Sharper Image will continue to hawk crap, only as a brand

Sharper Image died an inglorious death in February and then went through some embarrassing death spasms, but it sounds like liquidators Hilco Merchant Resources and Gordon Brothers Retail Partners have realized that there's still some value in the Sharper Image name -- they've just announced a plan to rent the name out to other companies looking to spruce up their knockoff crap. The idea is for the Sharper Image name to lend credibility to infomercial and catalog products, and there's even talk of wholesaling to Target and Best Buy, with the goal of reaching annual sales of $1B. That's a lot of air purifiers -- let's hope America's late-night TV shoppers think more highly of Sharper Image than pretty much everyone else we know.

[ScOObyDoo @ Jun 26th 2008 12:56PM]

Sharper Image is going to turn into one of those brands that just doesn't die like it should. They'll be the next Westinghouse or Polaroid.

[BigTeebo @ Jun 26th 2008 3:01PM]

Maybe Sharper Image should sell Palm products then. A match made in heaven!

[phanbouy @ Jun 26th 2008 1:00PM]

In honor of its gallery pictures, engadget should rename itself Blurrier Image

[jimi @ Jun 26th 2008 1:01PM]

the new Bell&Howell

[Matt @ Jun 26th 2008 1:08PM]

On Tuesday, February 19, 2008, The Sharper Image commenced a case under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware.

On Friday, May 30, 2008, substantially all of the assets of The Sharper Image were sold to a joint venture formed among (i) Gordon Brothers Retail Partners, LLC, (ii) GB Brands, LLC, (iii) Hilco Merchant Resources, LLC, and (iv) Hilco Consumer Capital, LLC. All inventory assets in the stores are now owned and managed by Hilco Capital and Gordon Brothers. A store closing liquidation sale was commenced by the joint venture on Saturday, May 31, 2008.

GIFT CARDS/CERTIFICATES, MERCHANDISE CERTIFICATES AND RETURNS:

The Sharper Image is no longer able to accept Gift Cards, Gift Certificates, Merchandise Certificates or Rewards Certificates as a form of payment. In addition, returns of merchandise are no longer accepted.

A customer who has a Gift Card, Gift Certificate, Merchandise Certificate, Rewards Certificate or wants to return a purchase that was made within the last 60 days prior to May 31, 2008 may file a claim in Sharper Image's bankruptcy case.

Information about filing a claim and claim forms can be obtained on the following website: http://www.kccllc.net/sharperimage.

Click on "proof of claim form" at the top of the page for the form that must be filed with The Bankruptcy Court.

A customer who previously purchased a Replacement Guarantee or Service Guarantee with a product may contact N.E.W. Customer Service Company at 1-866-686-2463 to obtain service or replacement of their product if it should become defective.

Thank you for your patience, we look forward to a new direction for The Sharper Image.

Regards,

TSI customer Support

[TheGasMan @ Jun 26th 2008 4:21PM]

I see you've discovered "Copy & Paste".

[michas_pi @ Jun 26th 2008 1:07PM]

Wow, looks like the stake that was about to be driven through Sharper Image's heart can't penetrate as easily as we thought.

Who's with me to jump on said stake as a big group?

[Erik @ Jun 26th 2008 1:07PM]

I need more ions!!!

[phanbouy @ Jun 26th 2008 1:27PM]

are electrolytes ionic?

[Anton @ Jun 26th 2008 1:39PM]

Geek

[grull27 @ Jun 26th 2008 1:10PM]

Nobody ever bought shit from there because it's too fuckin expensive and not that useful. They sold stupid luxuries. As a brand, they will fail.

[Logan Renz @ Jun 26th 2008 1:14PM]

I always enjoyed going into the Shaper Image stores and playing with the toys. Some of them didn't work to well, but if I was conned into going to the mall with a lady friend or my mom I would always check out the sharper image.

Regards,
Logan Renz

[phanbouy @ Jun 26th 2008 1:16PM]

That's totally fascinating, Logan Renz.

[Kiwi616 @ Jun 26th 2008 1:22PM]

That's pretty funny, because the store in Roosevelt Field, NY had bought the next door store to make itself larger...not too long ago.

[Frun @ Jun 26th 2008 1:25PM]

New name.....Blurry image

[AJ @ Jun 26th 2008 1:27PM]

Dastardly women indeed..

[AJ @ Jun 26th 2008 1:27PM]

^ was a reply to Logan Renz

[Rick @ Jun 26th 2008 1:31PM]

Great, still more over-priced Sharper Image junk in the SkyMall catalog in the seat-back pocket. Soon the airlines will eliminate their magazines and the only thing to read will be the safety card, the SkyMall catalog and the printing on the barf bag.

[Jesse @ Jun 26th 2008 2:15PM]

Airlines will probably start charging extra for the barf bags soon.

[Reich @ Jun 26th 2008 1:32PM]

Yes, because using the name of a now bankrupt retailer will lend loads of credibility to your knockoff catalog crap...

[Jeff @ Jun 26th 2008 1:47PM]

Oh no! Where will I buy my electric nose-hair trimmer now??

They made such good gifts, too!

[Alex @ Jun 26th 2008 1:50PM]

And what the hell does this allude to?

http://www.sharperimage.com/

[BlowURmindBowel @ Jun 26th 2008 2:19PM]

I was hoping they got bought out by the RED camcorder company so they would finally live up to their name...

[StPaddy @ Jun 26th 2008 2:06PM]

sharper image sucks.

[darren @ Jun 26th 2008 4:08PM]

I think of the Sharper Image like I think of Sony. It was once an upscale brand that sold clever and well made products. But they've let themselves go and now it's just a brand that sells uninteresting items that isn't very good quality.

[Austin Chu @ Jun 26th 2008 2:50PM]

I work for a company that manages and tracks gift cards, and I've blogged about how to file a claim for your sharper image gift card on savvywallet.com;

1. File a claim with the federal bankruptcy court. Follow these steps:
A. Because The Sharper Image's bankruptcy was filed in Delaware, you have to visit the Delaware Bankruptcy Court Page. Scroll down to Sharper Image.
B. Fill out Form 10 from the Federal Bankruptcy Court.
C. Download, print and sign it, and mail it to:
Kurtzman Carson Consultants, LLC
Jonathan Carson
2335 Alaska Avenue
El Segundo, CA 90245
310-823-9000
310-823-9133
D. If you have trouble call the Bankruptcy Judges Division at 202.502.1900. Explain your situation, and they will walk you through the process. You will get a person on the phone as well.
E. Take these steps to file a claim with the Federal Bankruptcy Court

2. Take advantage of the offer from competitor The Sharper Image's competitor, Brookstone, to give a 25 percent discount to anyone who surrenders their Sharper Image gift card or certificate.

3. Try filing a claim with your credit card issuer, if you used a credit card to buy a Sharper Image gift card
A. Request a refund from the card issuer.
B. American Express is 'working on behalf' of it's card holders who submit such claims, even if the submission is beyond the 60 day statutory limit. This will be on a case by case basis.
C. Also, AMEX cardholders who opted for the Sharper Image gift card as membership rewards programs can return it and have their rewards points re-credited to your account. MUST DO IT WITHIN 60 DAYS

4. Also if a card that you gave or received was purchased from LeverageCard.com, Leverage has a bankruptcy policy that allows cards that are purchased via LeverageCard.com to be replaced with any retailer of choice.

[joe blow @ Jun 26th 2008 3:10PM]

Back in the day, SI was the only place to find some neat, innovative gadgets. Not cheap, but reasonably priced. Then they got the idea that the SI brand somehow increased the value of those gadgets threefold. They never grasped that a savvy buyer (typical for gadget freaks) could find the same or similar product for a fraction of the price elsewhere on the web. Then they threw 99% of their marketing behind those ineffective ozone producing air "purifiers". As a former customer way back, I have viewed the brand with distaste for a decade and have avoided them.

Let this be a lesson. Overpriced junk with a label may sell well in the fashion world, but electronic/consumer goods need to be competitively priced. Period. Newegg gets it. DealExtreme, TigerDirect, Amazon, countless others buried Sharper Image, but they killed themselves.

[Neoprimal @ Jun 27th 2008 12:03PM]

But the Iphone gets away with it.





sorry...

[kombizz @ Jun 26th 2008 3:45PM]

Are they REALLY sorry?

[striggity @ Jun 26th 2008 3:48PM]

first

[TheGasMan @ Jun 26th 2008 4:22PM]

But you're not the first.

[striggity @ Jul 8th 2008 3:13PM]

yay! @ u for figuring that out. :-)

[Ladderless @ Jun 26th 2008 3:51PM]

Using the Sharper Image name to lend credibility to products is like using the Jeffrey Dahmer name to lend credibility to cuisine.

[m16 @ Jun 26th 2008 4:07PM]

Hmm, Slander and Defamation in one post. Good job Engadget, you are on your path to getting sued!

(not by me)

[TheGasMan @ Jun 26th 2008 4:22PM]

Hmm, care to back up the ridiculous claims you just made?

[Don @ Jun 26th 2008 4:32PM]

First, slander is a form of defamation, not a separate harm. Second, slander is specifically for spoken defamation; libel is written defamation. Third, truth is the ultimate defense to any potential defamation, and opinion is almost always effective, too. Describing Sharper Image products as "crap" is definitely an opinion, and most people would agree it's also a truthful statement.

[Mike @ Jun 26th 2008 8:49PM]

Gordon Brothers and Hilco did the exact same thing with The Bombay Company. I guess they couldn't get their claws on the CompUSA brand too. They're not good people. I won't be buying either brand. Of course, I'm pretty sure it'll be over-priced cheap crap anyway.

[keithwwalker @ Jun 27th 2008 2:07AM]

I disagree, Gordon Brothers and Hilco are putting companies out of business that deserve to be out of business!

[geargutz @ Jun 26th 2008 10:54PM]

While I'm glad to see that Sharper Image products will still be available (because lawsuits aside, the Ionic Breeze is a great product), this doesn't change the fact that I'm still losing my job!!!

- T.S.I. Employee

[Bob-B @ Jun 26th 2008 11:31PM]

I work for sears, and yes, we sell two crappy sharper image cell phones. one blackberry look-a-like and one slvr look-a-like. I use the word sell loosely, because I never actually sold one.

[Austin Chu @ Jul 9th 2008 2:21PM]

Hey guys, not sure if people are still reading this, but I'm starting a revolution. There is no way, I'm going to let me them file for BK, and then decide the keep the name around and make billions in dollars, without replacing our gift cards. NO WAY. Email me at [e-mail] and let me know if you want to organize a revolution. I've got some mad connections. Money to the people. This is legalized embezzlement, $75m in gift cards? Come on!