Dispensing with Old Clothing Samples

November 18th, 2003

Filed under:
Mixed Bag

Dispensing with Old Clothing Samples

My aunt is Shaneen Huxham, a New York fashion designer of some repute. She designs gloves and handbags, mostly. She has a few samples from last year’s collections which she has neither the time nor the inclination to sell. So, my sister Lynsey, who was recently in New York, offered to do it for her.

Because of market forces and the exclusive tastes of her glitterati clients, Shaneen can’t sell the stuff in New York, so Lynsey’s thinking of selling it out here in Vancouver. How would you recommend selling it? We’ve come up with several options:

Consignment stores: A good option, though labour intensive.
eBay: Less work, but you could probably only sell a few items at a time for fear of saturating the market.
Flea markets: A possibility, but how much does one expect to pay at flea markets? Where are the flea markets in Vancouver?

What do you think of those options? Any other thoughts?

Comments: 12 Responses so far

harp
November 18th, 2003
5:07 pm

consignment would be the most profitable way to go. But aren’t there companies who’ll buy your stuff to distribute to stores? My old landlord made wine glasses and I think she did something similar…

either that, or going directly to department stores could be a good idea if her stuff would fly there. It could go to all the chain stores of say, the Bay or whatever.

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Sue
November 18th, 2003
7:13 pm

I would say consignment stores are your best bet, too. There are a few “upscale” consignments that will likely take the whole shebang and give you a decent rate.

There’s also a store in Yaletown, on Mainland across the street from the Yaletown Market and Subway, that does designer samples etc. You might try to see if they’ll take them, given as they’re fairly upscale items.

Good luck!

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Rob
November 18th, 2003
8:24 pm

Mr. Barefoot - I’ll call you when I’m back from LA, but depending on how many and the price point, I know some people that you could talk to.

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Richard
November 18th, 2003
8:26 pm

If Lynsey has the time, she should try showing them to some local Women’s clothing/accessories shops on Robson St. and the malls (Aritzia comes to mind, also A-wear).

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jenny
November 19th, 2003
1:25 am

Word of mouth! Anyone who is anyone hates having the same as anyone else.. I’d pay top dollar for an exclusive bag I know no one else in town will have.

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Lynsey
November 19th, 2003
10:24 am

All very good ideas. Thank you. consignment might be the way to go I agree. What are these “upscale” consignment stores?

Rob…sounds like you are doing a drug deal!

The problem with retail shops is that these are samples and they have to take what they get…can’t pick colours or sizes. But might be worth a try anyway….Thanks Richard.

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Sue
November 19th, 2003
3:18 pm

Upscale consignment stores - one’s called Bon Retour, on Broadway (at Spruce I believe). They only take designer items. A breeze through the Yellow Pages will undoubtedly uncover more.

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Imo
November 19th, 2003
3:42 pm

Deluxe Junk is another. I think Shaneen’s gloves would do really well there -hmm well I don’t know if they sell gloves -but it’s worth asking…

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Kevin
November 19th, 2003
11:39 pm

three words: car boot sale.

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Steve Forsyth
November 20th, 2003
4:58 pm

1) Donate them to deserving tax-exempt organizations, such as theatres, and take exemption .(Not sure how this would work in Canada.)
2) Market them to producers of films, TV commercials, print advertising, etc.
3) (Really ambitious) Start your own mail-order business, in cooperation with a number of people in this quandry, and limit distribution by region, or some such.

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