Doug Melville hosts Sarah Davis and Ben Hemminger, founder and co-founder of Fashionphile, now CEO and COO of the largest ultra-luxury handbag and accessory retailer in the U.S. They trace their roots to selling on eBay in 1999 and bootstrapping the business, including an early base in Beverly Hills built to establish trust through authentication guides and strong feedback.
They discuss partnering after an earlier startup, leaving stable career paths, and finding product-market fit in luxury resale. Fashionphile has grown to hundreds of millions in revenue, 400+ employees, 14 locations, and major flagships in San Diego, Los Angeles, and New York, plus offices in London and Tokyo.
The conversation covers supply-and-demand dynamics, a “pay her fast and fair” seller strategy, brand relationships, pricing trends, and evolving authentication and anti-fraud tools — closing with advice to start quickly and obsess over customers.