Top 10 Wholesalers of Vintage & Retro Fashion Clothing (Including US/UK) (2023)

FAQs

Where do vintage wholesalers get their stock? ›

The first question that many people new to the vintage clothing industry ask is, “Where do all of the clothes come from?” The quick answer is that they come from all over the world, but the long answer is that they come from donations.

Let's clear something up: you don't actually need a wholesale license to buy from a wholesaler. This is why the end customer can buy from merchant wholesalers. Without the right license, you pay sales tax on goods from a wholesaler.

The vintage clothing market

In the US, the secondhand market is projected to more than double by 2026, reaching $82 billion. The demand has contributed to the success of brands like ThredUp and the growing number of vintage clothing sellers popping up on Etsy and eBay.

Old Electronics Are Always Sought-After on eBay

However, you can make no mistake with older electronics. Outdated televisions, radios, walkmans, record players, cameras, and things alike are very popular - and not only when it comes to the collectors.

Designer vintage clothing can often rise in value as it ages, making it a particularly lucrative business, providing you can source a regular supply of pieces. Your target audience will have a bigger budget, but you'll also need to invest a lot of money to build up your inventory.

What is the best app to sell vintage items? ›

Etsy is a great option for people who have handmade or vintage items they want to sell. However, there a number of fees that Etsy sellers incur: a listing fee, a payment processing fee and a shipping fee. While the fees do add up, it's still an more affordable option than many other platforms.

Etsy is one of the best sites online to sell your used clothing. Now you know that you can sell your used clothes there provided that your garments are at least 20 years old and you don't list them in the handmade section. Follow the tips in this guide and you're all set to start your own online store.

"Vintage" is a colloquialism commonly used to refer to all old styles of clothing. A generally accepted industry standard is that items made between 20 and 100 years ago are considered "vintage" if they clearly reflect the styles and trends of the era they represent.

Most secondhand stores don't wash the clothes before selling them. Donations are typically washed before they're donated, but we still recommend giving them a good cleaning when you get home. Even if the clothes are washed before they hit the thrift store floor, people will have since touched them.

The word vintage literally means "of age." With such an open meaning, there are many interpretations. Most antique dealers consider an item to be vintage if it is at least 40 years old. So, in the context of this blog date, a vintage item would be made between 1918 and 1978.

Going to trade shows, asking for referrals, and joining professional networks are three examples of conventional ways to connect with suppliers. You can also find a supplier through reverse sourcing. Start by zeroing in on products that are in high demand, then locate suppliers who can provide you with those products.

Attend networking events and trade shows to meet interested investors. Launch an email marketing campaign to reach large numbers at a time. Start a direct mail campaign searching for potential buyers. Hand out business cards to anyone you meet, letting them know what you are looking for.

Are people still buying vintage? ›

INDIANAPOLIS, Oct. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Three in five (60%) US consumers regularly buy vintage items, while significant numbers wish they could revisit the shopping experience of decades past, according to new research from omnichannel customer engagement platform Emarsys.

In 2022, the global market value of secondhand and resale apparel was estimated to be worth 177 billion U.S. dollars. This value is projected to rise rapidly in the coming years, almost doubling in size from 2022 to 2027, reaching a value of 351 billion dollars.

In 2022, we saw more celebrities incorporating vintage into their day-to-day wardrobe. And it's a trend that's set to continue in 2023, as buying second-hand becomes second nature to more and more people.

You could make thousands of dollars per month as a reseller, in fact. It's one of the best side hustles out there, and a great idea for how to make money in your spare time.

A vintage clothing business gives people a reason to visit your website and to keep coming back to you! The gross margins for your vintage clothing business are typically around 40%, which is considerably high and allows you to grow your business and manage costs easily.

While the old saying goes, “Out with the old, in with the new,” in 2023, the opposite may be true. Retro and vintage are making a big comeback in decor, furniture, and design.

9. Vintage fashion: Vintage fashion, which refers to clothing from past decades, has always been popular, and it is expected to continue to be a trend in 2023. Look for vintage dresses, suits, and accessories at thrift and vintage stores.

Where is the best place to meet to sell items? ›

Buying/Selling Safely

If there is not a registered SafeExchangePoint location near you, we recommend meeting at a local police station lobby or parking lot, bank lobby, coffee shop or even a hotel lobby.

Someone who buys and sells vintage and/or antiques as their business.

The WorthPoint app lets you price & research items on-the-go from your iPhone and iPad. We help collectors and resellers alike answer two burning questions: what is it, and what's it worth?

Overall, something that is vintage has been made to last and is of high quality, but if you are buying with the intention of keeping as its value increases, it is useful to consider which items are easiest to preserve. If a vintage piece is not stored properly, and therefore damaged, then its value will decrease.

Selling your clothes online can be worth it, but don't expect every single item to be profitable. Clothing that is in excellent condition and in demand will yield the best results, as long as applicable fees and shipping rates are less than the price you're selling it for.

It is an object that represents a previous era or time period in human society. An item should be at least 100 years old to be defined as an antique. Generally speaking if the item is no older than an antique but not less than 20 years, it falls under the term vintage.

People often get confused when talking about vintage and retro items. Basically, vintage denotes something that is authentic from an era at least twenty years ago, while retro is new items that have been made to imitate items of the past.

While both vintage and antique refer to older items, retro goods are newer items designed to mimic styles and designs from the past. Vintage retro goods are often reproductions of styles or designs that were popular 20 or more years ago.

Remove Old Stains

Before laundering, try soaking the fabric in an enzyme textile cleaner diluted with water, or add a non-chlorine bleach to the wash water. Sometimes an old-fashioned method for bleaching white fabrics can be a gentle yet effective technique: Rub lemon juice and salt over the stain.

Should I wear deodorant with vintage clothes? ›

Don't wear something vintage if you know you'll be sweating that day—sweat will stain vintage fabric, plus modern deodorant chemicals may rub off and discolor the fabric.

A lab test performed by the New York Times showed that 66% of the odors come from the body of the person who wore the clothes previously. This is sweat, natural oils, and dead skin. The remaining 33% of smells come from the environment such as car exhaust, air pollution, and food.

Popular styles included bell bottom pants, frayed jeans, midi skirts, maxi dresses, tie-dye, peasant blouses, and ponchos. Some accessories that will help pull together your early '70s Hippie outfits are chokers, headbands, scarves, and jewelry made of wood, stones, feathers, and beads.

In order for something to be vintage, it must be at least 20 years old. However, you can have new vintage (ie: something from the 90s) or old vintage (something from the 1930s).

Are all Vintage Clothes Second Hand? Because of their age, many vintage pieces are second-hand but not all. You may have heard or seen the term 'new vintage' floating around which are clothes designed in a vintage era such as the '60s or '70s but have never been worn.

At estate sales or clean outs, auctions, from other dealers or private individuals online; dead stock (new merchandise that's been sitting in storage for decades), fashion designer & film costume archives, flea markets, vintage clothing shows, consignment and thrift stores, etc..

Retail wholesalers bulk buy from manufacturers and their network of distributors. Like retailers, they benefit from the advantages of bulk buying. Retail wholesalers then go on to resell to retailers. Merchant wholesalers buy wholesale products directly from manufacturers.

A wholesale supplier acts as a middleman between manufacturers and sellers. Typically, a wholesaler doesn't sell directly to the end consumers. Instead, a wholesale license allows them to buy products in bulk from manufacturers at a discount and resell the products to business owners at a slight markup.

includes all activities involved in selling goods and services to those buying for resale or business use. Wholesalers buy mostly from producers and sell mostly to retailers, industrial consumers, and other wholesalers.

Designer vintage clothing can often rise in value as it ages, making it a particularly lucrative business, providing you can source a regular supply of pieces. Your target audience will have a bigger budget, but you'll also need to invest a lot of money to build up your inventory.

Is there a market for vintage clothing? ›

The demand has contributed to the success of brands like ThredUp and the growing number of vintage clothing sellers popping up on Etsy and eBay. While there is a lot of competition, there's no reason you can't create a unique vintage brand to define your particular taste, away from the crowded marketplaces.

A wholesaler is a person or company who sells products in bulk to various outlets or retailers for onward sale, either directly or through a middleman. Wholesalers are able to sell their products for a lower price as they are selling in bulk, which reduces the handling time and costs involved.

Depending on the business and type of products, most of the manufacturers won't sell products in small quantities. So, it won't be possible for an individual consumer to buy directly from the manufacturer. In that case, you should go to the distributor (who purchases products in bulk) to buy the product you need.

The Futian District market, or Yiwu Market, is the largest wholesale market in the world, with 5.5 million square meters of space that spans 7 kilometers.

Merchant wholesalers are the most common type of wholesalers who buy all sorts of different and profitable items from different manufacturers, store them, and sell them to the retailers.