Has the economic downturn markedly impacted the boutique industry for designers and buyers?
Everyone, designers and buyers, said yes, we have all been impacted in some way by the economy. The buyers in our group simply don't have as much "fun" money as we used to. If we are still buying, we aren't buying big ticket items. Most of the designers have noticed a slow down as well. Their Christmas items/sets seem to be doing good, but after that Season they are not sure what sales are going to be like. And many of them seem to be doing better on Etsy then on eBay right now. We have also noticed a big price change in custom boutique. A year ago when you searched highest to lowest, you would mostly find $300+ single sets. Now when you do the same search, it is $500+ for a custom set a month for 6 months, or these similar auctions. Another thing to mention is that as a buyer, I personally have slowed down buying because most the money I spend on custom boutique, I can justify in the resell price. Yeah, I may spend $200 for a set, but might get back $150. Now, when I go to resell my kids custom outfits that I bought last year, I doubt I will even get 1/4 of what I paid. It gets very discouraging, and now I have a dollar amount that I won't go over.
***If you have a question for a team of experienced designers or buyers, please send it in using the link on the right***
No comments:
Post a Comment