Heiress Kim Lim draws 16k viewers to her luxury handbag livestream sale, warns resellers: 'Karma will hit you'

Straits Times

16-05-2025

Heiress Kim Lim draws 16k viewers to her luxury handbag livestream sale, warns resellers: 'Karma will hit you'
Teo Yan Ting
TNP
May 16, 2025
When billionaire heiress and entrepreneur Kim Lim decided to clear out her designer wardrobe, she didn't just toss a few bags into the donation bin - she turned it into a full-blown social media spectacle.
Hosting two back-to-back Instagram live streams on her new account, @kimlimstuff, the 33-year-old daughter of tycoon Peter Lim sold dozens of luxury handbags at jaw-dropping prices - and drew over 16,000 viewers in the process.
Her reason? "Decluttering", not profit.
"I let go at such good prices and lost a lot of money but if it can make someone else happy, and help me declutter, then okay - declutter." she later wrote on Instagram.
Some of the deals were wild: a black Dior Saddle Bag, which typically retails at $6,400, was let go for just $2,900.
Others included a Chanel Woven Chain Top Handle Vanity Bucket Bag, a rare collector's item, that Lim said she wanted to keep, and a Chanel Croissant Mini Black Lambskin bag for $5,200.
The first stream on May 13 kicked off at 10pm and ran for nearly four hours, peaking at over 12,000 viewers.
The second, held past midnight on May 15, drew an even bigger crowd, over 16,000, and ended at 4.15am with nearly 2,000 viewers still watching.
Buyers had to act fast. To secure a bag, viewers had to comment quickly and send a WhatsApp message with payment proof within three minutes.
And even those who didn't get a bag walked away with something. Lim offered every viewer three $100 vouchers for her businesses: Illumia Therapeutics, Papilla by Kim Lim and 198 Space.
More than 10,000 people messaged in, temporarily triggering WhatsApp to block the number due to high traffic.
And she wasn't alone in the spotlight. Lim roped in several familiar faces to help host the streams - including content creators Xiaxue, JianHao Tan and Jordus Bingjie.
Her stepmother, former actress Cherie Lim, even made a surprise cameo, helping to model some of the handbags.
However, the streams weren't without chaos - or controversy.
Some viewers complained that hosts were giving priority to friends or popular followers.
In response, Kim's team changed the selection process during the second stream, taking repeated bids and screenshots to determine the winner. Still, some weren't satisfied.
"End of the day, nobody owes you the right to purchase a Chanel bag lah hor," Xiaxue said.
She also called out viewers who were rude to backend staff over voucher claims.
"You paid nothing??? Still keep scolding for what ah? Get free vouchers still so rude!" wrote Xiaxue.
But perhaps the most explosive moment came when a buyer, who snagged the cult-favorite Chanel 22 Chain Hobo Quilted Lambskin with Shearling bag for $6,900, listed it online shortly after for $8,500.
The listing even bragged that it was from the "Kim Lim collection".
Kim's team noticed. Xiaxue blasted the move, saying: "At least wait for a while to sell lah… You haven't even got the bag with you, yet you went to list [it]."
Lim herself said she was disappointed and would refund and block the buyer, warning that successful buyers should not attempt to resell or else "karma will hit you".
Other quirky moments included Lim selling two bags of "air" for $88 as part of a dare, later offering gifts to the buyers as a light-hearted gesture.
Despite the drama, Lim remained generous and upbeat.
"Thank you for your support - 15K viewers! We have more great deals coming," she wrote on Instagram.
Love her or not, Kim Lim might have just become Singapore's next unlikely livestream queen - one luxury bag at a time.
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