by Stephanie Madison from Boutique Bargain Alerts & Boutique Bargains Resource Hunter
Shock, disbelief, uncertainty, I think those are good words to describe what a lot of you feel, or have felt, when venturing out into the boutique clothing world.
I get lots of email's on a daily basis asking, "Are you sure that this will sell and bring in profit? $30 is a lot to spend." Iunderstand how you feel. When I first started out,
I was so excited about finding clothes at J.C. Penny's for $2.77 when they had seasonal clearance sales. Or when I'd stop in at Old Navy and hit a big $1.97 sale. I just "knew" I
was going to make big profits.
Well it didn't quite go as planned and it took me a while to figure out why I wasn't making large profits on these pieces. About 9 returns later it finally hit me that it
really wasn't me, but the clothing I was offering. People didn't flock to eBay for clothing they could easily obtain locally. They wanted top-notch clothing at a discount,
something that you can't always get your hands on. So I started investigating the "boutique" world.
Yep. It made me extremely nervous to invest $20-$30 in an article of clothing. I knew my husband would kill me if they didn't sell or even worse if I lost money. I started out
very slowly, with 4 or 5 pieces that I had picked up for 60% off. With those pieces I ended up making $10, $13, $27, & $50. I couldn't believe it and have been addicted since.
Now any powerseller will tell you that in order to make-up for your time you need to pocket $5 a sale. If you can pocket $10 a sale you are doing fabulous. However, don't expect
to buy an article and sell it at full price. It isn't going to happen. People don't go to eBay for full priced items and I see so many trying to sell them that way and failing.
So you are browsing the online sales and thinking these really aren't sales. My advice to you is to investigate on your own. There are different methods of purchasing
merchandise. What you will ultimately find is that the prices you can dig up online are just as cheap or cheaper than wholesale. But it isn't easy and takes a lot of digging!
Businesses eventually get to the point where they have to get rid of their merchandise even if it means taking a loss or just breaking even. That is where I come in!
Here are ways to obtain inventory:
Purchase a business license. This is the most expensive form of starting an eBay business, but it will allow you to purchase those items you desire at wholesale prices.
I personally can't do this because I am not a big enough seller. Even powerseller's can't go this route all the time. A prime example of a powerseller who uses the online
shopping technique is Here Comes the Stork. She is also a respected friend and college.
Shop Discount Stores like T.J. Maxx, Ross, Marshalls...etc. The downfall of these stores is that many people go this route often saturating eBay with the same styles
and brands of boutique clothing. I tried this with Baby LuLu last year and couldn't give half of it away as so many people had the same things.
Team up with a local boutique. If you have a boutique close to you, then you have a world of potential at your fingertips. Stop in and make friends. Eventually you may
be able to develop a partnership where they may sell you any remaining clothing at wholesale prices or purchase current items for you.
Whichever method you chose for you doesn't matter as long as it works. Just remember that boutique clothing is never cheap, but one of the biggest payoffs in children's
clothing. Like anything you step into it will take some testing. I wish I could take all of the risk out of this for you, but just like any business different things succeed
and fail. I know I am always testing with different strategies to share with you!
Note From Kristen: Always Ask the Experts