LePrix: Reinventing How Businesses Source Pre-Loved Luxury

This case examines LePrix, a B2B platform for authenticated pre-owned luxury goods, at a pivotal strategic inflection point. Founded by sisters Elise Whang and Emily Erkel, LePrix evolved from a consumer-facing resale marketplace into a B2B procurement, authentication, and logistics partner for boutique resellers, enterprise retailers, and global e-commerce players. By 2025, LePrix had facilitated over $130 million in transactions and achieved EBITDA positivity, but now faced mounting uncertainty stemming from potential U.S. tariffs on European luxury goods, intensifying supplier disintermediation, and shifting customer segment motivations and economics. The case invites students to analyze LePrix's strategic options across both demand and supply. On the demand side, management must consider how to allocate resources among three segments-Pros, Elites, and Enterprises-each with distinct margin structures, cash-flow implications, sales processes, and scalability potential. The team must also evaluate new growth vectors, including white-label partnerships with luxury brands and re-entry into B2C by selling pre-owned items directly to consumers. On the supply side, LePrix confronts risks related to suppliers increasingly bypassing its platform and looming tariffs. Strategic alternatives include developing U.S.-based C2B sourcing, expanding into liquidation services for retailers, and expansion into new product categories. Students must assess which combination of moves can best balance profitability, cash flow, operational complexity, and long-term strategic positioning. Ultimately, the case enables a rich discussion on platform strategy, unit economics, supply-demand orchestration, and how startups can navigate scaling decisions in a rapidly evolving circular-economy market.