Kim Lim threatens legal action after fake buyer vanishes with designer bag after live-stream sale
Billionaire heiress Kim Lim sold many of her luxury bags in a sale that has attracted resellers and even fraud. One woman reportedly posed as a buyer to pick up a bag she did not purchase.
Jan Lee
The Straits Times
May 18, 2025
What is a bag from the personal collection of billionaire heiress Kim Lim worth? The risk of arrest, it seems, at least for one person.
The 33-year-old daughter of tycoon Peter Lim recently cleared out her designer wardrobe over live stream on Instagram, putting many of her almost-new luxury bags on sale and channelling proceeds to charity. With items from brands such as Chanel and Dior going for prices much lower than retail, the sale attracted more than 15,000 viewers, many eager buyers, and perhaps some fraudulent behaviour too.
Lim held two days of live-stream sales on May 13 and 15.
On May 17, the account she used to conduct the sale (@kimlimstuff) posted an Instagram Story which said a woman with long curly hair dressed in a blue T-shirt and light-coloured denim jeans had posed as a buyer to pick up a bag at around 7.30pm on May 16. The post did not specify which bag she took off with.
It added: "We have obtained (your) appearance from the camera record. Please contact us and return (the bag) immediately. Otherwise, we will take legal action."
The Straits Times understands a police report has been lodged.
Aside from deception, the sale also attracted some hoping to make a quick buck.
At one point in the sale, a buyer snagged the cult-favourite Chanel 22 Chain Hobo Quilted Lambskin with Shearling bag for $6,900, listing it on reselling platform Carousell shortly after for $8,500.
The listing said it was from the "Kim Lim collection".
Influencer Xiaxue, who co-hosted the live-stream sale with Lim, blasted the move, saying: "At least wait for a while to sell... You haven't even got the bag with you, yet you went to list (it)."
Lim later said on Instagram she was disappointed and would refund and block the buyer, warning that successful buyers should not attempt to resell the items or else "karma will hit you".
She told magazine Her World that she felt "frustrated" by the resale listings as she had hoped the bags would go to buyers who genuinely wanted the items.
She added that the sale was meant to declutter her home.
She said in the interview: "I've reached a point where I feel like it just got too much, all my bags have to be cramped together and the Singapore weather also makes it very difficult to maintain their condition. My family has also been pushing me to get rid of my things so… I woke up one day and just decided that it's finally time to sell some of them.
"A lot of my friends have been telling me that many people really want such bags, but their budget may be an issue, so I thought, why not share the love?"
Some of the deals included a black Dior Saddle Bag, which typically retails at $6,400, going for $2,900.
Lim also listed a Chanel Woven Chain Top Handle Vanity Bucket Bag at $4,500, a rare collector's item that she said she was tempted to keep for herself, as well as a Chanel Croissant Mini Black Lambskin bag for $5,200.
Buyers who wanted to nab the items had to comment quickly to claim the bag they wanted. The first commenter would get the bag if they sent a WhatsApp message with payment proof within three minutes.
Lim also offered every viewer three $100 vouchers for her businesses: Illumia Therapeutics, Papilla by Kim Lim and 198 Space.
More than 10,000 people sent messages in the hope of getting the bags and vouchers, temporarily triggering WhatsApp to block the number due to high traffic.
Click here to contribute a story or submit it to our WhatsApp
Get more of Stomp's latest updates by following us on:
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
20 hours ago
- Straits Times
Singer Wang Leehom invites ‘twin brother' Aarif Rahman as guest performer at Beijing concert
Wang Leehom (left) invited Hong Kong singer-actor Aarif Rahman as the guest singer on the first night of his show in Beijing. PHOTO: AARIF_964/INSTAGRAM Fans could be forgiven if they thought they were seeing double at Taiwanese-American singer Wang Leehom's concert on June 20. The 49-year-old star invited Hong Kong singer-actor Aarif Rahman, 38, often dubbed 'Little Wang Leehom' due to his resemblance to Wang, as the guest singer on the first night of his show in Beijing. Wang is currently staging his The Best Place concert tour in China, with three sold-out shows in Beijing from June 20 to 22. 'Is there something wrong with the camera? Why are there two overlapping images?' Wang jested when Aarif, dressed in clothes similar to his outfits, appeared on stage on June 20. 'Or are my eyes seeing things?' Aarif joked that it could be due to artificial intelligence (AI). 'AI is very powerful now, and the technology of face-swopping is very scary,' he said. 'The AI filter is so powerful that it makes me 10 years younger today,' Wang replied. Aarif quipped: 'And you will grow taller.' Wang is 1.8m tall, while Aarif is 1.75m tall. Wang said many people have remarked on their resemblance, as the two artistes positioned themselves together on stage for the fans to make their judgment. 'Thank you, my 'twin'. We really look alike,' Wang acknowledged. Aarif – who is of Arab, Malay and Chinese descent – said that since the age of 16, he has often heard comments that he is a Wang lookalike. He attended his first Wang concert in 2008 when he graduated from university, he said, adding that both of them have finally appeared on stage together after 17 years. At the concert, they performed Wang's songs Still In Love With You (2011) and One World One Dream (2008). Wang posted photos of the concert on Chinese social media platform Weibo on June 21. 'Brothers performed a 'lookalike show',' he wrote . 'Were you surprised by today's guest performer Aarif Rahman?' Under Wang's post, Aarif thanked him for inviting him to the concert. Aarif also posted several concert photos on social media. 'Performing your songs on the same stage with you was something I never imagined when I was watching your concert during my younger days,' he wrote on Weibo. 'It has come true in Beijing. I look forward to meeting you next time.' Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
20 hours ago
- Straits Times
Israeli army says bodies of 3 hostages recovered in Gaza
Of the 251 hostages seized during the assault, 49 are still being held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead. PHOTO: AFP - The Israeli military said on June 22 that it had recovered the bodies of three hostages in Gaza, more than 20 months after they were abducted by Hamas militants. 'In a special operation... the bodies of the hostages Ofra Keidar, Yonatan Samerano and Staff Sergeant Shay Levinson were recovered from the Gaza Strip yesterday,' the military said in a statement. Mr Samerano's father had announced earlier on June 22 that his son's body, which was taken into Gaza after he was murdered in a kibbutz by the territory on Oct 7, 2023, had been recovered by the Israeli army. He paid tribute to 'the brave soldiers of the IDF (Israeli military) and the Shin Bet' security service in a message posted on Instagram. Ms Keidar, a 71-year-old mother of three, was also killed in a kibbutz and had been abducted, while 19-year-old tank commander Levinson 'engaged and fought terrorists on the morning of Oct 7 and fell in combat', a statement from the military said. The attack by Palestinian militant group Hamas on Israel in October 2023 resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. Of the 251 hostages seized during the assault, 49 are still being held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead. Israel's retaliatory military campaign has killed at least 55,908 people, also mostly civilians, according to the Health Ministry in the Hamas-run territory. The UN considers these figures reliable. AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
a day ago
- Straits Times
Singer Camila Cabello's Aug 12 concert in Singapore cancelled
Camila Cabello's concert in Singapore concert has been cancelled due to an unexpected scheduling conflict. PHOTO: CAMILA_CABELLO/INSTAGRAM SINGAPORE - Bad news for American pop star Camila Cabello's fans in Singapore. The 28-year-old singer will not be performing at The Star Theatre on Aug 12 as part of her Yours, C tour. The show has been cancelled due to an unexpected scheduling conflict, according to a message on the website of 'Fans who have purchased tickets will receive a full refund from Ticketmaster through the original payment method,' the ticketing platform said. 'It could take up to 40 business days for refunds to be processed.' The concert would have been Cabello's first in Singapore. She is due to perform in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, on Aug 14, as part of the Yours, C tour . She will also perform in Osaka, Tokyo, Jakarta and Bangkok in August as part of the line-ups of several music festivals. She is currently scheduled to perform in Le Barcares, France, on June 28 as part of Les Deferlantes Sud de France, and perform in Paris on June 30 as part of the Yours, C tour. Cabello has also cancelled some of her performances in June - in Marbella, Spain, as part of the Starlite Occident Festival; and in Madrid and Barcelona, also in Spain, as part of Alma Occident Festival. She has enjoyed a successful solo career after leaving American girl group Fifth Harmony in 2016. Her hits include Havana (2017), featuring American rapper Young Thug, and Senorita (2019), her duet with former boyfriend, Canadian singer Shawn Mendes. Cabello's latest album C, XOXO was released in June 2024. Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
