@HeatingFiddler to a certain degree I agree regarding niche producers often making superior quality products. I’m a bit of a self confessed perfume snob, so prefer to buy from high-end niche perfume houses vs expensive designer brand equivalents (think Initio Parfums vs Guerlain L’Art & La Matière collection). I generally find that as they use better raw materials and specialise in just perfumes, they deliver a superior product with much better projection and longevity and I can avoid having to overspray / continuously top up through the day. Prices are usually similar per bottle (£250-300) but from my experience and in my opinion, the performance is significantly higher from the niche brands vs the designer perfumes (even their exclusive lines), so gives better value for money.
Where I can’t agree with you is from an earlier post when you said “either OP can afford £180 for a candle, in which case she can easily replace it and it's a non-story, or she can't and she shouldn't have bought something she couldn't replace”.
The fact is, some thieving shit has violated @Calcaata’s home. Her ability (or lack of) to replace said stolen item is utterly immaterial. She is perfectly entitled to have an expensive item in her home (and openly displayed), without having to worry about it being stolen - either by an employee of the company she is paying a fee to provide a service (marketing/selling her house) or by the members of the public who are being given access to her property solely under the auspices of having an interest in purchasing said property.
In fact, had she chosen to have it situated in the middle of her hallway, displayed on a tall marble pedestal, surrounded by flashing neon arrows pointing to it with 4-foot high backlit lettering beneath it declaring “£180 designer brand candle”, that STILL wouldn’t have justified it being stolen!
@Calcaata likely has the financial means to go out tomorrow and buy a replacement candle….BUT she shouldn’t have to! People (grown arse adults no less!) should be more than capable of touring a house without getting sticky fingers. Estate agents should be conducting and managing viewings in such a way that there is no opportunity for viewers to surreptitiously pocket something whilst in the property. Finally, the EA companies should have clear policies and procedures in place to both ensure that the employees entrusted with keys/access to properties have been properly trained and vetted, and that should any employee subsequently be found to have abused their position/acted inappropriately or unlawfully, definitive and proportionate action is taken to address, make whole and avoid further damage.
There is zero justification for stealing and the victim’s ability to afford to replace the item is completely irrelevant. Claiming otherwise just comes across as another veiled judgement at OP’s choice to spend her money differently to how you would.