags,” she says. “I have to try to get my refund.”
Emily acknowledges that Nordstrom may reship bags that other customers returned, but she questions why the bag seemingly wasn’t inspected.
“I think this was the straw that broke the camel’s back for me. I think this is what I needed to stop buying so many bags,” she remarks.
Was she able to return the Coach bag to Nordstrom?
In a follow-up video with over 177,000 views, Emily shares that she went in person to return the item to Nordstrom. Then, the sales associate tells her something shocking when she processes her refund.
“I was able to return that bag,” she shares, saying the worker said she had “never seen this happen before.”
“At the end when my payment went through for the refund, she goes, ‘Oh, you actually bought it through a third-party vendor,” Emily says.
Turns out, not all items listed on Nordstrom are purchased by the department store from the actual brand. According to Nordstrom’s website, these “marketplace sellers” are solely responsible for the product they ship to customers—not Nordstrom. However, customers can still return the item to a brick-and-mortar Nordstrom.
“I had no idea. So when you go on Nordstrom online and you buy something, it’s not necessarily coming from their stores,” she explains. “Buyer beware when you’re purchasing from Nordstrom online.”
The Mary Sue reached out to Nordstrom via email for further comment.
Other shoppers react to the third-party Nordstrom bag
Commenters on Emily’s video can’t believe that their online department store purchases might not come straight from Nordstrom. Some draw comparisons to other retailers like Target and Walmart that allow third-party listings.
“I think that is a terrible practice. And it is unfortunate at Nordstrom’s. Does that,” one says.
Another remarks, “Every company wants Amazon money and an Amazon platform. It’s happening everywhere.”
Others suggest that Nordstrom labels third-party items discreetly on the website, so you have to know what to look for.
“You just have to read the fine print. Walmart does it as well. Look at the fulfillment,” a shopper writes.
“Look at seller/item description before purchasing always!” a second suggests.
@emilyaura_ #coach #bag#purse#fyp #fypシ ♬ original sound – Emily
“I work for Nordstrom yes we’re allowing other vendors use our platform to see their stuff. But right before you hit purchased it actually gives you prompt saying it’s not from Nordstrom,” a department store worker adds. “It’s very important these days before purchasing from any platform to read the fine print.”
The Mary Sue reached out to Emily via TikTok direct message and comment and to Nordstrom via email.
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