[jpomerenke]

Hello-
Just thought i would get your opinion on a xmas season quick money idea that has potential to even substitute my college drinking fund

I have a supplier that has designer inspired handbags and accessories (LV, Gucci, Prada, etc.) and the markup on the products are pretty good. 100-150%

I think i may do up a flyer and take it to the local copy center to get some color copies of it (around a 20-30 investment) for a decent amount of them (100ish)

And then i will go to all the main buildings on campus and they have bulltien boards to put flyers on and post them on the boards.

And see what happens from there....

The way i look at it is there are 27,000 people that go to ISU..... at least one person has to buy a bag to recoupe my whopping 20 dollar investment

[ericesquire]

You'll have good sales for xmas, no doubt about it...

[robyang!]

A 100-150% mark-up isn't that high of a mark-up.
The designers make an exponential amount of money.
A hang bag, which realistically (with labour and expenses) costs at the most $5.00.
BUT you're not in that position, SO it might be a good idea.

[jpomerenke]

1) These are "inspired" handbags and not replicas or the real things.
2) I am not a manufactuer or a dealer of the products so obvioulsy i just get them at the wholesale price and sell them retail.
3) 100-150% is pretty high for a retail markup.

[ericesquire]

Originally posted by robyang!
A 100-150% mark-up isn't that high of a mark-up.
The designers make an exponential amount of money.
A hang bag, which realistically (with labour and expenses) costs at the most $5.00.
BUT you're not in that position, SO it might be a good idea.

Alright...I have to call bull s*** on this. Sorry.

Unfortunately if you were referring to authentic designer handbags, $5.00 is ludacris for manufacturing costs - in fact, you're pushing it even if you're referring to the knock offs (depending on material)

The material alone, especially if it is real leather, costs more than $5.00 for a handbag. Then you have to include the metal accents, the good zippers that are used on designer handbags also add to the cost.

Then shipping - when you ship something from overseas you can expect to add about 1/4 to 1/3rd of the cost of the product JUST to get it on your doorstep.

I've designed and manufactured my own handbags overseas in some of the cheapest regions of China with faux man-made leather and they were $9.00 a piece plus shipping of roughly $6.00. For real leather it would have at least doubled in price and the quality/grade of leather can increase from there dramatically. Add in packaging, hang tags, plastic cover, authenticity card, and all the other goodies that come along with a designer handbag and you're well over the $5.00 you mentioned.

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Now, on a lighter note - some of the handbags that jpomerenke is referring to are very cheap and are made of cotton or plastic, not leather - which would fall under the $5.00 mark, especially if mass produced 10,000 units plus at a time.
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One other thing - when you have a product that is an easy sell with a 100%+ markup, you're doing damn fine - I'd like to know what you're selling that has such a huge markup (above 150%) because you're sitting on a gold mine and should really focus your efforts on it.

[robyang!]

Dont be so naive, just because you had hand bags made in China doesn't mean you're a pro on it.
You probably got ripped off.
My family owns leather factories in China, and it doesn't cost that much.
You're small pickles so you pay a much higher price.
I'm talking about in the hundreds of thousands.
For $9 a piece, you got jacked.
Chinese business etiquette is much different from wester etiquette.
In China or any part of Asia, you have to establish a personal relationship before you get down to business.
Americans are business first, relations later.
You got ripped off man.
And apparently so for $9 a hand bag in the CHEAPEST part in regions in China.
$9 in China translates to more than a week of full time work, more than 40 hours.
Are you telling me it took 40 hours to create on faux leather hand bag?
And that the material was so expensive?
C'mon get outta here.

Look at this website
http://gifts-pontier.com/bg-b233-1og.htm
bags for $9.75, are you telling me they make a 75 cent profit?

[ericesquire]

No doubt about it it wasn't the lowest - which is why I made mention to some of the bags being below the $5 mark if they are made of cheap materials and orderd 10,000+

First of all - the designer bags we're talking about here (Gucci, Prada, Burberry) are not made in sh***y china where the labor is cheap and so is the end product - they're made in italy with better materials and DO NOT COST $5.

One other thing - the cost of doing business isn't just the labor. It's the licenses, the building, the equipment, the material, etc. - so stating it like the price you should pay is the 20 minutes it costs to pay someone to create something is a falicy.

Hmmmm....culture clash...

<----runs away

[waveformpc]

Originally posted by ericesquire
No doubt about it it wasn't the lowest - which is why I made mention to some of the bags being below the $5 mark if they are made of cheap materials and orderd 10,000+

First of all - the designer bags we're talking about here (Gucci, Prada, Burberry) are not made in sh***y china where the labor is cheap and so is the end product - they're made in italy with better materials and DO NOT COST $5.

One other thing - the cost of doing business isn't just the labor. It's the licenses, the building, the equipment, the material, etc. - so stating it like the price you should pay is the 20 minutes it costs to pay someone to create something is a falicy.

Hmmmm....culture clash...

<----runs away

Well, I don't think Italy is any better, LOL... Are their cows any different (leather)? Having 50% of my family coming from Italy gives me a good perspective on that one.

[jpomerenke]

There is also something to be said about italian (european, since burberry comes from london) made clothing and shoes. They are made much better and out of much better materials than anything made in china.

I just bought a prada stocking cap and its amazing the difference in quality. I have a couple burberry polo shirts that even after a couple dozen washes still look brand new with no wear at all. I have a pair of boots that were made in italy and ive worn them on a regular basis for 3+ years and they still have many many years in them.

Just off the top of my head, clothes that are made in china that just plain suck.... old navy.... there clothes will literally fall apart in 3 months....
It pays to buy nice stuff.

Yes, some of the big designers, especially america designers (ralph lauren, tommy hilfiger, etc.) outsource alot of there production to china and countries like that, but they still use the same quality of material and dont cut costs that way.

Of course i am not saying that the big designers arent charging a higher markup on there clothes, but they can charge highe prices just for the quality, but more, for the name. Its the name that sells a product more then the quality a lot of times.

[pacintl]

I just got my first desinger suite gucci....it was like sex putting that baby on....and for that fool who thinks he's god cause his parents own 5 dollar factories and china keep that to yourself bill gates your nothing.

[ericesquire]

Yes, there are different cows and different types of leather - funny you asked.

There's also a difference in quality and workmanship.

I can't believe I've just read a post that implies handmade italian luxury is no better than mass produced chinese crap.